While Ms. Country Mouse and Mr. Wood Rat were on a well-deserved outing to Asilomar, Mr. Mouse and I went further afield and finally took a long overdue weekend trip to see Mr. Mouse's mother in Florida. Just as last time, I was quite stunned by how different the landscape looked. Very flat. Very spread out. Swampy. And again Ms. Mouse Sr. had planned a wonderful little outing for us, this time to Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Fort Pierce on the Treasure Coast.
The garden is not large, but has a lot to offer. Above, a picture of a small waterfall in the Japanese garden, which holds the first of several hundred Bonsai that will eventually grace the garden. For now, the garden had several garden rooms with different themes such as ferns, a butterfly garden, and Florida native plants. I was especially taken by the tiled benches in many places, wonderful to rest and just enjoy the peaceful green oasis.
I also enjoyed other garden art, such as this wooden heron.
And this colorful sculpture mirroring the bamboo right behind it. It looked as if children had painted the poles, and I imagined how much fun that must have been.
I didn't make as many pictures of the plants as I might have because I know so little about them. But I was so impressed by the lush foilage.
I also very much enjoyed this reflection pool, which had the water going into a vortex in the middle. Regrettably, the rest of my party likened the effect to that of a toilet. Which shows again that different people can react to the same thing in different ways.
But we were all excited to see this tiny snake, less than 1/4 inch thick and maybe 4 inches long, black with a bright orange necklace.
Most amazing were the bromeliads, and I could have spent quite some time making more photos. I wished, in a way, I had brought my sketch book. But we had dinner reservations and the gardens were soon to close, so we got back into the car, hoping to return one day, after the expansion of the garden is complete.
Comments
Your snake is a Ring-necked Snake, we have them here under rocks and stuff, digging in the garden during warm weather one can find them too. Loved the vortex pool!
I know what you mean about feeling out of place looking at plants I don't know. It's sort of like looking at people I don't know. They seem nice enough, but I'd rather hang out with my friends.
Thanks for taking me along, despite the snake sighting;-)) No, really, they don't bother me.
Love the bench, but you knew I would.
And herons are as magical as trilliums, in my book.
xo
Alice
We see those little ring-necked snakes too sometimes. I didn't know they could make a stink! Enjoyed my break reading your post!
I know what you mean about feeling out of place because of not recognizing the plants. Likewise, I remember a trip to Hawaii where looking up into the sky showed me a sky that I didn't begin to recognize. Plants, planets, stars, they all help us find home.