Originally posted in the Spring of 2012
Visited the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids today with a friend. What
a perfect day for visiting. After all the warm sunshine Michigan switched her
gears and we had rain and cooler temperatures. No yard work today! But a great
"mental health" day as my friend put it.
The gardens consist of 132 acres of wetlands, woodlands, meadows and gardens.
All are designed by landscape artists and are filled with wonderful sculptures.
Though most of the plants are just beginning to bud we saw lots of wonderful
spring bulbs such as hyacinths and a surprisingly number of daffodil varieties.
Tree Magnolias and Redbuds were busting open in buds.
The reason for our visit today was to see the butterflies. From now till
April 30th the greenhouses will have Monarchs and a variety of tropical
butterflies on display. Such a shock of brilliant colors all around the green
and luscious plant life. Outside it was grey and gloomy but inside it was all
green, with blooming orchids and bromeliads, with the musical sounds from a mini
waterfall. We heard a few birds joining in the chorus and got a glimpse of a
beautiful orange songbird and a pair of colored quail. In one of the rooms we
hunted for the Monarch's chyrsalis and the little striped caterpillars.
After spending time trying to catch the Common Morpho and some of the other
beautiful butterflies on our digital cameras we decided to take a walk out to
the woodland garden and the farmyard gardens. The rain let up just in time for
us! We found brightly colored hyacinths and more varieties of daffodils than I
knew existed. It was fun to walk and discover all the emerging signs of spring.
We found hellebores, a plant I was unfamiliar with and I have decided they need
to be added to my gardens.
All in all, an enjoyable day to spend with a friend, one who also shares a
love for garden plants and butterflies!
Visited the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids today with a friend. What
a perfect day for visiting. After all the warm sunshine Michigan switched her
gears and we had rain and cooler temperatures. No yard work today! But a great
"mental health" day as my friend put it.
The gardens consist of 132 acres of wetlands, woodlands, meadows and gardens.
All are designed by landscape artists and are filled with wonderful sculptures.
Though most of the plants are just beginning to bud we saw lots of wonderful
spring bulbs such as hyacinths and a surprisingly number of daffodil varieties.
Tree Magnolias and Redbuds were busting open in buds.
The reason for our visit today was to see the butterflies. From now till
April 30th the greenhouses will have Monarchs and a variety of tropical
butterflies on display. Such a shock of brilliant colors all around the green
and luscious plant life. Outside it was grey and gloomy but inside it was all
green, with blooming orchids and bromeliads, with the musical sounds from a mini
waterfall. We heard a few birds joining in the chorus and got a glimpse of a
beautiful orange songbird and a pair of colored quail. In one of the rooms we
hunted for the Monarch's chyrsalis and the little striped caterpillars.
After spending time trying to catch the Common Morpho and some of the other
beautiful butterflies on our digital cameras we decided to take a walk out to
the woodland garden and the farmyard gardens. The rain let up just in time for
us! We found brightly colored hyacinths and more varieties of daffodils than I
knew existed. It was fun to walk and discover all the emerging signs of spring.
We found hellebores, a plant I was unfamiliar with and I have decided they need
to be added to my gardens.
All in all, an enjoyable day to spend with a friend, one who also shares a
love for garden plants and butterflies!
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