Adkins Arboretum has announced the 2023 lineup for its popular Soup ’n Walk programs. Explore the Arboretum’s forest, meadows and wetland on a guided walk themed to the season, then enjoy a delicious lunch and a brief talk about nature and nutrition. Copies of recipes are provided. All gift shop purchases on these days receive a 20% discount. This year’s offerings include:
Adkins Arboretum’s 2023 Soup ’n Walk programs kick off March 18 with a walk focused on early blooms, songbirds and spring frogs. Photo: Kellen McCluskey.
Early Blooms, Songbirds & Spring Frogs
Sat., March 18, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Listen for songbirds and spring frogs while searching for early purple, pink and white blooms. Plants of interest include skunk cabbage, paw paw, spring beauty and bloodroot. Menu: beet and cabbage soup, sweet and tangy sauerkraut salad, ancient grain bread with mint jelly, Black Forest cupcakes with cherries.
Spring Ephemerals & Pollinators
Sat., April 15, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Look again! The blooms of ephemeral plants, trees and shrubs are here and gone in the blink of an eye. Look for pink, white and yellow blooms and listen for early pollinators. Plants of interest include pink spring beauty, may apple, dogwood, golden groundsel, spicebush, sassafras and white beech. Menu: carrot and ginger soup, black-eyed pea salad, rye bread with plum jam, coconut almond cupcake (gluten free).
Beavers, Tuckahoe Creek & Beyond
Sat., May 20, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Observe the beautiful Tuckahoe Creek view while scouting for signs of beavers. Plants of interest include mountain laurel, beech, tulip tree, pink lady’s slipper, Solomon’s seal and may apple. Menu: kale, corn, black bean and parsnip soup, apple Waldorf salad, dill cottage cheese bread with raspberry jam, blueberry bars.
Sat., Sept. 16, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Walk the meadows in search of golden brown grasses and yellow and purple flowers while watching and listening for bluebirds and dragonflies. Plants of interest include milkweed, black-eyed Susan, goldenrod, Indian grass, big bluestem and sumac berries. Menu: 16-bean soup, Mediterranean quinoa salad, anadama oat corn bread, Pfefferneuse cookies.
Sat., Oct. 21, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Fall colors dazzle the eye and pique the appetite. Listen for migrating birds and woodpeckers while watching for changing color on red and orange sweet gum, sassafras, tupelo, sumac, dogwood, yellow paw paw, hickory, beech and tulip trees. Menu: minestrone, colorful crunchy coleslaw, wheat bread with seeds, pumpkin spice bars with lemon.
Sat., Nov. 18, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Enjoy autumn as we hunt for nutritious berries, nuts and seeds and check for signs of beaver. Plants of interest include dogwood, hibiscus, partridge berry, oak, loblolly pine, juniper, verbena, ironwood and strawberry bush. Menu: spicy sweet potato soup, broccoli carrot raisin salad, pumpernickel bread, yellow cake with apple cranberry sauce.
Soup ’n Walk programs are $25 for members and $30 for non-members. Early registration is recommended. Visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 100 to register or for more information.
A 400-acre native garden and preserve, Adkins Arboretum provides exceptional experiences in nature to promote environmental stewardship.
Last week, we asked you about seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia)! This native plant is found on the wetland edge and has unique, characteristic seed pods that resemble boxes. This perennial is related to evening primrose and has a similar multi-branched habit with yellow flowers. The flowers are short-lived, but attract bees, butterflies, and moths.
#ecologyiscool #mysteryorganism #mutualism #symbioticrelationship #mysterymonday #adkinsarboretum #winterinterest
Last week we asked you about splitbeard broomsedge (Andropogon ternarius)! This showy native warm-season grass grows in poor, sandy soils in full sun. In fall, it produces fluffy and silvery seed heads, which are a food source for songbirds and small mammals. Some animals will also use the grass and seeds as nesting material and cover.
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go 
Last week, we asked you about ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana)! Ironwood also happens to be our 2023 Native Tree of the Year! At Adkins, you’ll find ironwood in the understory, growing in and around the floodplains. Easily identified by its taut and rippled trunk, ironwood is known for its strong wood and has historically been used for tool handles and the like. Found throughout Maryland, ironwood is the host plant for a variety of butterflies, including the eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), and many moths, including the American dagger moth (Acronicta americana) and banded tussock moth (Halysidota tessellaris). In addition to feeding many lepidopterans, ironwood foliage and twigs are tasty fodder for deer and the nutlets are browsed by mammals and birds alike.
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go 
A showcase of excellence that dates to 1829, the Philadelphia Flower Show is a top destination and a must-experience horticultural event. On Mon., March 6, join Adkins Arboretum for 
Last week, we asked you about the Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana). Also known as scrub pine, this medium-sized tree tends to grow in old fields and poor soils. Here on the Eastern Shore, it tends to grow near loblolly pines and sweet gum trees. One of the easiest ways to identify this tree is to look at the needle bundles. The needles are paired in twos, with each needle slightly twisting. A good way to remember this is that the two needles resemble a “V” — “V” for Virginia. Virginia pine provides good cover for wildlife and often is one of the first trees to naturally regrow in mined or burned areas.
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go 
Last week, we highlighted the devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa). Devil’s walking stick is in Araliaceae, the same plant family as ginseng and wild sarsaparilla. It is most easily identified by its stem (in any season), which has strong thorns wrapped around it. The leaves are heavily divided and can reach 3-4 feet long and wide (per leaf!). It produces prolific white umbel flowers, which attract pollinators of all kinds! Just walk by in the summer and hear the buzzing! #nativeplants #mysterymonday #adkinsarboretum #mysteryplant #mysterytree #knowyourplantfamilies #devilswalkingstick #winterinterest
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go