On a beautiful September evening, 23 DCSWA members met at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC for a private evening hike lit by the full harvest moon. Our guide, a volunteer named Greig, regaled us with tales of the history of the Arboretum and recommended the best times of year to visit the various collections. Highlights included an Ash Magnolia, the dwarf conifer garden, a tree-sized camellia, and Dawn Redwoods (relatives of the Giant Sequoias). None of these surpassed the grandeur of the Arboretum’s centerpiece: A set of sandstone columns from a previous iteration of the Capitol glowed in the moonlight at the start of our trek. Attendees made new connections with each other and with nature on this fun walk in the woods.
