On Sunday, January 20, Norm and I went on a little pre-birthday trip to the tropics. We visited the Missouri Botanical Garden after church and headed for the Climatron, a greenhouse in a geodesic dome that is a great place to go when the low last night was a bone chilling 6 degrees.
The Garden has collected plants from all over the world and the Climatron presents them in natural settings. Several waterfalls add to the humidity of this verdant paradise.
No this isn't my grandmother but this woman in the red coat certainly reminds me of her. This is what 65 looks like when you are dressed for the outside chill and suddenly find yourself in the tropics.
A year ago the Garden had an exhibit by the glass artist Dale Chihluly and these flamingos were added to the Climatron where they patrol one of the ponds.
Whenever we visit the Climatron in winter I look for these and I always find them. They are close relatives of
Mom Linville's amaryllis. They are native to Brazil. I always feel like I'm greeted by a family member when I see them, warm and bright on a cold winter day.
Another January treat is a visit to the Garden's Linnaean House, the oldest greenhouse west of the Mississippi River, built by Henry Shaw in the 19th century. It houses a collection of camellia plants that start to bloom this time of year.
Inside the greenhouse it is bright on the coldest day of the year, but this is a cooler spot than the Climatron. Many semi tropical plants grow here in addition to the lovely camellias.
This was a lovely way to celebrate my birthday. But there was more to come that I didn't know about. I'll tell about that in the next installment!
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