Yakima Area Arboretum and Botanical Garden — Monday, Mar. 28, 2022

After setting up camp at Yakima Sportsman SP, we went to the arboretum which is less than a 10 minute drive from the park. The Arboretum was established in 1967 by the Central Washington Federation of Garden Clubs. It is described as a "Living Museum" of over 1000 trees, grasses, a rose garden, wetland area, butterfly garden and it gives access to the Yakima Greenway Trail. Most of the trees have identification labels attached to their lower branches on the south side of the tree. There is a brochure describing the Self-Guided Tour. Oaks, Mountain Ash, Linden, Sequoia, Hawthorn, Spruces and Pines, Firs, Sweetgum, larch, cedars, Ginkgo, Beech, Maples, and Nut Trees are among the trees seen. The tour begins at the Jewitt Interpretive Center which was a gift from Don and Helen Jewitt of Yakima in 1992. This is not a destination hike from Seattle, but it is a nice area to meander if you are camped in the area or passing through on I-82 and need a driving break. It was a beautiful sunny day with a temp of 74. We saw pasque flowers, daffodils, magnolia blossoms, cherry blossoms and a dwarf forsythia. Heart nut trees were a first sighting for us. They are a relative of the Japanese walnut and there shell splits into half and opens like a locket. The nuts have a mild and sweet walnut flavor.