that day i woke up, the sun was shining, it was freezing outside and i KNEW we needed to head out for a field trip. we had been learning about the rain forest so a trip to the warmth of the faux tropics at our awesome nearby botanical gardens sounded perfectly-perfect.
of COURSE, a field trip isn't a field trip without stopping by the doughnut shop first. the one with those ridiculously good fudge delights, wonderfully overfilled with cream.
stepping inside the garden's door away from the blustery wind and being greeted by the smell of green and the warmth of hawaii was absolutely fantabulous. my soul took and big breath and said, ahhhhhhh. we're so blessed to have this place to escape to in the winter. we need to go more often!
we hit up the desert first, then the carnivorous plants room, and ended up in the lush conservatory room complete with waterfall and freshly-emerged butterflies. what's my favorite ecosystem? all of them! i can't express strongly enough how much i enjoy all of the different flora & fauna that God filled our earth with. cacti and coconut palm equally thrill me.
i can't put my finger on why but ever since i was little, i've been especially enthralled with desert. not dessert, haha, but yes, that too. growing up in the midwest, it was and is just so foreign and mysterious to me. i can't wait to visit someday. (you should have heard me squealing with glee when i first saw real-live tumbleweeds in kansas!)
we thought that hairy guy was so funny
and crown of thorns was cool.
the cactus below looked like plaid to me.
and the fuzz on these guys was like lamb's wool.
the next room coud very well be our favorite if we HAD to pick one. carnivorous plants are
just so cool.
our mid-week visit meant that it was blissfully quiet in the conservatory, rain forest room. which was probably good because the noise level that we ourselves create isn't the lowest. every march brings butterfly time to our gardens and trying to see who can get the closest to one is our game.
those chrysalis are GOLDEN....metallic golden! amazing!
it definitely was a
best day.
Best. pictures. ever.
ReplyDeleteYou so inspire me!
beautiful megan!
ReplyDeletei wish they had a special place for me to go that had garden of snow a pine trees :)
maybe we should house swap someday :)
thanks for sharing your adventures.
just seeing all your beauty and your style of teaching your children has inspired me and helped me while i'm transitioning into homeschooling.
it's scary, ya know?
and your insta feed and your sweet schooling space just calms me down.
Amazing!!! To see all those blooming GREEN plants in the middle of winter!!
ReplyDeleteI only got to visit those gardens once when I lived in Michigan, but how I loved it!! Thanks for taking me back there.
ReplyDeletePerfection!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't been there at all this year. I think you may have just inspired a return trip. Gorgeous! I could almost feel the warmth!
ReplyDeleteGod is my favorite artist! Isn't He so amazingly creative!? Love the chrysalises. I used to abhor succulents but I've come to appreciate them and love the variety. Last year we planted some of the crown of thorns in our Easter Garden. We have a local nursery with so many cool succulents. I'm hoping they can grow in MT. Wishful thinking...
ReplyDeletei wanna go there! holy cow i've never seen anything like that in all my life. that plaid cactus was the BOMB!
ReplyDeletewow I want to go too, beautiful pictures what a great escape
ReplyDeleteahhh! that place looks amazing megan!! i can just imagine, with how cold it has been here in illinois, how awesome it would have felt to be in that room and feel the warmth and see all of that green! and living things-- that weren't covered in snow! sigh. love it!!
ReplyDeletethis LOVELY place *almost* makes me want to visit Michigan...
ReplyDeletesans snow though.
I need one here in Nashville ... especially for our homeschooled kiddos :0)