Archive for the ‘Nature Places’ Category
I’ve been visiting gardens and nature places for a while now as part of my business travel policy of making time to see places of interest besides conference rooms.
As a bona fide control freak, I find I am less unhinged by the inevitable travails of travel if there is something on the other end of the path traveled besides work. And, at least in the spring and summer, what better destination than a walk in a beautiful garden, eh?
Chicago Botanic Garden
So since I was headed to Chicago for a meeting, I blocked out Sunday afternoon to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Trust me. It is no small undertaking to try to see the Chicago Botanic Garden in a single afternoon. With 385 acres of displays, 2.3 million plants and stunning garden architecture and about 6 million other garden lovers visiting at the same time, there’s a lot to see.
As with nearly all of the botanical gardens I have visited, the Chicago Botanic Garden is arranged in a meandering path of interconnected theme gardens. It’s quite a lengthy and diverse list:
-Aquatic Garden
-Bonsai Collection
-Bulb Garden
-Circle Garden
-Dwarf Conifer Garden
-Enabling Garden
-English Oak Meadow
-English Walled Garden
-Evening Island
-Fruit and Vegetable Garden
-Greenhouses
-Heritage Garden
-Japanese Garden
-Lakeside Gardens
-Landscape Garden
-McDonald Woods
-Model Railroad Garden
-Native Plant Garden
-Prairie
-River Valley
-Rose Garden
-Sensory Garden
-Shade Evaluation Garden
-Spider Island
-Sun Evaluation Garden
-Water Gardens
-Waterfall Garden
Whew.
The thing that was really missing, however, was a NAP GARDEN. After walking for hours and hours, I longed for a shady lawn where I could stretch out and close my eyes. Looking around at the other garden peepers, I wasn’t alone. But although there were some beautiful lawns, it was clear that they were designed as throughways and byways—not for napping.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Since I’m still catching up with work, I’ll be splitting my post on the gardens for the next couple of days with some photos and brief observations. I consider visiting professional gardens an educational experience. The plant pros have the luxury and the budget to experiment and find the optimum plant varieties for their locations, toy with various combinations of plants to achieve the maximum effect and work with architectural pros to design the most pleasing of hardscape to support the plants. There is much to be learned from all that hard work and experience.
Yes, I learn a good deal from reading all the great garden blogs as well as from reading the gardening magazines that fill my mailbox. But there is something even more effective about actually SEEING for yourself the effects of different plant combinations in a garden setting. And looking at a photo of a flower isn’t nearly as informative as seeing the actual beast. I mean, how many times have we been disappointed with our orders from nurseries with fancy catalogs?
So visit again soon and I’ll share some photos and naïve observations about things I learned at the Chicago Botanic Garden. And if you have posted your own garden or nature travel blog posts, will you let me know about it by leaving a comment?
Ciao!
Robin
Living out here in the country, I feel a yearning to learn the names of things, the nature of things and understand the cycles of life around us. I want to be a naturalist! (Not a naturist.)
I suppose before there were Barnes & Nobles with nifty identifying books and prior to when Al Gore invented the Internet, we had to rely on our parents, grandparents and teachers to tell us the names of things. Now, Google can help us put names the creatures in the world around us.
That is, if you believe everything you read on the Internet.
Giving a name to an animal, a bug or a plant is the beginning of knowing the nature of that animal, bug or plant. When you can name it, you can refer to IT, add to your library of information about IT. It provides a pinpoint reference for what IT is. You can explain IT to others and feel on a first-name familiarity with IT. IT becomes a part of you.
At least, that’s what I think.
In the seven years we’ve lived here on this property (about 21 or so acres), I’ve made some on-again, off-again efforts at putting names to things. Now, with my nifty new camera by my side, I can photograph IT and then do research to identify IT that doesn’t have to rely on my aging memory.
And with this nifty new blog, I can check to make sure that I’m not off track about what IT is. I can ask people like Ruthie to help! Or maybe even Julie, the uber-naturalist, would drop by and straighten me out!
Out here in the country, the farmers give their own names to things. For example, Farmer Rudy, who tends our hay field, calls some of the vines in our trees monkey vines. Now, a quick Google search tells me that there are, indeed, some plants called monkey vines. But the vines he’s referring to have little or nothing to do with the monkey vines mentioned on Google.
So just what ARE those darned monkey vines?
Similarly, the locals call these beautiful, wild flowers that twine up high through the trees trumpet flowers, no doubt because of their trumpet-like shape.
