RIDGELY, MD – Adkins Arboretum has announced the 2019 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
Sat., Feb. 16, 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: red beet and cabbage soup, orange walnut bread with citrus, anadama bread with spinach dip, blueberry peach smoothies.
Early Blooms, Songbirds & Spring Frogs
Sat., March 16, 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: kale and chicken soup with lemon, sweet and tangy sauerkraut salad, wheat bread with raspberry jam, Black Forest cake with cherries.
Spring Ephemerals & Pollinators
Sat., April 20, 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: carrot and ginger soup, black-eyed pea salad, ancient grain bread with jam, coconut almond cupcake.
Tuckahoe Creek & Beyond
Sat., May 18, 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, corn, black bean and parsnip soup, apple Waldorf salad, dill cottage cheese bread with apple butter, lemon apple tart bars.
Sunny Meadows, Bluebirds & Dragonflies
Sat., Sept. 21, 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: minted cantaloupe soup, cauliflower, potatoes and peas Indian style, dill rye bread with cream cheese and jam, Pfefferneuse cookies.
Dazzling Fall Color
Sat., Oct. 19, 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: squash stew with beans and kale, potato salad with beets and carrots, double oat bread, pumpkin spice bars with lemon.
Nutritious Berries, Nuts & Seeds
Sat., Nov. 16, 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: 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. 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.