Such a beautiful, quiet spot. The Peterson Lake Nature Center Arboretum is located on 135 acres in W. C. Johnson Park, located in eastern Collierville, TN. The arboretum was certified by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture on August 3, 2008.

The Arboretum is within the Wolf River ( a tributary of the Mississippi River) floodplain, and as such, has many sloughs and runs that remain flooded year round.

Many of the scenes would be familiar to anyone who has seen black-water swamps in other parts of the South.

Walking through the Arboretum is by way of an 0.86 mile boardwalk that is sturdy, safe and well maintained.

During the summer months ( or really, the spring and early fall - it stays quite warm here in the Mid-South), the temperature along this shaded boardwalk can be 10-15 degrees cooler than out in the park. And the birds and mammals do love it, too.

So much to see in every visit - one of my favorite places to just ramble about and enjoy  such a wonderful, small slice of a unique piece of nature so close to home. Quite a change from the fields and farms of West Tennessee.