Tag Archives: garden

Redwood Amphiteater

An enclave away from the main botanic garden is the Redwood Amphitheater. When we arrived, a wedding was underway in this area but, by the time we had finished walking around the main garden, it was open again so we checked it out. While the redwoods in there are still young by sequoia standards, they are certainly not small. The amphitheater itself is rather nice and it does look like a good spot for a wedding. While we were there, a couple was checking it out. Our assumption was that one person was from the botanic garden explaining to them what could be done, one was their wedding planner and the couple was taking all of this in. At least she seemed to be taking it all in. I got the feeling he was along for the ride on this one but probably wasn’t quite as “in” to it as she was. Good luck fella!

Carnivorous Plants

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We took a trip to the University of California Botanic Gardens at Berkeley to see what the collection included. I will share a bit more about the place in due course but one early stop was in a glasshouse that had a collection of carnivorous plants. They had the obvious Venus fly traps but they had far more of the pitcher plants. Some were in cases but there were a few out in the open and close to your head. I think these things are fascinating plants and they look rather cool. Maybe you won’t agree but here are some for you to judge.

Fall in Berkeley

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The UC Botanic Garden in Berkeley was beginning to show the signs of fall when we visited. Located in the hills above Berkeley, the climate is probably quite different to other areas nearby. In a previous trip to the area, the clouds were rolling across the hillside making it cold and damp when it was warm and sunny a short distance away. I imagine this impacts what thrives on the hills. Some of the plants were clearly suited to arid conditions. However, there were signs of the trees turning red and brown as fall set in so obviously they have quite a variety of plants as would befit such a garden.

I don’t know much about plants and so cannot name what we saw. Instead, I shall share a few of the views through the gardens which looked particularly nice given the lower angle of the sun as the time of day and year.

Myriad Botanic Gardens

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In the heart of downtown Oklahoma City is an oasis from the normal bustle of a city in the form of a botanic garden. This is not something on the scale of some of the other botanic gardens I have visited over the years. It is more of a park that has been nicely landscaped. However, it is known as the Myriad Botanic Gardens and it has a glasshouse at its center. This is a cylindrical structure that spans a pond.

I got to the gardens at the end of the day and with limited time before it closed, I didn’t bother to shell out the entrance fee (which did seem a bit steep). Instead, I was more intent on getting some shots as the sun started to set. I wasn’t alone in this idea. There were a few photographers like me wandering around looking for shots and a considerable number that were there professionally shooting individuals and family groups against the various backgrounds the garden had to offer.

Aside from the cylindrical glass structure, there were water features, sculptures, a stage in the round and an open space with a stage at the end for free concerts, one of which was setting up while I was there. A reggae band were getting ready and, as I strolled around, they started their performance so I had a nice bit of background music while I enjoyed the evening which had cooled nicely to the high 90s from the earlier temperatures in the 100s!

While the downtown area of Oklahoma City has not struck me as one that has a lot of people living in it, there was a good sized crowd at the concert as well as those walking around the gardens. It seems to be a popular spot and, being within a couple of blocks of my hotel, it was a pleasant change from the usual hotel environment.

Consistency of Message

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While walking around Navy Pier, I came across a sign that amused me. This sign was on the structure surrounding the beer garden. I think there is a bit of a contradiction going on here…

National Tropical Botanic Garden

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The climate on Kauai varies depending on which part of the island you are on. It can be tropical or almost desert like. Some places are drenched with rain almost continuously. The tropical area makes a great place for a tropical botanic garden so that is exactly what is there. The garden is located inland from the entrance so you need to take a shuttle to get into it. Once there, you are free to wander around.

There are some really interesting plant types and the landscaping of the place is very attractive. There were a few other visitors when we were there but it certainly wasn’t busy and we could be pretty much alone as we wandered around. It did rain a little while we were there. This is supposed to be the drier side of the island but I guess we brought the rain with us from the north side of the island. However, the showers were only occasional and we had borrowed umbrellas from the office so we were fine.

Not only were there great trees and plants to check out but we also got to feel what it was like to be surrounded by a plant. Check out this battle between nature and the road!

Butterflies

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This is another one of those posts that is about not having your camera with you. We went out to the Botanic Gardens for a walk around since it was a nice day. They have a temporary exhibit in the gardens that is showing butterflies. It is one of those tent structures with double doors so that they can check you don’t have any unwanted guests on your clothing when you leave.

I didn’t have my camera with me but I did have the phone. It would have to do. The butterflies were gorgeous to see. So many varieties and beautiful colors and shapes. It would be even better if the visitors paid a small amount of attention to the rules such as not trying to pick them up but I guess some people are idiots and there is nothing you can do about that.

I want to head back before the display is finished. Whether our schedule will allow that or not, I don’t know. I do hope I can go back. Watching a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis and inflate its wings was quite incredible!

Art Institute Gardens

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I recently had lunch with a friend down in the Loop. We had finished eating and it was a glorious day so we decided to take a stroll out towards Grant Park. As we crossed Michigan Avenue, we came to a garden attached to the Art Institute. I admitted that I had never been in to this garden and my friend said exactly the same thing! Neither of us could explain why that should be the case so we wandered in to have a look around.

It was a very pleasant space and quite tranquil considering how close the bustle of Michigan Avenue was. We strolled about and just had a nice stroll. A few days later, when I had some visitors from out of town, I made the effort to go back so they could see this great spot as well. Nancy hadn’t been there either so somehow a bunch of us had managed to miss this place for many years!

It was then a short walk to Millennium Park where the water features had been turned on for the first time this year. Plenty of people were out enjoying the park although there weren’t any kids standing under the water as it fell. I guess it isn’t quite that warm just yet! It will be a while before that happens. However, it was still good enough to attract the time of a lot of people, probably fresh from their visits to the Bean!

Sunset at the Botanic Gardens

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I have had my Mum visiting . We try and find some fun things to do while she is staying and maybe even tie them in to things I have been meaning to do. One of these things was a trip to the Botanic Gardens. The thing that made this different is that, during the summer they have been having a late opening until 9pm. The evening light should provide some good opportunities with the camera.

It certainly is a good time to visit. The crowds are not there as they would be normally (although there are still a fair number of people around) so you have less of a feeling of being rushed by people around you. Also, having a tripod is not a problem! As the evening draws in, the light gets lovely and then, once the sunset passes, you can play around with some night photography.

You do have to pay attention to which areas will get the nice light since the terrain will block certain parts of the gardens but, apart from that, you can really have a nice time wandering around and looking for nice shots.

Here are some more samples of what I saw.