RIDGELY, MD – Adkins Arboretum has announced the 2020 lineup for its popular Soup ’n Walk programs. Discover green plants in winter, early blooms and wildlife, ephemeral flowers, sure signs of spring, meadow grasses, fall color and plants that feed animals through winter. Following a guided walk through the Arboretum’s forest, meadows and wetland, enjoy a delicious and nutritious lunch along with a brief talk about nutrition. Copies of recipes are provided, and all gift shop purchases on these days receive a 20% discount. This year’s offerings include:
Winter Greens & Distinctive Bark
Saturday, February 15, 2020 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Look for green plants that seek the winter sun and trees with telltale bark. Plants of interest include mosses, cranefly orchid, magnolia and holly leaves and the green stems of strawberry bush and greenbrier. Menu: hearty chili, sweet and tangy sauerkraut salad, dill rye bread with spinach spread, Black Forest cake.
Early Blooms, Songbirds & Spring Frogs
Saturday, March 21, 2020 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Listen for songbirds and spring frogs while searching for early purple, pink and white blooms. Plants of interest include skunk cabbage, paw paw, spring beauty and bloodroot. Menu: borscht beet and cabbage soup, curried sweet potato and apple pilaf, pumpernickel bread with strawberry glaze, amaranth date bars with orange glaze.
Spring Ephemerals & Pollinators
Saturday, April 18, 2020 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Look again! The blooms of ephemeral plants, trees and shrubs are here and gone in the blink of an eye. Look for pink white and yellow blooms and early pollinators. Plants of interest include pink spring beauty, may apple, dogwood, golden groundsel, spicebush, sassafras and white beech. Menu: ginger sweet potato soup, Eastern Shore crunchy coleslaw, spiced pumpkin bread with apple butter, baked pineapple.
Tuckahoe Creek, Beavers & Beyond
Saturday, May 9, 2020 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Observe the beautiful Tuckahoe Creek view and look for signs of beavers. Plants of interest include mountain laurel, beech, tulip tree, pink lady’s slipper, Solomon’s seal and may apple. Menu: kale, apple and lentil soup, roasted red beets and carrots, zucchini herb bread with mint jelly, cinnamon crunch apple cake.
Sunny Meadows, Bluebirds & Dragonflies
Saturday, September 19, 2020 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Walk the meadows in search of golden brown grasses and yellow and purple flowers while watching and listening for bluebirds and dragonflies. Plants of interest include milkweed, black-eyed Susan, goldenrod, Indian grass, big bluestem and sumac berries. Menu: split pea soup, quinoa, green bean and tomato salad, anadama oatmeal bread with orange marmalade, old-fashioned pear cobbler.
Dazzling Fall Color
Saturday, October 17, 2020 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Fall colors dazzle the eye and pique the appetite. Listen for migrating birds and woodpeckers while watching for changing color on red and orange sweet gum, sassafras, tupelo, sumac, dogwood, yellow paw paw, hickory, beech and tulip trees. Menu: creamy tomato-basil soup, black-eyed pea salad, whole wheat flaxseed bread with cherry jam, tasty peach and berry crisp.
Nutritious Berries, Nuts & Seeds
Saturday, November 21, 2020 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Enjoy the autumn harvest as we hunt for nutritious berries, nuts and seeds and check for signs of beaver. Plants of interest include dogwood, hibiscus, partridge berry, oak, loblolly pine, juniper, verbena, ironwood and strawberry bush. Menu: Mediterranean black bean soup, apple-date salad, rye walnut bread, ginger oatmeal walnut cookies.
Soup ’n Walk programs are $25 for members and $30 for non-members. Early registration is recommended. Visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0 to register or for more information.
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Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum is the region’s resource for native plants and education programs about nature, ecology and wildlife conservation gardening. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.