After you wind through the woodsy drive, you come upon a clearing with a lake and the main buildings. This handsome Canadian Goose struck a pose for me.
Now, they have a real butterfly garden and it was busy. I did get some names of new plants that I want to add to my front bed to attact bees and butterflies next year. Here was another of that odd turquoise backed butterfly species that I saw at the Botanical Gardens.(A Long Tailed Skipper)
There was also a lovely Gulf Frilliary, who look quite striking against these bright red and orange flowers.
They also had a pond habitat up by the main building for koi and turtles. I saw this big handsome koi cruising one pond...
.... and then, right at me swam THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON!
...which was actually just a turtle who'd come to see if I was about to feed them.
After photographing things around the building, we headed down on of the boardwalks. In the middle was this old stump just chock full of various kinds of fungi.
There was also a huge clump of these lovely flowers... might have to get me some of those.....
They have owls, eagles and other creatures who are no longer able to fend for themselves and now live a life of luxury at the center - like this deer - just look at those gorgeous eyes!
We hiked off down a woody trail until we came to the bog garden which was ablaze with all kinds of colorful pitcher plants and other bog flowers.
I laughed as I took this photo..... this pitcher plant "closed" it's opening when a love bug landed on it.... appears that even insect eating bog plants don't like love bugs!
We came across this gopher tortoise hole, but no one was home....
In another enclosure we came to this coyote hopped up on the top of his shelter for a photo op........ Coyote cute!
This was so much fun we plan on going again with the leaves start turning and see what we can find.
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