Most of us have heard of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzerald's novel about aspiration and corruption on the Gold Coast of Long Island. The book describes the opulence of grand estates in that area of the New York coast. While mansions and estates still exist in North Shore communities along the Long Island Sound, many of the estates owned by legendary families have been donated to the public. Taxes and the cost of maintaining the properties were onerous.
Lucky me. These former estates now have become great places to take a walk, on Wednesday or any other day of the week. Bequeathed to the public in 1966 by the family of Grenville Clark, a Wall Street financier, Clark Botanical Garden is a haven, a natural gem tucked at the border of the Long Island Railroad tracks.
Entrance to the garden is free. No matter when I go, there is something new to to see. While the standing exhibits in the garden may be predictable, nature changes every moment. There maybe a bee that alights for a moment on a flower, and then is gone.
There might be a late summer blossom that will be wilting tomorrow.
Will that squirrel be there in the spring? Will it survive the winter, or the hurricane that may be heading our way in a few days? The Adirondack Ecological Center estimates the lifespan for juvenile grey squirrels to be 1- 2 years, adults 6 years.
This squirrel looks young, but does not appear to be a juvenile. It's range is between 1 and 25 acres. Since Clark Garden covers12 acres, maybe I'll see this critter again in springtime.
How about this chipmunk?
From the description provided by Critter Control, this little creature is an eastern chipmunk. It has a range of approximately 1/2 an acre and has a lifespan of about 3 years. I hope I will meet this little fellow again in 2023.
Perhaps when I go, in spring 2023, I will sit in this gazebo.
Or, I could sit by one of the garden's many small ponds, as I did the other day when I saw this dragonfly. It lit on the stalk of a reed, and posed for me.
I got several pictures of this beautiful fellow.
Was the dragonfly watching me, as I was watching it? Or was it stalking prey? Dragonflies have been described as the most effective hunters in the animal world. It is estimated that they are successful in their attempts to capture prey 95% of the time.
The dragonfly will surely not be here in the spring. Lifespan of an adult dragonfly is estimated to be between 1 week and 6 months.
As I contemplate the lifespans of different life forms present at Clark Garden the other day, I am struck by my arrogance. Will I be there? Will I walk across the bridge pictured above, as I have several times before?
Last spring I saw these turtles sunning themselves on the pond, snapped a photo and contributed it to the LMAC Gallery, on Hive. It looks like this species might be (?) a painted turtle.
There were no turtles evident the other day. I'm still here. Where are they? Will we both be back in the spring? If these were painted turtles, they live twenty to thirty years. Maybe we'll both be back.
I may come back in winter, when there is snow on the ground, and ice in this shaded brook.
If I do go back to Clark Botanical Garden, I'll be sure to report on that walk in this community.
Credits: All pictures were taken by me. The turtle picture is mine also, and may currently be found in LIL, the LMAC Image Gallery. All images in that gallery are public domain.
This is my first post in the Wednesday Walk community. What a great idea. We share our walks with others, so we get to enjoy the experiences twice.