Returning to the wonderful Albuquerque Botanic Garden I again got really carried away with well over 200 photographs but I'll hold this page down to just the top ten percent. Now that promise is just for the garden since the zoo and aquarium as well as the main Albuquerque pages are separate.
Less than a month before this visit we were at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St Louis with their version of a Moorish Garden inside the Climatron.
This rendition is a lot larger and more open in what might well be a recreation area for a harem. They also have a Climatron version which is critical to maintaining humidity while St Louis needs to keep the desert plants dry. Hot and dry seems to be much less of a problem out here except as shown on the main Albuquerque page it does snow even in May.
One of the featured Climatron plants was orchids which is my sister's interest.
Around this area somplace was a Rose Garden that impressed me with the fresh blooms I got to before the bugs had a chance to have a feast.
On the way to the Heritage Center was this bed of iris I captured for Lori.
On the left side of the path leading to the Heritage Center was a hedge of these ornamental grasses or bushes with lovely pink blossoms separating the Heritage area from the Japanese Garden.
Construction of the Japanese Garden is mostly complete and now just needs years and years to develop properly. Compare the waterfall to 2008.
And now for the stars of the show. The bunny was sampling the grass in the entry to the Japanese Garden. On the return to the main garden this roadrunner rushed across the path. Since there was a handy bench I just quietly waited and he returned approaching within about three feet.
The zoo, Botanical Garden, and Aquarium are all part of the same complex with the train shuttle between them. A little side grotto along the path from the Japanese Garden had this stone carving with benches available to rest and meditate away from the hussle and bussle..
Finishing up this visit is the iconic Prickly Pear cactus and another variety in bloom. I included one dragon on the main Albuquerque page and this is another view of the one guarding the entry to the childrens area.
The Albuquerque Botanic Garden also includes the Albuquerque Aquarium that I put on this separate page because both have way too many pictures for even one page.
The journey to separate reality from fantasy starts out in the parking lot with these weather vane critters rotating with the wind. Just inside the main entry is the huge dragon dominating the entry to the children's area which contains an entire garden of oversized sculptures for a bug's viewpoint..
For a scale comparison Lori is not tall enough to look over the rim of the pot and the ant could probably take her on one on one.
The model train layout looks to be slightly bigger than HO scale but not the huge G or garden scale that people frequently use in a large outdoor space.
The Japanese Garden here is a relatively new construction and when we visited not all the front entry had been completed. It also shows a great lack of the maturity and age prized in Japanese Gardens. It has a lot of potential but you can't artificially age a garden and the only way to get those great old plantings is the years it takes to get great old plantings
On the hike back to other garden areas was an Iris garden with a lot of Lori's favorites in full bloom.
A lot of the more sensitive cactus and succulents are in a conservatory type enclosure with a second floor overlook giving an excellent view of the New Mexico natural areas that have their own beauty.
Just when I was almost done here I found more flowers.
Apparently I did the quicky tour of the garden before going to the aquarium and then returned for a lot more detailed look at the garden and all the flowers blooming here in the spring. I could go on and on but we will be coming back hear in a future year for another look at this wonderful garden.