Mystery Flower Identified - Trumpet Vine (Thanks Carol and Ruthie for the ID!)
But IS this a trumpet flower? We have dozens of them, providing bright spots of color in the foliage in the hot months of August.
Now, I’ve already threatened to have my own little butterfly gallery. So here are two more candidates.
Mystery butterfly #1
I’m pretty sure this is a butterfly and not a moth because of the knobby ends on his antennae. He’s a small, light green fellow. There are many of his mates that hang out with him at our butterfly bush–an aptly named bush if I ever met one.
Cabbage White Butterfly (Thanks Ruthie for the ID)
Similarly, this little white butterfly sporting the black spot is plentiful here at the Bumblebee Garden. I consider myself fortunate to have captured his image because they are usually flitting around rapidly, seldom landing for very long.
Cabbage White Butterfly
Not, I actually DO know the names of some things here at the Bumblebee Garden.
For example, I know that the box turtles around here are generally Eastern box turtles.
Eastern Box Turtle
One of the things I love about living out here is how people have respect for turtles. After a rain, it is not unusual to see dozens of turtles slowly crossing the road. People invariably drive around them. And it is not a rare scene to see someone stop a car and gently move a turtle off to the side. In fact, I have NEVER seen a squished box turtle. And there is PLENTY of other road kill around here.
Finally, I definitely know about these wild creatures.
Papillons
They may look like tender fluffs of fur, but these animals are FIERCE. I just have to say the word “deer” in a normal tone of voice and they are on TRIPLE HIGH ALERT, darting from window to window, ready to stalk and chase down the offending creature. When I open the door, they RACE out and chase down the deer–at least until they hit the edge of the woods. They do not do woods.
They also know “squirrel,” “bird” and anything that begins with “Is that a…”
So there you go.
Anyone who wants to help advance my naturalist education, chime right in and give me the name for IT!
Robin
A garden is continually changing…
Plants grow, flourish, produce their fruit and then find their magical ways to create a new plant.
The spinach bid adieu long ago. Our lettuce also has finally gone to seed. This is, perhaps, one of the saddest passings in our garden, since a green salad is nearly always on the dinner menu. One of the great joys of a garden is going out and picking what is fresh and ripe, rinsing it off and eating it within minutes of the harvest.
Lettuce going to seed
But to take its place, our cucumbers are thriving. Cucumber salad. Cucumbers in neufchatel cheese. Oriental cucumbers. Chopped cucumbers in veggie wraps. Homemade bread and butter pickles.
Yes, you can perhaps have too many cucumbers. And zucchini.
Cucumber vines
A closer look at the flowers in the garden also reveals a bounty of bugs. Some good. Some bad.
A constant are the bees–at least so far. I do worry about the mass bee deaths that are occurring. So far, we still see bees, particularly the big fat bumblebees.
Bumblebee
My favorites are the butterflies. I haven’t made a conscious effort to attract butterflies. It just happened. They love any and all flowers. But especially, they love the butterfly bush.
I wish I had the skills to capture what happens near the end of the day. Although all day long the butterfly bush is FILLED with butterflies, around 5 p.m., there seems to be some sort of butterfly meeting. They all converge in a frenzy of activity. Perhaps they are trying to get that last bit of nectar before it gets too late and everyone has to go to bed. Really, though, I don’t know why. But I wish that I had the ability to capture the mass and movement of butterflies. I’ll have to figure that out.
Butterfly - Red Admiral (vanessa atalanta)
Until I do, though, there will be plenty for me to do cataloging and identifying the wide variety of butterflies that visit our garden.
Butterfly — Anise Swallowtail?
Can anyone tell I have a new camera? After seeing all the fabulous photography in some of the garden blogs I visit, I decided I need to be a better photographer.
Good grief. Another thing to do! Ben is already laughing at all my “pet projects!”
Robin
Today’s is a two-part post. First, about Annmarie Gardens here in Calvert County, Maryland. The second is more random facts about me and a request–PRETTY PLEASE!
Yesterday was Friday and not so terribly busy, so I took the afternoon off from work to take my son, Ben, out to lunch and then dragged him down to Annmarie Garden. We have lived here in Calvert County for about 10 years and in all that time I have never made it down to see the garden.
Annmarie Garden is a Smithsonian Institution affiliate and has a number of artworks on loan from the Hirshorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, D.C. There is a quarter-mile walking path through the woods that is dotted with these works of art. Naturally, because they are outdoors and subjected to the elements, many are bronze, other metal or stone. Most are abstract.
