Snow Swan
Unlike most Saint Louis snowfalls, this one persists. After dropping Anne off at school, I headed over to the gardens to take advantage of their miles of cleared paths and got my steps. Most of the holiday decorations from the Garden Glow are still up. What with most of the staff still diverted to snow removal. The two Turtle-doves are gone, but as you can see, at least one of the seven swans is still a-swimming and likely will remain so, until the next thaw. I did notice a herd of cherry pickers out today, unstringing Xmas lights from the trees.
Exercising at the gardens is really quite pleasant. It is not at all crowded. I think that the staff outnumbers the visitors. If I get cold, I can always duck into one of the many open buildings. My favorite is the Climatron. This iconic geodesic domed greenhouse boasts more than half an acre of tropical diversion from the dreary January weather. I always walk into this building as through a fog, as the warm moist air condenses on my still cold glasses.
Checked it out online. The decor looks like it would be pretty spectacular up close and personal during the holiday season. I was looking at photos wondering how all those tropical plants survive a St. Louis winter, then remembered you mentioning it’s a greenhouse 😀
The Climatron is the best, but there are a number of other buildings. At the end of the month the orchid show starts. By then Witch hazel will be in early bloom and then full spring is just around the corner.
I love the snow swan! My mother would decorate every year: she had a 5 foot high avocado tree. She had a partridge, two doves, three hens… for the swans she had a small mirror and seven glass swans. She never got past 7. She hung five rings from the branches of the tree.
And then I always think of Walt Kelley’s Albert Alligator, going through the song: “12 Drummers drumming! It was a sales ploy the whole time to sell brushes or encyclopedias!”
The garden had a nice take on Turtle-doves, giant tortoises with wings 🐢