Final Kew Blog

The really wonderful thing about the Kew and also about the London Zoo is that they are very focused on protecting endangered species. The Kew houses the Royal Botanical Society and they are studying all the uses of plants in medicine, daily products, etc. Of course, I ran out of time so I didn't get to really see all of that today. Kate, the scientist, can help me learn when she quits her job and comes to see me.

In this picture, I was recovering from a near altercation with a squirrel. The squirrel jumped from one tree to the next, barely making it to a low-hanging branch, which could hardly support it's weight, thus swinging it in the direction of my face as I passed beneath the low-hanging branch. We stared at each other for a minute and then he scrambled off and proceeded to chew me out, like it was my fault. I was so relieved that I didn't have a squirrel attached to my face, that I decided to take a celebratory picture!
"I'm squirrel free at Kew!!!"
And another picture perfect lake....
I'm sure this place is even more incredible when it's springtime and all the flowers are blooming. The next time I visit, I'll make it to Kew Castle and check out the UK's largest compost pile! 

Kew Gardens Blog #3 (I promise there aren't many more)

The Temperate House is the greenhouse that houses those plants that live in a temperate climate. It is the oldest surviving greenhouse from the Victorian ages and the largest greenhouse at Kew Gardens. And, inside this incredibly old and interesting looking greenhouse is the largest plant in the gardens, which I didn't manage to see, despite the fact that I walked through the greenhouse. By the time I figured it out, I didn't have time to go back. Today they were setting up an ice skating rink outside of the Temperate House. We will definitely be going back to ice skate at Kew Gardens. Those pictures should be pretty interesting...there will be a lot of us splayed out in various positions on the ice.
I took a picture of this royal coy, relative of Mom's giant coy, Moby Dick, who met his death in a pond filter. Maybe he is reincarnated as a royal coy?
Another view of the temperate house.....
 

Kew Garden Blog #2

Next I walked over to King William's Temple, pictured below. It has some commemerative plaques inside of it, but I can't remember what they were commemerating. Actually, it wasn't that interesting. But it was old! Here's the view from the inside out--a little more interesting because you can see the beautiful trees through the door.
And some wellies that someone left behind outside of the temple....
 

The Kew Gardens--blog 1

To describe everything that I saw at the Kew Gardens today is going to take several blogs. So, here we go! I left this morning, not realizing how long it takes to take the tube from Greenwich to the Kew Garden stop...so I spent nearly two hours getting there. It turns out that I could have gotten there faster, had I read the tube map correctly. My trip back was still long, but not that long! Anyway, when I got out of the tube station, this is what I saw: Very cute little street with cafes and bookstores and...STARBUCKS??!!!! Yes, they are everywhere here, too. Not as much as at home, but they are pretty much taking over. In fact, I went to one recently, for which I am very ashamed...but I digress.

The weather was looking pretty questionable so I was prepared to be disappointed after making the long trek out. I figured I would walk in the greenhouses and not be able to see most of the gardens. And there were a lot of gardens that I couldn't see, but it's not because it rained. It's because I ran out of time (see previous blog about how it gets dark here at 4:00!!!)

So, this was the first thing I saw when I walked into the Kew. Colors everywhere, menacing clouds, stately buildings, and...ugh...seagulls. Despite the seagulls, the gardens are spectacular.
The Palm House is a large greenhouse filled with...you guessed it! PALMS! My camera got fogged up from the humidity--I felt like I was back in New Orleans again--so the pictures are a little ethereal looking. This is a spiral staircase leading up to the top of the greenhouse, where I was able to walk around at the top of the palms. This is the tallest palm in the Palm House. This picture doesn't do it justice. It is gigantic, with leaves that are each about 2 stories long. And it isn't the biggest plant in the Kew greenhouses. I somehow didn't notice that plant, so I'll have to take a picture of it the next time I go. Next Blog.....