Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Como Park Conservatory and the Tropical Encounters Exhibit

This winter, like most winters, I've been feeling a little cooped up and longing for some warmth and flowers.  So when hubby asked me what I wanted to do for Valentine's Day, I suggested we go to the Como Park Conservatory in St. Paul Minnesota.  The conservatory, like the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, is also attached to the zoo.  And like the zoo in Chicago, it's also free but they ask for a donation.

I will cover the zoo also, but I'm going to do that in next week's travel post otherwise this post will be way too long.


It was a beautiful, sunny 33 degree day when we visited the conservatory.  Now I know my warm weather blogging buds will think "33 degrees!  That's freezing!  How did you walk outside in that weather?".  But trust me, 33 and sunny is a warm winter day for us northerners.  The park was packed  with hikers, and the zoo and conservatory were so busy it was hard to get a photo without a person in it.  Everyone seemed to really be enjoying the warm weather.


The conservatory is made up of three sections:  the Sunken Garden (flower shows which change seasonally), the North Garden (tropical plants), and the Fern Room.  Connecting the three rooms together is a beautiful dome called "The Palm Dome".  In addition,  there is also a Bonsai Garden and lots of outdoor gardens as well, but I will have to cover that another time as it was winter when I visited.

First up is my favorite garden (and probably everyone's favorite...who am I kidding?). the Sunken Garden.  Oh, stepping inside this garden anytime is so refreshing to the spirit, but it is even more refreshing in the middle of winter.  To feel the warmth and see and smell all the flowers that have been absent from our lives for so many months, is a wonderful, rejuvenating experience.


They change the flowers out with the seasons.  When we there I saw lots of azaleas, a few miniature daffodils, cyclamen, snap dragons, violets, and amaryllis to name just a few. 


One thing that struck me about our visit that day was how everyone was just taking their time and soaking it all in.  I could tell how hungry everyone was to experience the sensual pleasures of flowers again.  People were either walking very slowly looking at every detail, or they were sitting or standing still for long periods savoring the moment before they had to venture back outside in the cold, barren wasteland.  I said to my husband "Flowers make people happy."  I've never met anyone that didn't like flowers.


I love the contrast of all the pretty pinks with the purples and whites.  There was lots of green filler plants to balance it all out.


The amaryllis was beautiful and they smelled like heaven itself!


I spotted a few early blooming miniature daffodils.


This red amaryllis was truly stunning!


The stone retaining walls really add to the beauty of this room.


Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is almost a two hour drive from my home.  Although I had been there before, it's been years since my last visit.  I was amazed at all the new buildings they added to both the conservatory and the zoo.

One of the buildings I don't remember is the Fern Room.  This is a beautiful room.  It's very moist and I had to watch my camera lens as sprays of mist are shot into the air constantly.  This room features a pond, waterfall, hanging gardens, and many different species of ferns.



The other part of the conservatory is the North Garden where the tropical plants are held.  This area also has a pond with a water feature.


There is color in this green garden as well with lots of blooms on tropical plants and of course everyone's favorite:  orchids.


 

In the palm dome is a gorgeous path leading to a fountain.  I felt like I was back in Savannah, Georgia when I saw that fountain!


 All the orchids are truly unique and stunning.



 You will also find many common houseplants here too!


 I couldn't believe the size of these banana leaves and I had to put my hand in the photo for reference.


This is quite a large statue in real life, and yet it looks dwarfed in comparison to the banana leaf plant.


 Now the last building I'm going to show you is also in this area.  It opened in 2005 (gosh, has it really been THAT LONG since I've been to Como Park?) but is new to me because it wasn't here the last time I visited the conservatory.  It is called the Tropical Encounters Exhibit and it was one of my favorite experiences of the day.

The park website describes this exhibit as such:  "Tropical Encounters takes guests on an adventure through a Central and South American rainforest through the eyes of experienced Minnesotan field researchers and hundreds of plants and animals. Guests will encounter freshwater stingrays, river turtles, frogs, toads, fish, free-roaming birds, an anaconda and Chloe the sloth. They will also view rainforest trees and plants including strangler fig, kapok, cecropia, annatto, mahogany, peach palm, balsa, ice cream bean and more. An integral part of the natural ecosystem is the insects that are essential to its survival, including the leaf-cutter ants that will be featured in Tropical Encounters."

I was absolutely giddy with excitement over the exhibit because it combined two of my favorite things in life:  plants and animals!  And the best part is, some animals like the birds, turtles, and even a sloth, were not in cages!  They were freely roaming the building and you could get so close to them!

Now I know most of you don't like snakes, but I thought this one was beautiful!  I was surprised he was not poisonous and the staff person could hold him.  Usually the colorful snakes are poisonous.



They had lots of beautiful and large fish in this exhibit.  This yellow one was one of my favorites.
 

But perhaps what brought me more joy than anything was seeing all the birds!  They were freely flying about the building.  They were so pretty and their song was enchanting.


This anaconda was huge!  I find it so interesting that anacondas live in the water.


 The turtles seemed so interested in human attention.  They came right up to the glass, like they though we would feed them.  I thought it was so cute the way one turtle rode on another turtle's back.


 The pond was only a few feet tall and the top was open, so we got a really good look at them as we could get so close.


And finally, the biggest surprise of them all, a sloth!  Oh my goodness, I would have missed him if there weren't all these people standing below this tree looking up.  How exciting to get so close to a sloth.  They are such funny creatures.  They move like they are in slow motion.  God had a sense of humor when He created this creature!


