Caroline Dormon

#OTD It's the birthday of the naturalist, botanist, ornithologist, prizewinning horticulturist, painter, archaeologist, historian, author of six books, and a proud daughter of the great state of Louisiana: Caroline Dormon. 

Her friends called her "Carrie."
Carrie was a tiny woman; she was also a powerhouse; she formed her own opinions and ideas about the natural world, and she always wore dresses; she thought pants were quite scandalous.
Carrie was born at her family's summer home called Briarwood
In the 1920s at Briarwood, Carrie built a writing cabin she called Three Pines because of the trio of tall pines around it. Carrie told her friends it was a place for daydreams.
In the 1950s, a second cabin was built at Briarwood. Carrie liked to take the screens off the windows every spring so wrens could build nests inside.
At Briarwood, Carrie installed trails through the woods, planted hundreds of plants, and she even installed a reflecting pool for "Grandpappy" - her favorite tree on the property.
Grandpappy is a longleaf pine, and he's still alive today. Grandpappy is estimated to be over 300 years old.
There's a story about Grandpappy that Carrie used to share with visitors. Once a forester wanted to "core" Grandpappy to determine a more exact age for the tree. Carrie stopped him and said, "It's none of your business how old Grandpappy is, or how old I am for that matter."