RIDGELY, MD:
Adkins Arboretum has announced the 2023 lineup for its popular Soup ’n Walk programs. Explore the Arboretum’s forest, meadows and wetland on a guided walk themed to the season, then enjoy a delicious lunch and a brief talk about nature and nutrition. Copies of recipes are provided. All gift shop purchases on these days receive a 20% discount. This year’s offerings include:
Early Blooms, Songbirds & Spring Frogs
Sat., March 18, 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: beet and cabbage soup, sweet and tangy sauerkraut salad, ancient grain bread with mint jelly, Black Forest cupcakes with cherries.
Spring Ephemerals & Pollinators
Sat., April 15, 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 listen for early pollinators. Plants of interest include pink spring beauty, may apple, dogwood, golden groundsel, spicebush, sassafras and white beech. Menu: carrot and ginger soup, black-eyed pea salad, rye bread with plum jam, coconut almond cupcake (gluten free).
Beavers, Tuckahoe Creek & Beyond
Sat., May 20, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Observe the beautiful Tuckahoe Creek view while scouting 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, corn, black bean and parsnip soup, apple Waldorf salad, dill cottage cheese bread with raspberry jam, blueberry bars.
Sat., Sept. 16, 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: 16-bean soup, Mediterranean quinoa salad, anadama oat corn bread, Pfefferneuse cookies.
Sat., Oct. 21, 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: minestrone, colorful crunchy coleslaw, wheat bread with seeds, pumpkin spice bars with lemon.
Sat., Nov. 18, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Enjoy autumn 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: spicy sweet potato soup, broccoli carrot raisin salad, pumpernickel bread, yellow cake with apple cranberry sauce.
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. 100 to register or for more information.
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A 400-acre native garden and preserve, Adkins Arboretum provides exceptional experiences in nature to promote environmental stewardship.