I have to admit that I was disappointed that there wasn’t more “garden.” It was really more of a park. The setting was quite lovely and I wholeheartedly approve of the concept of outdoor art. But everything did seem a bit brown and green. I could have used some swaths of color to add some drama.
Fortunately, there were some bits here and there that were a welcome surprise. Small parts of trees had been painted in clever tiny scenes.
More tree art surprises
I also enjoyed what looked like a children’s art project of plastic bottles that had been painted and speared onto rebar to make colorful totem poles.
Plastic bottle totem poles
The bottles were painted with little sayings. Most were inspirational, such as “Reach for the stars!” Maybe it was my mood, but my favorite was “Don’t Squat with Your Spurs On!” Good advice!
Don’t Squat With Your Spurs On!
Because Calvert County is still quite rural, there aren’t many things to do or places to take out-of-town guests. Although it’s still quite young (founded in 1999) and establishing its “collections,” I think that Annmarie Garden will be a nice addition to my touring spots for friends and family.
One more funny thing…
It was quite a hot day–over 90 degrees. I made the mistake of taking my handbag rather than leaving it in the car. It was getting quite heavy, so I enlisted my big, strong, 16-year-old son to carry it for a while. See his comment below. I laughed and laughed…
Ben: “Here I am in an art park. Carrying a purse.”
More Random Things
Finally, Ruthie over at Nature Knitter, tagged me for her Eight Random Facts meme. Seems as if I just did Seven Random Things. Aren’t y’all sick of me yet?
According to Ruthie, here’s how the meme works:
–Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
–People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
–At the end of the blog, you need to choose eight people to tag and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they’re tagged and to read your blog. (Participation is optional and it’s OK if you defer.)
Here goes. I will try to not be too long-winded.
1) I walk for exercise since, as I explained in Robin’s Immutable Laws of Gardening, it is physically impossible to stay in shape or lose weight by gardening. I generally aim for an hour, which is not quite four miles for me. In the winter, I actually go outside sometimes, but usually I go to the gym.
2) My favorite comfort food (which I define as easy to make, not designed for nutrition and extremely satisfying if you’re feeling like crap) is brown rice topped with steamed broccoli and smothered in hollandaise sauce. (Try it! You’ll like it!)
3) My first pet of my very own was a cat named Teddy. He was an awesome fellow I adopted from the SPCA in California. He had been hit by a car and was in bad shape. Fortunately, because I was very poor at the time, I was dating a veterinarian who patched him up.
After some coast-to-coast moves, Teddy started to have male-cat-acting-out-issues, if you know what I mean. We tried valium. We tried hormones. We tried everything. Mostly, he seemed to want out of the house. So finally, I relented.
He was run over by my mother-in-law about a month later. After I finished the first round of crying, I declared, “I need a DRINK!” At which my mother-in-law told me, sheepishly, that she drank the last of the wine.
Yes, I still speak to my mother-in-law. But NOT about Teddy. (She caught a RAFT of grief from everyone. No need for me to add to it. I really LIKE my mother-in-law!)
4) My first real job, at age 17, was at Roy Rogers, where I had to say “Howdy Partner” and “Happy Trails!” Thankfully, I have come a long way since then.
5) In my second job after college, I sometimes had to dress in a dog suit and dance around…Long story about that one. Thankfully, I have come a long way since then too.
6) I am allergic to dogs, pollen, dust and mold. That’s God’s little joke on Robin, the dog and nature lover. I have to get allergy shots, which have improved my quality of life tremendously.
7) I wear a size 9.5 shoe. I used to wear an 8.5 but then I had a baby about 16 years ago and nothing was the same after that.
I get mail every single day from Las Vegas casinos offering free rooms and play. I’m not really a big gambler, but there was that one memorable weekend in Vegas where I won $2,000. I figure they’re just trying to get it back.
Tha..tha…that’s all folks!
Who wants to volunteer to be tagged? Anyone?
I KNOW!!!! Instead of me tagging people, why don’t YOU post random facts about yourself–along with your website–here!!! So tell me a random fact (or eight) about you!
Robin
Yesterday was so busy with work, helping Ben organize his room and preparations for a dinner guest, I completely missed Bloom Day. That’s when the garden bloggers all post photos and lists of what’s blooming in their garden.
