An arboretum in winter (and hints of things to come)

In any season, Arnold Arboretum is one of my favorite places in Boston. Each season offers a different perspective. In winter, the arboretum drowses. It's a season of silhouettes and silence. But even in the quiet, you can see hints of things to come. Spring lies wrapped in tightly furled buds, tipping the ends of branches.

Here's another hint of things to come. In conjunction with CSN Stores, I'm working on another favorite thing: a giveaway! You'll read more about it in a blog post soon. In the meantime, enjoy some more images from an arboretum in winter...

With no luxurious foliage to distract the eye, other aspects of the trees are accentuated. Their innate sculptural presence. Note this tree's muscular, contorted limbs...

...or the sense of whimsy in this crooked little tree. Its riotous black-and-white trunk and tangles of whip-thin branches tumbling to the ground look exactly like a tree that Dr. Seuss would draw.

Without the shrouding leaves, I could focus on the textures and colors of tree bark. What a spectacular camouflage trunk.

I have so many photographs to share, too many for this single post. I'll leave you for now with this. The second Sunday in May (or Mother's Day) is Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum. Hundreds of lilacs will be laden with blooms, perfuming the air with their heavy fragrance. Do you see something oddly alien or a hint of lilac yet to come?