Monday 1 April 2013

Spring in the Botanics

We had a lovely walk in Edinburgh Botanic Gardens today. The sun was shining and it was almost mild, though still colder than it would usually be for the time of year.

We particularly liked these flowers though not sure what they are:


This tree has a wonderfully twisted and textured trunk:

and this is one of the lovely views that can be had around the garden:

We had a lovely encounter with a goldcrest, such a tiny little bird and this one was much more tame than is normal, fluttering around for a good few minutes, despite lots of people wandering past. I didn't take a photo, because I wanted to enjoy the moment and my photos wouldn't be able to do justice to the bird!

We also went to the Jalan Jati (Teak Road) exhibition in the Botanics John Hope Gateway. This exhibition traces the wood used to make a 1950s teak bed right back to the area of rainforest it came from. The artwork and photography is stunning and the whole exhibition highlights the usefulness of DNA tracking of raw materials which can help to combat illegal logging. You can find out more about the DNA tracking technology on the Double Helix Tracking website. You can see some of the artworks from the Jalan Jati exhibition on the Migrant Ecologies website.

As ever, red text contains hyperlinks that take you to other websites where you can find out more.

11 comments:

Bill said...

We spend many days at the New York Botanical Garden, which is located in the Bronx. When we asked my (then) 4-year-old granddaughter what she liked best, she said "The rocks."

Gillena Cox said...

photo#3 is my favourite


Happy Easter

much love…

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I love that third picture!

Hannah Stephenson said...

What lovely photos! I'd love to wander around there :).

Little Miss Titch said...

it all looks beautiful,now if we could have some warmth with th sunshine....

Ms Sparrow said...

That twisted tree is so interesting. Does it grow that way naturally or was it traumatized?

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Wonderful place to walk -- and I'm glad you have spring-like weather at last.

Kathie Brown said...

Those are indeed, lovely views and I like the twisted tree!

RG said...

Pretty views

Caroline Gill said...

I'm intrigued by that variegated flower, Juliet ... something Trefoil or Celandine-ish about it, but have failed to find an ID.

Karen M said...

Isn't it amazing what an arch, natural or otherwise, can do for a view?