But so I won’t miss the party altogether, I figure I’ll post a Day After the Day After Bloom Day report tomorrow!
In the meantime, I took some photos while I was out walking the other day and thought I would share just a few of the things I stumbled across.
Every morning I do a walk up and down the Eli Lilly Memorial Driveway (so named for the client whose writing project paid for it) for exercise. In the spring, we always begin to see a multitude a baby brown bunnies up at Bunnyville, the weed palace at the top of our driveway near the road. When the bunnies are quite small, they freeze at the edge of the road when they see us walking or running up. I can do 10 or 12 laps up and back and the bunny watches me every single time.
As they get older, they become more wary and dart for cover. I suppose it’s because they develop some common sense about what might be interested in rabbit for dinner.
So it’s not as frequent that I see an adult AND a baby at the same time.
So far–at least for now–the rabbits remain out of my garden. It’s probably because there is so much other fine food to eat they don’t need to wander down here for mine.
Also on the driveway, Harry, Ben and I have been watching this river of ants for the past week or so. There are so many ants that you can see them as a brown stripe across the driveway, even from a distance. There must be MILLIONS of them. They happen to be crossing where a drainage ditch is located under the driveway. But we have no real clue as to why they’re crossing here or what they’re doing.
If you have any ideas, will you please leave a comment?
And on to the bird news…
I’ve been checking the bluebird houses more frequently–nearly every couple of days–to ensure that house sparrows don’t try to set up housekeeping in one of the houses again. I just happened across this snake skin in the field on my way to House #6.
We don’t see a LOT of snakes, but we do see our fair share, which I define as >0. For the most part we see black snakes and king snakes. Although I don’t have warm and fuzzy feelings about snakes, I do leave these alone, since they help to control the mouse population–a BIG issue here in the country. I mean, the cat can only eat so much.
Finally, there’s the bird report.
When I moved the bird feeders onto a proper pole with a raccoon baffle, we seem to have gotten the attention of numerous new birds. I only moved the feeders about 4′ east, but the feeders are more in the open, which is what I suppose has attracted them.
If you’re battling squirrels and raccoons to keep them out of your bird feeders, run, don’t walk, to your nearest Wild Bird Center and buy a raccoon baffle. It works like a charm.
I may still need to move the whole contraption a couple more feet away from the tree so that the squirrels don’t decide to JUMP onto the feeders. But we’ll see. I like this location because I can sit on the couch with my coffee in the morning and watch the feeding frenzy. It’s a nice, cozy way to start the day.
Okay, so much for today’s nature walk. Back to work…
Robin
It has been such a dry summer so far that most of my time in the garden during the week is spent just keeping everything watered.
That has left little time for weeding or other chores, like putting all these plants that are sitting around in pots into permanent homes. I am desperate to get that completed this weekend and intend to press the two men in this family into service with some shovels. I will especially need their help this weekend because I’m still suffering from a wretched case of poison ivy. The doctor loaded me up with helpful drugs, but it’s still a matter of waiting it out. Miserable.
The perennial borders are starting to look more mature. These are some fabulous peonies I transplanted from the other side of the garden to this spot last year and some foxglove. That’s sedum sandwiched in between. Don’t look too closely because there are also some nicely established weeds I’m going to have to do battle with tomorrow.
You can’t see it in this photo, but that’s yet another strawberry pot of hens and chickens. I’ve been pulling out the babies and plopping them into the ground under the bench when I’m sitting there. By the end of the summer there should be a nice hens and chickens bed under there.
Oh, and that’s the house in the background (House #4) where our bluebird family is living.
I’m really going to have to discipline myself with whatever new plants I drag home because I’m simply running out of room inside the Colonial Garden. Happily, I’m discovering all sorts of new shade plants that I can use to fill up the shade garden I’m putting next to the turnaround. I’ve even been flirting with getting some more container roses from Antique Rose Emporium, but, sadly, they’re out of the Cecil Bruner rose that I want.
This is one of two clematis that I have. Pruning clematis is tricky, so if you ever buy one, make sure you make a note about what kind it is so you can look up to see if it is in the A, B or C category. Each of them require a very different pruning method.
I’ve started reading Dominique Browning’s Paths of Desire, about her time in her suburban garden. Browning is editor of House and Garden magazine. Her writing style is very calming, so it’s just what I need right now.
I see an early bedtime ahead.
Robin
I am a warrior. I am an adventurer. I face dangers every day without fear. Unflinching. Unfailing. Unafraid.
