The hydrangea is like a celery-colored clover peeking out among the blanket of thick brown magnolia leaves -- burnt as a golden wafer even upon its descent to the ground. The crickets stop for me. My sneakers are harsh against the muddy soil -- compressed like coal beneath my feet. It is like they are afraid, yet so much of what we interpret as fear is merely a habit provoked by centuries of deer hooves. The crickets continue through the squeal of breaks, the hiss of hydraulics, and a maintenance worker wielding a leaf blower not far away. These crickets chatter through the conversations of people walking purposefully down the sidewalk three feet from the trees, behind a white picket fence. Yet they stop for me.

 

Matthew's Garden, situated in what is basically the center of the University of Kentucky's campus, is home to some of the most biologically diverse organisms in the state of Kentucky. It is maintained by the university's biology department and, to the untrained eye, resembles a wooded lot that has been too far neglected. The first time I saw the Matthew's Garden I believe this is similar to what I thought. Aside from the official placard that stands nestled under the shade of a Magnolia tree, the average Lexington resident would have no idea that the garden even exists. In fact, one of the main arteries of downtown Lexington, South Limestone, runs directly beside the small bit of acreage and still no one notices.

 

I was instructed to enter the Matthew's Garden as part of a writing assignment for my English class. Until then, I had thought nothing of the place. Upon entering the garden, I was hit instantly by a dense wall of one of the state's native species of bamboo. A small dirt path was obscured by native bushes and the dried leaves that had just begun to fall. I suddenly felt enclosed, safe even, in this overgrown vegetation.  It was like being on my grandparents' farm in Northern Kentucky. It was like home. And for thirty minutes that first day, I really think I was.

 

Since then, the Matthew's Garden has become a regular stopping place for me when I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with the city or the eighteen papers I have due for midterms. It's a convenient place: one filled with peace, and unfortunately, the rushing of cars in the background. Yet it's a testament to the university that they've been able to keep the garden green and without a large presence of asphalt. It's something that many in Lexington should see, especially those who attend the university because being able to transcend the day to day just by walking into a greener sanctuary is something we could all use a bit more of.  

 

Photos: Hannah Headley/Flickr