We read it nearly every night and he puts his little fingers in the holes and waits with a little smile that turns into a grin when we get to the page with the chocolate cake, ice cream cone and pickle. Some nights he sleeps with the book. So we decided on an early September day that waffled between rain and sun to take him to the Devonian Gardens to the Butterfly House. I had been there before so I don’t know why it seemed so magical this time. But it did.
The flowers were more exotic.
The textures more fascinating.
And, of course, the butterflies more beautiful.
I don’t know, maybe it was just the joy of seeing it through my son’s eyes that made everything seem a little more luminous. Or maybe gardening is heightening my awareness of the world around me.
Either way, it was one of the most enjoyable family outings so far.
Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine. ~Jeffrey Glassberg
PS. If anyone knows what any of the butterflies or exotic plants are, I would love to hear from you.
PPS. I will share some photos of the gardens in upcoming posts.
14 comments:
Awesome, Ms. S!
The flower in the first pic is Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia). And what pretty ferns!!Pic 4, 5 and 7 are ferns. 5 & 7 called Maidenhair fern, and I forget the fern name in pic 4 - Asparagus fern, I think.
I'm sure you had fun and so did you little boy!
What a wonderful post! I'm glad you had a good time. :)
These pictures are wonderful!
Urban Green: Thanks for the info on the plants. They were all so striking!
Sweet bay and Jackie: We had a fabulous time. I hope to get back there more often on grey days. The sun seems to live in there :)
How beautiful! So nice to go somewhere tropical as the cold is settling in. Butterfly exhibits are so much fun. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a favorite here too, Eric Carle has some other great books as well. A close friend in the US sent me a bunch of 'very hungry caterpillar' themed infant clothing a few years ago (onesies, sleepers, receiving blankets...), so cute. Adorable boots on your little guy! :)
Hi Rebecca, I just saw on the 'net that there are more books by Eric Carle so I will definitely be checking them out. Those 'caterpillar' baby clothes sound so adorable :)
My little guy's boots were actually inspired by another book he loves called "Alligator Pie" by Dennis Lee. We couldn't get him to wear his winter boots last year without a struggle so when we found these spring boots we told him they were Alligator Pie boots and he was so delighted he even wore them around the house. (Now I just need to find a book tie-in to mittens so that hopefully we can keep a pair on him this winter :) )
You could try the "three little kittens' song, the wiggles do a great cover version. ;) Gloves aren't as warm, but they seem to prefer having each finger free, the little mini dollar store ones seem to be tolerated the best, and at least provide a but of protection. Good Luck!
The 'flowers' in the photo under the Strelitzia are banana flowers.
Cameravoyages: Great to know. It will be very exciting to go back and show our little guy some bananas on a tree! Thank you!
Love these photographs! The garden looks like a magical place!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar was a favorite with my our children as well - they are now in their twenties. Wonderful book! We all knew it by heart!! Great photographs.
That book sounds so appealing -- even at my age I still LOVE books for young children. It has been a couple decades since I've been to Devonian Gardens and had no idea they now have an indoor facility. That looks so lush and beautiful. The last time I was at DG they were just digging things up to create the Japanese Garden so that's how long it's been. I've never seen the final product.
Diane: You will be quite impressed next time you get to the DG. I will be posting pics of the Japanese Garden as soon as I get them organized.
Oh my, this looks a wonderous place to go! i do believe that having children does allow you to look at the world in a different way, through childs eyes. very precious. your son is a sweetie! x
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