An Afternoon at Shaw

Last Wednesday, we met Dad and Mom Smith at nearby Shaw Nature Reserve. Shaw is one of my favorite places to visit in the St. Louis area, as is evidenced by the myriad of pictures on my computer and on my blog. I love the emphasis on plants are local to the area, and the fact that they give it as natural a feel as possible.

I love to hike at Shaw, but knew that just wasn't an option this spring. In fact, I hadn't been able to figure out how I was going to get to enjoy it at before summer, because this pregnancy has had me a lot less mobile than usual.

Well, we figured out that we could drive into the reserve and park near the Bascom House, which we had never visited, despite the fact that it's rightnextdoor to the wildflower garden, which we have frequented. So Dad & Mom S. walked out with the Blessings while Jonathan and I drove. We investigated the Bascom House, then went down to the wildflower garden where I found a bench in a lovely spot while the rest of the gang went walking.

The Bascom House is definitely a worthwhile excursion. It was built in the late 1800s and the Missouri Botanical Gardens (which runs Shaw) and the MO Dept. of Conservation teamed up to restore it. I like the architecture, the woodwork is gorgeous, and the displays are interesting.

Here are some pictures from outside the house:

From inside the house:


And a couple of other outside shots from the wildflower garden (there are more in my Spring Flowers post from yesterday):