I…am…a…gardener.
The past few weeks have taught me that there is a host of dangers lurking out there among the butterflies and buttercups. I am a walking, itching, oozing example.
In the wee hours of the morning I awoke with a burning and itching sensation on my face. This morning–there it was. There was a slash of red rash from my forehead to my cheek and creeping down the back of my neck. Poison ivy. Ugh.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, about 85% of people are allergic to poison ivy.
I don’t want to boast, but I happen to excel in this regard. I just have to THINK about poison ivy and I start to break out. If I stand downwind of a poison ivy sproutlette, I’m a gonner. A couple of years ago, I got such a bad case the doctor told me it was the WORST he had ever seen. At first he didn’t even believe it was just poison ivy. He thought maybe it was leprosy or some sort of hazmat accident.
Harry, on the other hand, is bulletproof in this respect, as in about every other way I can imagine. He doesn’t need to eat or sleep as much as normal human beings. He never–ever–gets sick. He does not catch colds or get tired. He can have a POISON IVY SALAD and walk away unscathed. IS THAT FAIR?
I see this as yet another joke God has played on Robin. Nothing makes me happier than being outdoors, gardening and playing with the little dogs. So what does God do? He makes me allergic to everything outdoors and to DOGS! I HAVE TO GET SHOTS!
To add insult to injury, I was taking my ravaged face out for a walk this morning up and down our long driveway. (Exercise, you know?) I looked to my right and what did I see? A mysterious cloud arising from the hayfield on this otherwise sunny day. At first I thought perhaps something was on fire. FIRE!!! The air was filled with this MYSTERIOUS CLOUD.
But then…it dissipated. And there was no lingering smoky smell.
But I started to SNEEZE and my head nearly exploded. Yep. Hay pollen.
I got to thinking about my explorer friends and the dangers that they face climbing Everest or braving the venomous snakes of the Amazon. It seems to me that as a gardener I face more than my share of hazards. If my ravaged face and exploding, sneezing head weren’t enough, let me give you a few MORE examples:
-The hand surgeon people tell us that gardening can wreak havoc with our hands and much more. In fact, they give us the handy statistic that there are more than 400,000 outdoor gardening-related emergency room visits each year. There is a mighty useful article that I won’t bother to re-state here, so go visit it now and save yourself a lot of pain and embarrassment.
-Sunburn. Put on some filmy, gauzy clothing or some coconut scented lotion, but save yourself the sunburn issue. Myself, I have invested in a fetching floppy hat. Think of it as a fashion statement. And I also make sure to use an SPF 24 on my face and other extremities.
-Falling down on your butt. NOT ME, but a clumsy-favored-relative-by-marriage recently did something quite silly and managed to slip and fall on his BEE-HIND, landing him in the emergency room and hospital for a couple of days. I haven’t heard the story first-hand, but Harry tells me that it was a mowing incident gone awry. Be careful with big machines and wet grass.
-Branches. How many times have I nearly been blinded by a branch or wayward twig as I was reaching just…a…little…bit…farther into the bushes?
-Similarly, I have learned to wear eye protection when using the weed wacker. Bad things can happen when it kicks up stuff (a technical gardening term).
-Protect your ears. Aaaah. The day that the monster mulcher people gave me my very own ear protection, I started wearing them all the time. I can do the weed whacking a LOT longer, use the blower for an ETERNITY and do all sort of other nifty power tool tricks now that my ears don’t take the beating and I don’t get a headache. (Now that I’m thinking about it, they might come in handy INDOORS when my 16-year-old son is lobbying to get the banished TV back into his room.)
There are a bunch more hazards out there waiting for you…bees, cuts, bites and such. But think of the whole thing as your own personal adventure into the wilds. I don’t need to join an African expedition or jump from towering cliffs to get my adrenalin pumping. I just have to walk out the back door.
How sweet is that?
Robin
So, to complete the last (you hope) chapter in the Robin-Does-Memphis saga, I have posted some new photos of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in my photo album. In case you didn’t already know, the Dixon is the “premier art institution” in Memphis.
Now, I don’t mean to sound like a snob (Okay, I’m a snob.), but 2,000 paintings does not make a “premier art institution,” especially when only an itty bitty percentage of those paintings is on display. Unless, perhaps, you’re in Memphis. (Snob talking here.)
