Walking out of the main building of Powell Gardens, we encountered a giant daddy longlegs made of wood by artist Dave Rogers (here through October 3):
And up on the hill were a trio of giant ants:
In the woods a giant spider was hiding. There were also dragonflies, damselflies, an assassin bug, grasshopper, praying mantis & ladybug.
The lilypond was in full bloom, and dragonflies buzzed about:
The gardens were teeming with a great variety of flowers & plants:
But our favorite part of the whole trip was watching this goldfinch that Kelly spotted. He was happily pulling seeds out of these coneflower, and allowed us to get within a few feet! I have thistle feeders in my backyard, but have not seen a single finch since I installed the privacy fence. I think it made my yard feel too closed off for the birds to feel secure, because prior to the fence, I had several finches that came around.
I've never been to Powell Gardens, but will definitely go now. Everything looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteWe had those at Inniswoods Metro Gardens in Ohio a few years ago. They are quite impressive.
ReplyDeleteLove all of the photos. Thanks for posting! Always wondered how the Goldfinches handle the pain of getting poked in the feet while perching on the seedhead. I have seen several Goldfinches in our neighborhood the last couple of weeks and they seem to swoop in flying very low, so perhaps the height of the fence would inhibit them.
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