SAGBUTT Sunday Sojourn

Seattle Area Garden Bloggers United To Talk (SAGBUTT)
met on Sunday at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum.
You can see in the picture below
that we were an attentive group as we began
our docent-led tour in the 'Alpine Garden.'
What were we fascinated by?

It was a fasciation fascination!
We learned that volunteers at
LWA intentionally propagate plants with this characteristic.

'For the kid in you', click on the picture below and
see if you can spot something on the tree trunk?
(It's mostly black and houses some cool mammals.)

Another one for the 'kids'...
What are these large hills?

They're ANT PALACES of course!
They are home to what are called mound, thatcher, or wood ants.
These ants are predatory and devour destructive insects
that could harm the azaleas
in the Smith-Mossman Western Azalea Garden.
There is a cute article about these type of ants
geared towards children here.

Everywhere we walked, fall was evident.

The fountain softly bubbled,
a calming and quiet spot for reflection.

As we reflected back on our tour,
we shared some snacks and garden bounty.
We spoke of gardening, future gatherings,
and even some garden blogging!

The garden bloggers above are (left to right):
Aerie-el (baseball cap worn for ID with blog profile picture),
Curmudgeon of the Weed Wackin' Wenches blog,
Paula of Petunia's Garden,
Wingnut also of the Weed Wackin' Wenches,
Molly of Life on Tiger Mountain, and
Daniel of Daniel Mount Gardens.

We missed Karen at Greenwalks

and all of you who couldn't attend this month.
Be sure to check Greenwalks,
or any of the other SAGBUTT blogs
for information on future meetings
(held the 3rd weekend of each month).
We hope that if you're in the area,
you can join us at one of them!

SAGBUTT Sunday Oct 18!

The colors are splendid, even in the rain.
I took this picture at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum
just the other day when it was pouring down rain.
Imagine what it will look like when the sunbeams
break through the clouds
and shafts of light stream onto these
almost-painfully beautiful fall colors.

Please join the
Seattle Area Garden Bloggers United To Talk (SAGBUTT)
this Sunday, October 18, 2009
at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum
in Maple Valley, Washington, for a docent-led tour.
We'll meet at the Gazebo at 1 p.m. for the tour,
after which we can linger and share snacks and conversation.

Here is a link to the location:

View Larger Map

Below I've posted some photos (click on them to enlarge them)
of what your journey will look like
(minus the rain of course, since it is supposed to be nice on Sunday),
especially with some areas that people have called the 'tricky' parts.

Please note that if you have turned south off
the Maple Valley Highway, and you arrive
at the entrance to the Lake Wilderness Golf Course on the left,
you've passed the turn to the Arboretum.

This view is of Witte Road, as you approach
the left turn you will make onto SE 248th Street
to get to the Arboretum.
A right turn takes you to the Library
(which can be seen from Witte Rd.)
The Library was featured in a Seattle paper a few years ago
because of its architecture and
use of the surrounding features in nature.

This is what you will see
as you approach the Arboretum on SE 248th St.

Choose the gravel road.

This garden will be on your left
as you drive toward the gazebo and Nursery.

The gazebo is tucked back from the road;
you will pass it on your left
as you approach the parking area near the Nursery.

Park and take the short walk to meet at the gazebo.

Please leave me a comment and/or email me
if you have any questions.
Hope to see you there!

~Aerie-el