I’ll dispatch with their whole “premier art institution” concept pretty quickly. Few paintings on view (about 30). Some nice, some okay. Small gallery space, even if nicely done. Mostly taken up with an UNBELIEVABLY BORING SILVER EXHIBITION when I was there. A VERY SMALL glimpse of the original Dixon residence is open. Very traditional and very unspectacular. Snore.
BUT, the gardens, although relatively small, are truly wonderful. Unlike the Memphis Botanical Gardens, the Dixon folks have truly captured the whole concept of a versatile garden.
You enter the gallery and grounds through the Dixon “cutting” garden, which is more than just an ugly cutting garden. It is a real jewel–mixed borders, mixed pots of plants, archways, water features, even a small arboretum. It’s small, but very nicely arranged and maintained. I especially appreciated that the caretakers had taken the time to LABEL THE PLANTS so you could go home and look them up (and order them!) when you got home. You would be amazed at the number of gardens that fail in this elementary function.
Mrs. Dixon (I have no idea what significance these Dixon people had other than owning this property. Look it up yourself.) apparently loved the woodland garden. It’s truly spectacular. The only reason you don’t see more photos is because my photography skills stink. Shade is tough, man.
Mr. Dixon apparently loved the more formal gardens. These also are very nice, lovely places with mixed plants, water features and interesting structure.
My advice for Memphis: Skip the gallery and do the garden.
Coming up next: Bluebird update (eggs!) and (for family and friends) some handsome pictures of Ben as the new ensign in the photo gallery. Don’t miss it.
Robin
Lest you think last week was all about Graceland, let me also emphasize that I visited gardens in both Phoenix and Memphis.
One of the gardens I visited was the Memphis Botanical Garden. I have posted new photos in the gallery, so take a look when you get the chance.
The Memphis Botanical Garden is a sprawling piece of property with good bones and a nice infrastructure–lovely water features, wide paths and beautiful old trees to provide much-needed shade in the Memphis heat. It is a popular venue for concerts, fairs and such. I would imagine that the locals also make good use of the paths for their walking exercise.
But, sadly, the place doesn’t really excel at the whole garden concept. The designers suffer from myopia and a distinct lack of imagination. The result is that they devote inordinate swaths of space to single plant types. There’s a rose garden. A hosta garden. A lily garden. A daylily garden. You get the picture.
Because there is such a single focus here, single focus there, the garden suffers from ugly patches of plants not at their glory. One of the big reasons that you mix plants in borders and such is to have constant interest–so everything doesn’t just up and die at once, leaving you with a dead looking garden.
The place that the Memphis Botanical Garden really shines, however, is in its Japanese Garden. There is a lovely half-moon bridge and a nice use of bamboo, sedges and other plants native to the region.
Nevertheless, it’s worth a visit and a stroll, particularly if you’re going to visit the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, which is located right across the road. (More on that next.)
By the way, if I play my cards right, I may also be visiting the Chicago Botanical Garden next week. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I”ll have time.
Robin
Before yesterday, my experience with the desert was largely limited to 1960s and 70s television episodes of Big Valley, Ponderosa and Wild, Wild West. The desert was bleak, lifeless and, most of all, BROWN.
So here in Phoenix, I had no idea what to expect at the Desert Botanical Garden.
I had focus groups last night, so I decided to get an early start to the day and arrived there at 8 a.m. It turned out to be a smart move because by the time I left at noon, the temperature was 96 degrees!
I am still toying with the idea of posting a photo of myself from the trip. I cut quite a fine figure.
I’ll start at the bottom and work my way up with a quick description. Sneakers. Waders (cropped pants). Brown tank top. Binoculars. Bird guide. Desert guide. Camera. Floppy hat. I was a sight to behold and no doubt looked like the photos you see of avid birders. In fact, the birders I encountered at the garden seemed to take me as one of their own with little insider chit chat. I, of course, just nodded knowingly at whatever the were saying.
There is so much to report I can’t spill it all right now. But I will say that I was in awe the whole time I was there. I was amazed at the variety and the beauty. There were so many FLOWERS everywhere. And the plants are so very clever at surviving in a hostile environment!
I took 100 photos. No, I don’t intend to post them all. But I will be posting more into the photo gallery as I figure out what they all are.
A few I’ll post here include a Gila Woodpecker I found nesting in the hollow of an old saguaro cactus and an octupus cactus.
I head to Memphis next where I plant to visit Graceland and some other historic points of interest. Oh, and I have work to do. Drat.
Robin
