Taken at Fullerton Arboretum
I saw some wonderful pictures a friend’s daughter had posted on her Facebook page a few weeks back that were taken at the Fullerton Arboretum. She was very enthusiastic about the 26 acre gardens, so when the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance to get my camera out and do some random shooting.
It is located on the campus of California State Fullerton and open daily from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. There is a suggested donation of $5 per person which can be dropped into a box at the entrance.
I was concerned with the drought we are having here in Southern California as to whether or not there would be any color to capture. Thankfully the park is full of drought resistant plants and there were many exotics still in bloom.
Passion Flower
The grounds are divided up into sections with distinct themes such as the Woodlands Collection (that includes two small ponds), the Desert Collection, and the Mediterranean Collection. There is also a children’s and a community garden, a cultivated section as well as an exotic fruit section.
Map of Fullerton Arboretum courtesy of FullertonArboretum.org
On the ponds you will be able to spot numerous turtles either sunning themselves on nearby rocks, or their moss-covered backs almost completely camouflaged amongst the pond reeds. We also observed an enormous bright orange carp, several mallards, and a large variety of songbirds.
Of course lizards scurrying across the pathway are a given, the occasional squirrel darted past, and even one lone bunny tried to remain hidden in the shrubs.
There is a small information center where you can purchase a cold drink for a dollar and a volunteer is available to answer questions. The museum was not open during the weekday we visited, nor was the Heritage House.
Heritage House
This is a great location for a family outing. Bring a picnic, do some animal or bird watching, enjoy the huge variety of colorful and exotic vegetation, sit on a bench to read or sketch, or if you are like me, you will be in heaven taking picture after picture.
I also appreciated that most of the plants were well labeled, either by placard or attached sign which identified the name and often a bit of information about them.
Plants were well labeled making identification easy.
Although we covered the entire park and spent a couple of hours wondering about, I spent the majority of my time in the desert cactus section concentrating on trying to capture the wide range of forms and textures.
There are some fun, interesting settings for taking casual portraits, like these:
A wide variety of blooming trees, vines and shrubs gives vibrant color:
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But for me, the highlight was trying to capture the unusual shapes, forms and textures:
Natural fan
Looped grass
Prickles
Stone
Needle sharp
Tree bark
Sharp and soft at the same time
Seed clusters
Tree knot hole and scaly bark, reminded me on an elephant eye
Palm frond
Nobs and thorns
A wonderful treat just before we left, was to observe two baby hummingbirds in their nest. Momma watched us nervously from a high branch on the neighboring tree and then after determining we meant her or her brood no harm, she swooped in and fed the wee ones.
Two baby hummingbirds in the nest
Momma bird feeding her chicks.
Gratitude Moment: Today I am grateful for dear friends who opened their home to us to use for a mini get-a-way. And for my bestie who just introducing me to Cadillac Margaritas ~ another first for me!
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A Note From Abroad 
Such beautiful images. I’ll have to put Fullerton Arboretum on my bucket list because of this post.
Shine On
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Glad you enjoyed the images. Thanks!
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Beautiful photo. P.S. I am enjoying following your friend’s Camino journey. Thanks for sharing her Blog.
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I’m so glad you are following their journey. They are an amazing couple and I have HUGE admiration for them taking on this challenge.
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We love the pictures of the flowers. I always enjoy taking flower pictures myself. You have done beautifully here. We are following along on Karen’s blog as well as yours. Joanne, how about you and me walking the trail someday and let the boys go ahead and find the hotels. Think of you often. Thanks for sharing. Debby
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I love the idea of sending the guys ahead to get the hotel room, but I’m afraid I would need Tim to either carry me, my backpack or both, LOL!
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Joanne, I meant to ask what lens you used for your photos and are you in manual or automatic?
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For all of these photos, I used my little pocket camera, the Sony RX100. I use the advanced auto setting (this camera offers two auto settings) for most of my picture taking. On occasion I get adventuresome, and try manual settings, but I appreciate the ease of just pointing and shooting. I find that allows me to concentrate on what I want to shoot, and not “how” to shoot it. Both Tim and I have some great Nikon equipment and lenses, but most of the time default to the simplicity of one we can carry in a pocket.
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That blue flower is out of this world! A lot of your photos look like they would be gorgeous in black and white. Wonderful shots. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for the suggestion. I just might have to try a couple in black and white. Glad you liked them.
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The spikes and lines are beautiful. They look like they could be sold at IKEA or something! 🙂
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We had a great evening drinking Cadillac Margie’s !
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We always have a great time together! Thanks for introducing me to my new favorite drink.
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My daughter received her Masters from Fullerton, so I have been there of course, but not aware there was such a wonderful attraction. I will now have to charge up the camera bag and head out one of these fine mornings, thank you!
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John, the gardens are not well marked, in fact we drove past them and made a loop around the campus before spotting them. When you enter the campus they are almost immediately on your left. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as we did. And congratulations to your daughter on getting her Masters!
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I saw you had a question mark by the blue flower — it’s type of passion flower. Not sure if you knew that, but thought I would add it in, just in case you were wondering!
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Thank you so much for the name. I had planned on looking it up, and then sadly forgot about it. I will update the page shortly.
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Hello and thanks for the blog like!
I was pulled in by this post of yours and wanted to say that the Fullerton Arboretum is a neat place to go! I was a former student and spent some time between classes in the grassy area. It was cool to see a blog post about it.
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Hello Krystal and welcome! In between our travels abroad I try to highlight a few special places right here in our own backyard. I found that the shapes and textures in the gardens in Fullerton to be right up my alley when it comes to unique photography options. If you have not already visited the LA Arboretum, be sure to add it to your “places to check out” list. If you enjoyed Fullerton, then you will go crazy for the even larger Gardens in Arcadia.
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Hello and thank you for the blog like!
I was pulled in by your post of the Fullerton Arboretum since I happen to be a former student. I remember spending some time between classes sitting in the grassy areas. It was cool to be able to read about it on a blog post.
Your guys’ travel diary is so impressive! Looking forward to reading more adventures.
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