Sara LeGrady

English 134

Marx

November 17, 2004

 

The Leaning Pine Arboretum

 

Hummingbirds dodged around my head as I sat listening to Chris Wassenberg speak.  I tried to pay attention but my eyes kept wandering to gaze at the colorful plants encircling me.  It seemed that hundreds of these speedy birds were in the trees happily chattering early on this foggy morning.  My eyes drifted to find one perched on a branch of a Calothamnus bush.  The stalks of the branches were covered all the way to the tips with small light green leaves.  The small bird suddenly bolted from the bush making tiny peeping sounds as it fluttered past me.  Another appeared out of the tree and hovered for a short while above a few of my fellow students who sat across from me on a  rigid chestnut-colored fence made of rocks.  Though there were many birds that lived in the Arboretum such as finches, red tailed hawks, and white-crowned sparrows, my attention was held by the small, beautiful, and graceful hummingbirds.  I found myself thinking of last spring when I was lucky enough to have a humming-bird nest in my yard.  I had watched the birds mature and finally fly off.  One however, did not fly away as it had fallen out of the nest and was in the grass below.  I went to look closer and I gently picked it up.  Its sparkling green feathers would gleam brightly whenever light hit them.  When it was perched on my finger he was so light I would not have been able to tell he was there at all if it wasnÕt for the feeling of the needle-like prickling of his small claws against my skin.  I remember him looking up at me and peeping quietly for food.  I cared for this tiny bird for a week, feeding him every few hours with protein and nectar until an animal hospital took him in.  Now I heard a buzzing noise approaching me and as I turned my head a hummingbird nearly crashed into me.  Blinking with surprise I tried to recover from the attack.  Before I knew it, he disappeared into a wall of woody evergreens. 

              I then focused my attention back to Chris, the manager of the arboretum.  He talked about how he first got involved with the garden when he was a Horticulture student in 1996.  When asked why he wanted to volunteer there he replied that he enjoyed the beauty that the garden provided and appreciated watching his labor and sweat unfold into radiant living foliage.  His favorite time of day is a few minutes before sunset when the warm orange glow of the sun shines through the plants and outlines the shapes of the garden.  Chris started volunteering and improving the gardens under the supervision of Professor Tom Eltzroth who wanted to enhance the arboretum by adding sections suited to the five Mediterranean climates of the world.  Throughout college, he spent time building the garden that I was in today.  After he graduated in 2001 with a BHS he became the manager of the Leaning Pine Arboretum.  His job includes overseeing six student workers who help him maintain the garden.  Trimming trees, pulling weeds, planting new foliage and watering are a few of the tasks needed to maintain a garden like this. 

            Located on the outskirts of the campus, Leaning Pine Arboretum is a calming retreat far from the business of Cal Poly.  Six acres of land make up the five main Mediterranean areas of the garden.  The most prominent is the California section which takes up about three acres of the arboretum.  CaliforniaÕs diverse environment provides an ever-changing habitat filled with fascinating fresh plant life.  Deer grass and foothill sedge grow along the rim of the path winding through the oaks and ceanothus shrubs with their blue flowered buds standing out against the lush green foliage.  The smell of sage lingers in the air as I pass a shallow pond to my left hidden by the shade of massive pine and sycamore trees towering above.  Their limbs reached high concealing the light from the morning sky. 

            I could feel the atmosphere changing as I walked into the exotic South African Garden.  Along the mountainside bunchgrass and oak trees fade away and succulent plants appear.  Fan aloe rise out of the dry earth to reveal thick dull green leaves tied in bunches at the end of a bulky stalk.  Aloe is a type of succulent and they only need a small amount of water to flourish making it easy for them to live in the harsh dry climates of Africa.  I looked to my right and could see the colorful Chilean garden hidden behind lush shrubs with small steps inviting me to walk up the hill and take a look.  One interesting plant struck me with its odd appearance.  It was called a silver tree.  The soft leaves of this interesting tree shine with a silver gleam in the sun.  To help protect the tree from dying in the harsh weather, the leaves reflect the severe heat from the California sun.  Tiny hairs on the surface of the leaves also help hold in moisture when they lie flat.  I passed by the tree and headed over to the Mediterranean part of the garden where an impressive umbrella of Italian Stone Pines hung high above me.  These pines will reach heights of almost seventy feet when they fully mature.  The seeds are completely edible.  Succulents, cork oaks and olive trees also thrive in this area.  Ahead of me I could spot lanky palm trees standing out against the gray blue of the sky.  The palms surrounded a large clearing of bright green grass.  Chris said there were events held here such as club meetings, earth day and other academic activities.  I wandered off to look at an unusual orange plant in the primitive section on the border of the entire garden.  I came upon a plant that was called  Bankisia Prionotes.  Its long thin stringy leaves wound up the tall stalk of the plant and at the top grew a huge orange bulge which I assumed was the flower.  I found the primitive garden to be interesting because ancient plant life such as the Bankisia Prionotes creates a mystifying visual scene to complete my trek through the Leaning Pine Arboretum. 

My visit to the Leaning Pine Arboretum was an enjoyable experience.   The gardens are based on different regions of the world but they are tied together through their Mediterranean similarities.  It is constantly evolving for students to use as a way of learning and also for the pleasure of anyone else who wishes to visit.  Whether you get attacked by hummingbirds or see a rabbit or two, the garden will always have something new to offer.