多少年过去了，我对自然界万物的好奇心却始终没有丝毫改变。我怀疑，我是不是心理年龄增长缓慢，以致于凡事好奇，就连天空的流云或水中的落叶也能使我饶有兴趣地看上半天？
这不，某日当我漫步于屋后的树林里时，心中突发奇想：我要是能认识这树林里所有花草树木的名字，那该多好啊！
于是，一段时间以来，利用几乎所有的业余时间上网、上图书馆，查阅几乎所有能查到的信息，如饥似渴地学习辨认安大略原始树林中的各种植物，俨然林学院里刻苦攻读的毛头小子！而且，理论结合实际，到树林里拍摄了大量的照片还不够，8月28日干脆驱车百余公里到Guelph大学的植物园参观学习，家人也一同前往。
Guelph大学座落于安大略省南部的Guelph市，为加拿大的一所名校，以食品、农林和动物科学为重点，安大略农业部即设立在该校校园里。该校建有一座广达6100余亩的植物园，供本校师生研究、学习之用；绝大部分园地还免费对公众开放，经费据说主要来源于历届校友的奉献。这个植物园栽有1700余个树种，其中包括不少安大略乃至全加拿大的稀有树种，以及濒临灭绝的若干树种，比如Cucumber Tree和Butternut。植物园里有很多条主题 Trails，光1公里以上长度的Trail就有9条，主题根据树种及园地条件划分。我们出发之前低估了该园的大小及复杂度，结果走了整整3个小时才走了一条半的Trail。遗憾之余，只好来年再补了。不过，终于亲眼目睹了千奇百怪的树种，见识了安大略乃至加拿大的珍稀植物，也不虚此行了。照片拍了近500张，供日后复习、参考。屋后树林里的树木、花草，好多可以在这个植物园里找到，这对我学习辨认林中的植物大有帮助！
下面是儿子就Guelph大学植物园之行所写的日记。看得出，我对他的成长很有影响。日记为其原貌，未作任何改动。
My Trip to Guelph
And there it stood, two feet in front of us. The tall figure stared down upon my fascinated eyes. Its body, held firm to the ground, stood motionlessly. Yet still, we are somehow drawn to it by our everlasting curiosity. Its fingers were long and crooked and its feet, invisible underneath the ground. Yes, I speak of a tree, not a child’s standard closet monster. Many think trees are simple, background facets but in fact, trees have shaped our world. I learned the importance and power of trees on my trip to the University of Guelph.
My dad studied trees before we went to Guelph. He had been learning how to distinguish different types of trees for the past month or so. It all started one day when my dad had a walk through the woods west to my house. He wanted to know what all the trees in the entire forest are called. It then became his goal.
The fated day had arrived. We began the road trip to the University of Guelph. The sun had not shined for the past few days. In addition, the weather had forecasted a chance of rain. Despite the chance of rain, that day had almost hit the highest temperature of August. We traveled for two hours west until we finally arrived to Stone Road Mall, a large shopping centre in the city of Guelph. We rested up and then continued to the University of Guelph. We looked around the university and took an amount of pictures and then left for the arboretum.
At the arboretum, we saw many interesting trees; many rare yet many common as well. We saw the Kobushi Magnolia (Magnolia Kobus), a tree native to the Kanto region of Japan. We also saw the Blue Ash (Fraxinus Quadrangulata). The blue ash has four edges on the twig so it is famous for its “square-like” branches. We then found the Pumpkin Ash (Fraxinus Profunda), the only pumpkin ash in Canada. It is called the Pumpkin Ash because near the bottom of the trunk, it seems swollen and rounded, like a pumpkin. Pumpkin ashes are only like this when they are near swamps or very wet areas; otherwise they look like any other ash tree.
Now looking back at it, this trip was actually kind of fun. But the thing that amazed me most was just this morning; trees were just simple, background facets but now I am somewhat more interested in the subject of trees. There is a moral to this story; many things can change in just a single day.
OAC校友捐建的室内热带、亚热带植物园，室内通过人工调温、调湿，即使是在大雪纷飞的冬季，里面的植物也照样很好的生存。
室内植物园里象石榴的植物。
植物园西边入口处的招牌。
Cucumber Tree的果子，令我想起传说中状似婴孩的“人参果”，这大概是从《西游记》中得来的概念吧，不知吃得不吃得。《西游记》中唐僧师徒4人一日来到一道观，道长吩咐童子送3000年一熟的“人参果”给他们吃，八戒一口吞了果子，不知其味，问猴哥再要一个。师傅见此果状如婴孩，吓得直喊阿弥陀佛。呵呵。
瞧这可怕的阵势！我想Honey Locust真是一种绝顶聪明的植物，披上这身防护衣，松鼠等以坚果为食的动物哪还敢来盗食种子？！
Manchurian Cherry的树干。
这是Blue Ash，由于地鼠喜欢啃这种树的根皮，所以它的数量向来很少。Ash还有其它的种类，比如Black Ash, White Ash, Green Ash, Red Ash, Pumpkin Ash等。Blue Ash区别于其它同类的最主要的特征，就是枝条长着4个对称的翼角，使其呈现方形。
植物园里的喷水池。
远离城市的喧嚣，找一个空间聆听自己内心的声音。午后核桃树下的椅子，是独处的好地方，也是恋爱中男女的好去处。看山林缀着斜阳，听山风吹拨树叶的声音，还有偶尔传来的鸟叫虫鸣，实在是人生的一种境界。
累了娘俩躺在草地上看天上来往的飞机。
太阳西下，回家去乐~~~
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