I had such a fun and refreshing time visiting the conservatory and the Tropical Encounters Exhibit, but we weren't done yet, as we still had lots of animals to see at the zoo!  Be sure to come back next week to hear about our experience at the Como Park Zoo.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

54 comments:

  1. So nice place dear! Thanks for sharing!
    Have a great day! xx

    La ilusión de Nina - http://lailusiondenina.blogspot.com/

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  2. I couldn't think of a more perfect place to visit for Valentine's Day. You are so lucky!
    Loving all those gardens, the flower garden looks so pretty and I can imagine it must have smelled nice too! But also the green gardens looks amazing and so inviting! We have a sloth at a somewhat local zoo (which is an hour from us) and always enjoy seeing him or it.

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    1. Don’t you have a Conservatory near you Ellie? I know there’s one in Chicago but I also know no one wants to drive Chicago highways. Yes, they did smell nice! Especially the Amaryllis! How fun you have a sloth at your local zoo too!

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  3. That sounds like the perfect way to spend a "warm" winter day! We tend to check out our botanical gardens this time of year too because they are warmer and I miss those green plants and pretty blooms.

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    Replies
    1. Yes it was! I think of botanical gardens for summer, but they really are very popular in the winter too!

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  4. What a neat place! Those flowers are so gorgeous, and I love the shots of the animals too.

    Amy Ann
    Straight A Style

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  5. This post is full of joy and beauty. Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I was filled with joy that day and it made me happy just writing this post.

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  6. What a gorgeous place to go when it's so cold (or as you say, so warm...ha ha)
    I'm not a snake lover, but it is a pretty one....from afar, LOL
    XOOX
    Jodie

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  7. What a beautiful place! Must be really fun to be here.

    Jessica | notjessfashion.com

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  8. What a beautiful conservatory and a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's Day. I agree that seeing beautiful blooming flowers in the depths of winter is very reviving for our spirits and souls

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    1. Thanks you, it really was a great Valentines Day and wonderful seeing flowers in winter.

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  9. Yikes, no snakes for me, no matter how harmless or colorful! So amazing, perfect place to be among the tropics with snow outside! Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 9 where I comment on and share on social media if share option is available, open February 1 to 26.

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  10. What a beautiful place to visit, and it's nice they have so many animals too! :)

    Hope that your week is going well :)

    Away From Blue

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  11. What a fabulous conservatory! Love the photos.

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  12. Wow this place looks awesome.And it's so cool to see the winter. snow outside and this hot summer aura inside. I like this plants, animals , the second and third pictures presents so beautiful part of this building-in my city we have something like Palm House- this place of course it's bigger but little similar to this one in my city :-)

    Best regards
    Karo

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    1. It was awesome to visit in the winter. Thanks for visiting.

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  13. I was thinking that just yesterday... it was 35 degrees out, but the sun was shining brightly and I thought... WOW, this isn't all so bad or cold! lol!! Ahh, I'm still so ready for Spring, tho. I love that you went somewhere for V-Day, way more memorable than a fancy dinner out! Those flowers are gorgeous. I've never heard of this place!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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    1. I'm pretty sure your botanical gardens in St. Louis has a conservatory too. You should pay them a visit. It was a great way to spend Valentine's Day.

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  14. Estupenda información! Que pases una feliz noche! 🧡🧡🧡

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  15. What a great suggestion. I'm loving these fabulous images. The snow is lovely as are the flowers and plants. I didn't know anacondas lived in water, either. That sloth is just adorable. What a place :)

    I'm so glad you are a part of 'My Corner of the World' this week!

    My Corner of the World

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  16. Congrats Amy - you are are Friend of the Week at Friendship Friday at Create With Joy!
    You are also currently one of my Top 5 Commenters at Create With Joy!
    Thank you for being such an amazing blogging friend and for taking the time to leave me little "love notes" each week! :-)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for featuring me this week! That is so exciting and I appreciate it so much.

      Delete
  17. I adore flowers and I this conservatory looks like haven for me. Also I like your photos of snakes and animals. Can't wait your photos from zoo.

    New Post - https://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2020/02/jade-roller_20.html

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  18. Amy,

    Wouldn't it be grand to have a room attached to your home that's all glass as the conservatory? It would be a wonderful place to enjoy sunny days in the winter and perhaps one could grow veggies or flowers all year round. I will have to keep this in mind when looking for our next home. I'm sure I won't find an all glass extension but a nice sunny room would do, too. :)

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    1. Would you believe I actually have a sunroom? It's a mess right now as we are doing a remodel on our family room. I basically just have green plants in it and some geraniums and hibiscus. I tried growing plants from seed in this room one year but it didn't work very well. I think the room needs to be very hot and moist for that, like a greenhouse.

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    2. Amy,

      Perhaps, if you drape a clear plastic tent over the seedlings you'd get something to grow. Have you tried that? I don't have a green thumb but it sounds like it's a possibility and perhaps worth the try. I don't know. :)

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  19. Your post is so refreshing. It has taken away my winter blues. I've been going through seed catalogues and thinking about my summer gardens. Thanks for sharing, and the inspiration.

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  20. Muchas gracias por tus bonitas palabras en mi blog!
    Estupenda información! Que tengas feliz fin de semana! 🧡🧡🧡

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  21. Great post, in love with photos!
    If you want that we follow each other let me know by leaving a comment on my last post --> https://beautyshapes3.blogspot.com/2020/02/yellow-valentines-day-dresslily.html

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  22. What a lovely place to visit on Valentine's Day. The flowers are so beautiful, Amy!

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  23. How pretty! I love conservatories.

    Liberty from B4andAfters.com

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  24. CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 10, open March 1 to 26.

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  25. Wow! This post was picked twice this month by two different link ups! That's awesome! Thanks so much!

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  26. This beautiful post is a GARDEN feature on the March 2020 You're the STAR blog hop: https://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/2020/03/youre-star-week1-garden-march-2020.html
    Thanks
    Angie

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