Washington DC Page 4

July 2012

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Washington DC visit, page 4:

Saturday morning we went to the famous Farmers Market. It is rightfully famous. The produce was spectacular - very high quality and varied. We wish we had something like that near us! (Although I will say our local corn stand has fantastic corn on the cob.) Jim, the owner, is originally from Massachusetts, many years ago.

Man standing among produce displays at the busy farmers market

Bucket of bright yellow sunflowers at the farmers market

Shoppers browsing bags of basil and other produce under white market tents

Display of collards, scallions, red beets, and golden beets at the farmers market

The plan was to head to the National Arboretum after breakfast. And, in fact, we did that. However, it was a bit delayed because while making breakfast, a fuse blew in the kitchen. The entire kitchen, it turns out, is on one (formerly very old) fuse. It is now on one new fuse, after we waited for the man on call to replace it. Luckily, Jenn has a gas stove and matches, so we were able to have breakfast while waiting.

We loved the Arboretum. Our first stop was the Koi Pond. This is a large Koi Pond, with many fish - all of whom expect you to feed them! There is a food dispenser near by.

Crowd of colorful koi fish swirling at the surface of the pond near a person's hand

White water lilies floating on dark water beside tall green leaves

Pink lotus flower and bud rising above broad green leaves

Dried lotus seed head standing above the pond leaves

Pale lavender water hyacinth bloom nestled among glossy green leaves

Paul in front of a Crapemyrtle tree:

Man standing beside a large purple-flowering crape myrtle tree and bench

Adjacent to the Koi Pond are the Bonsai. The one we are in front of (below) is almost 400 years old! This display showed a nice variety of Bonsai, including ones both from Japan and the United States.

Three people posing beside a large bonsai tree on display

Large multi-trunk bonsai displayed on a wooden platform

We were pleased to see some hummingbird moths. In the first picture, it is up to it's eyes in the flower.

Hummingbird moth feeding from a cluster of white flowers

Hummingbird moth hovering at the edge of a white flower cluster

The National Herb Garden doesn't necessarily sound like much, but it was probably our favorite section of the Arboretum. It is very pretty, as well as being educational. They have sections with different themes, such as beverages, or dyeing, or seasoning. The pillars in the picture with Paul and Jenn are originally from the Capital Building.

Formal herb garden bed with clipped shrubs and layered plantings

Pink flower cluster standing in warm sunlight in the herb garden

White globe-shaped flower bloom in close view

Man and woman standing in the garden beneath a wooden pergola with tall columns visible in the distance

Two green maypop fruits hanging among leaves in Fern Valley

From there we went to Fern Valley, which is a pleasant wooded section. The Passiflora incarnata, commonly called Maypop, was in bloom during our visit. This is an impressive flower. A busy bee was dutifully covered in pollen.

Rustic wooden bench tucked into a leafy garden corner

Bee covered in pollen on a purple passionflower bloom

Close view of a purple passionflower with curling fringe and pale petals

Whorl of long dark green leaves surrounding a cluster of pale buds

Delicate seed heads of nodding grass hanging in an arc

The last section of the arboretum that we had time to visit was the Asian Collections. This area goes down to the Anacostia River, and has various sections with different Asian (and related) plants. Here are Anne and Jenn on the pretty bench, Paul next to a really large leafed plant, some butterflies / moths, and then Anne and Jenn standing in the pagoda-style structure.

Two women seated together on a wooden bench in a lush garden

Man standing beside a huge banana-like plant with oversized leaves

Yellow-and-black swallowtail butterfly resting on green leaves

Dark swallowtail butterfly resting on a stone path with wings spread

Two women standing together in a red pagoda-style garden structure

Saturday evening we had an excellent meal featuring the vegetables from the farmer's market. Jenn made us roasted beets, mushrooms, and French goat cheese. Neither Paul nor I have had beets, so this was fun to try. I will have to experiment making that at home.

That was the last full day of our vacation. We took a nice walk on Sunday before leaving.

Bright yellow daisy-like flower blooming along a city sidewalk

Updated April 2026