Raleigh Palms

I visited Raleigh in September 2019.  I did not have enough time to explore for palms as much as I would have liked to, nonetheless I did have a chance to check some out, and revisit some I had seen the year before.  The first place I had visited was Pullen Park, which I had not visited before.  The park is one of the oldest in the country, and featured an antique carousel, train ride, several ponds, bridges, and landscaping featuring lots of windmill palms.

The first palm I had noticed was actually a pair of large Needle palms.  This was the biggest I had ever seen, a good 40 or more years old.

Besides the needle pair, and some small scattered Sabal Minor, the only other palms found were windmills.  All seemed very established and healthy.

Nice pair of windmills with a volunteer below.

Another windmill palm pair.

Notice how this old one is shedding the fiber on
 the trunk.

Some were pushing 20-30 feet, and had clearly been there for years.

The tallest palms in the park.

This old windmill was by the duck pond and
had a noticeably smaller crown.

Clearly many of the palms had been there for quite some time, as many had been seeding and volunteer palms were popping up all over the park.

This one was near the first old one I had posted, 

Near one of the more natural ponds in the park, Windmills
were naturalizing all over the area.

This one was by a constantly flowing drain, and was always
 moving from the water flow

After leaving the park, I checked in on a Sabal Palmetto I had found the year before on S Person street. 

This Sabal Palmetto has been there since 2013

Another view, it faired well after the 2018
cold spell in NC

I checked in on the two Sabal Minor planted by the News Observer near Nash park.  They have been seeding for years, and both have been producing volunteers for years.

This Sabal Minor volunteer was across the street.

 

Nearby Nash Park also had some Sabal Minor planted around the circle.

Across the street from Nash park was an established Windmill too.

Some other palms I had seen were planted in front of several Businesses, Here are some drive-by shots.

These Windmill palms were by a Car Dealer.

these Windmill palms were In front of an Italian Resteraunt.

Heres some closeups of the Windmill Palms at the Italian place.




I also spotted some older Sabal Minor near the Raleigh Science center.

This one was very robust and was seeding.

Another one planted behind, near some Yucca.

Not a palm, but certainly an interesting find, a Century Plant AKA Agave Americana planted by a Hotel Front in the downtown area.  Hope you all enjoyed!

Agave Americana in Downtown Raleigh.