Chihuly at the New York Botanical Garden

If you happen to be in New York City between now and October 29th, I highly recommend you go to the New York Botanical Garden (in the Bronx) to see the CHIHULY exhibit (as well as the beautiful flowers and plants).

The exhibit includes over 20 stunning glass sculptures, installed throughout the Garden, by renowned glass sculptor/artist Dale Chihuly, whose blown glass creations have been exhibited at museums around the world.

Here are some of the amazing glass works of art featured in the New York Botanical Garden exhibit. (Click on the photo to see a larger view. Then hit the "back" button/arrow to return to the post.)

NB: It is really hard to photograph glass when the sun is shining directly overheard -- and a dozen or so people keep walking into the frame.

2016 NYBG Holiday Train Show

As everyone who reads this blog regularly knows, I am a HUGE fan of the New York Botanical Garden. We have been members for years, and I visit the NYBG as often as I can.

But in all the years we've been back on the East Coast, we have never gone to see the New York Botanical Garden's world famous Holiday Train Show. Until last night.

Although the Garden typically closes by 6 p.m., on a handful of nights (10, to be precise) during the Holiday Train Show, it reopens from 7 until 10 p.m. for Bar Car Nights. And if you have never been to the New York Botanical Garden at night, let me tell you, it's magical. Especially after a big snowfall.

But whether you go at night or during the day, the New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show, which runs through January 16th, is worth a visit, as you will hopefully see from this video the spouse took...

and my photographs of the great G-scale trains and the amazing recreations of famous New York City landmarks.

[Click on each photo to enlarge it.]

Pretty... scary

No, I'm not talking about the election, though it is pretty scary. I am talking about the current exhibits at the New York Botanical Garden. It is around 80 degrees in New York City today, and since Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden and Scarecrows & Pumpkins are only on display until the end of the month, I decided to take the morning off and go visit (before the weather turns cold and rainy).

Here are some of my favorite photos from today's outing.

Nature is amazing! (Lily edition)

I've been meaning to get to the New York Botanical Garden all summer. But I didn't make it there until this morning. Only to discover that not a lot blooms in August. Except for water lilies and daylilies (and lotus flowers).

But as you can see from my photos, below, the daylilies, water lilies (or Nymphaeaceae) and lotus flowers currently on display at the New York Botanical Garden are lovely -- and well worth a visit. In fact, they attracted quite a few visitors, of the human and insect variety. (I was particularly enamored with that little blue dragonfly, below, with the big green eyes, which was quite enamored with a certain lotus flower.)

Note: To see the flowers -- and insects -- more clearly, click on each photo to enlarge it. (Then click on the back button to return to the post.)

And that, son, is how flowers are made.

Orchidelirium at the New York Botanical Garden

As longtime readers of this blog know, I am a huge fan (and member) of the New York Botanical Garden. And one of my favorite seasonal events at the New York Botanical Garden is the orchid show, which runs from the end of February through the middle of April.

After missing last year's show, I was eager to catch this year's orchid show, titled Orchidelirium. And it did not disappoint.

Here are some of my favorite photos from this year's show. (One of these days I'll get a book on orchids so I can properly identify the different types.) Enjoy!

Bonus photo: As I was walking through the orchid show, I spied this sign, "Please do not touch the plants," in the center of some very prickly cacti, and just sighed. (It is sad that the garden had to even put up that sign, but you know there was a probably a good reason.)

A visit to the New York Botanical Garden

Two of my favorite things to do are walking on the beach, looking for shells, and strolling through gardens, photographing flowers.

This weekend I indulged in the latter -- taking the spouse with me to visit the New York Botanical Garden (one of my favorite gardens, and places) to check out what was blooming, as well as view the new Frida Kahlo exhibit, which we both recommend.

(Just don't go on a weekend, if you can help it. We waited on line for an hour to see the dozen or so Frida Kahlo paintings and drawings on exhibit, which we were allowed maybe 10 minutes to view.)

While we enjoyed looking at Kahlo's paintings, which heavily feature nature, viewing real live nature, specifically flowers, was the main reason we went to the New York Botanical Garden. And walking the grounds, you really got the sense that spring was finally here -- a feeling I wanted to capture with my camera.

And I think these three photos, of irises and poppies, really give you the sense of spring emerging from the bleak winter landscape.

Irises I

Poppies

Irises II

UPDATED: Decided to throw in a shot of the glorious Alliums, which look like something out of Dr. Seuss.

You can view more of my flower photos here.