Hi
porkpal:
I went ahead and titled each image in my post above.
Photo #4 depicts
Acer nipponicum (Nippon Maple) just as its minute flowers are being pollinated and beginning to form seeds. This plant grows at the U. S. National Arboretum, and the picture was taken in mid May 2012.
I had the good fortune to be able to visit the USNA almost every spring from 2008 - 2017 while serving as state chapter president and then trustee for the American Society of Landscape Architects, because the midterm meetings were held in Washington DC at the ASLA headquarters. It is an incredible well-curated collection of both native and introduced species, and the cornerstone of a tremendous amount of plant research. Many great selections were evaluated and introduced by USNA. A tour around their website is a treasure in itself.
On this particular USNA visit, I met up with fellow NGA members from the Mid Atlantic Gardening group; perhaps
@sallyg recalls that stroll around the grounds.
