12 May Day One in DC: A Hike at the Mall
The White House's Front Yard has a kitchen garden (left) and a beehive! (middle)
My first day in DC I went for an all day hike to see the sights and in search of gardens in the Mall. I was pleasantly surprised by the food gardens in the front lawn of the White House and a nice big beehive to boot! Next, I think the Obama’s need to get some chickens! Just think: Executive poultry– I could imagine them keeping Silkies for sure! 😉
On the left of the picture is a better view of the hive!
Throughout the Mall three is a ridiculous amount of lawn. Almost no shrub layer, and Liriope seems to be the favorite ground cover used everywhere. But, I was also happy to see “weeds” in the lawns throughout.
Lovely "Ecolawns" throughout the Mall in DC
Not having spent much time on the East Coast I was blown away by so much impressive masonry and intricate designs and details throughout the monuments and even in the smallest buildings. The diverse architecture is amazing – lots of brick and stone — has a old prestigious feel.
Details on the old gate house building at one of the White House south entrances.
Loved the stonework on this little building on a busy intersection near the World War II Memorial
Much of my time was spent visiting many of the Memorials which was a very emotional and powerful experience. I spent hours in the Holocaust Museum, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial among several others.
Abe Lincoln - 20' marble statue
- A dragonfly rests on the Vietnam Veteran Memorial wall amongst reflections of the sky
The Washington Monument
Several of the “gardens” labeled on the maps weren’t exactly gardens, but I spent all day walking around and ran out of time. If I can I am going to try and make it back to the East side of the Mall and see the US Botanic Garden. I also got a tip to see the Enid Haupt Garden and Ripley Garden!