Mrs. Johnson's Wildflower Center includes 297 acres of wilflowers, plants and landscaping promoting conservation and sustainable use. Our tour group arrived at the entrance and there we remained for an extended time, enthralled with the beauty of the waterlily garden.
All cameras were focussed on this little guy, trying to capture a good photo when he was nearing the surface. (I thought this one came out pretty well.)
The Wildflower Center was actually co-founded in 1982 by Mrs. Johnson and the actress Helen Hayes. I recall hearing that Mrs. Johnson visited the gardens at Biltmore before this one was constructed. Since we had visited Biltmore, I wanted to see what the influences may have been. Biltmore conserves original heirloom plantings; Mrs. Johnson's Center also conserves and promotes plants that are natural to the environment.
Here's a cactus flower, ready to open.
From the very first when I found out we were visiting this site, I was eager to see the "Butterfly Garden." I had visions of butterflies flittiing all around, and we would be walking around in their midst. Well, I found the butterfly garden, but it was a challenge to find any butterflies at all! I made it my mission to get at least one photo of a butterfly. Here it is:
In this garden I did meet a woman who showed us where they "cocoon" the caterpillars, then release them when they become butterflies. I tried to capture a photo of the butterfly leaving the cocoon bag, but it was just too quick for me.
Visiting the Wildflower Center was a nice change of pace from our tours of all the Presidential sites. If we lived anywhere near Austin, I would be a frequent visitor here (and maybe a volunteer!).
No comments:
Post a Comment