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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Tree adventures

This is a landlubber's view of the new Out on a Limb-Tree Adventure exhibit at Morris Arboretum. It's scheduled to open on Saturday but workers were still at it this morning laying asphalt and putting finishing touches on the structure, which cost $3 million and will be permanent. It's no small feat to raise that kind of money these days, so hats off to the folks at Morris. And doesn't this look like fun? I couldn't go inside but I definitely plan to go back. Actually, I go to Morris a lot since it's close to my house; it's interesting and beautiful in every season, but this Tree Adventure is definitely worth a trip right away.

The canopy walk is 50 feet above ground, leading to a suspension bridge that, in turn, leads to the suspended Bird's Nest, which you can see in the back of this photo. You can go inside and make like a bird - or a squirrel, on the Squirrel Scramble's rope netting. From there you head to a Wissahickon Vista platform, which will give you a breathtaking view of the valley. It's good to see down here from up there. It gives you a sense of time and space - centuries of tree growth and sustenance for the creatures within. That includes us.

This exhibit, designed by Metcalfe Architecture & Design, is fully handicapped-accessible. I'm looking forward to seeing wheelchairs in every part of it.
Posted by virginia smith @ 12:09 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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About Virginia A. Smith
Ginny Smith, a Philadelphia native, worked as a reporter at newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Ohio – with six short months at the end of the Bulletin tossed in – before returning to Philadelphia in 1985 to join the Inquirer. Her favorite beats here have included Center City, roving around Pennsylvania (and getting paid for it!) and alternative medicine. She’s also been City Editor and Pennsylvania Editor. Ginny has been happily writing – and learning - about gardening fulltime since 2006. She’s won two silver medals of achievement from the national Garden Writers Association and in 2011, Bartram’s Garden honored her with its Green Exemplar award for her stories about “the region’s deeply rooted horticultural history, cultural attractions and bountiful gardens.”
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