37th Annual Sculpture in the Garden
So, we haven’t visited the botanical garden since the end of May, over four months ago. I wasn’t about to risk any more seed tick attacks. On this new try, I had Tim spray my shoes and pant legs with picaridin, giving up on previously tried deet and permethrin. So far, so good, but I’ve not been attacked in the month of October before so maybe I didn’t need it. Not taking any chances, though.
I didn’t get too many pictures of the sculptures this year. I guess I was starved for the beauty of flowers and berries!
A contemporary reimagining of a desert giant, drawing inspiration from the formidable presence of arid landscapes. ~ Gary Taber
(this spot always enchants me)
When we got to the boardwalk going through the Coastal Plain Habitat we were amazed to find ourselves surrounded by a sea of black-eyed Susans, some of them quite tall, enjoying the sunshine.
Even though there were a lot of old favorites to delight my eyes, some new-to-me flowers presented themselves, sending me peeking into the greenery looking for id signs. If none could be located there was research to do at home. It felt good to get back out there and into the swing of things again.
My egret reaches for the sky to greet the day. ~ Forrest Greenslade
Taíno Moon Goddess symbolizes renewal, mystery, and unseen life forces,
representing the feminine rhythm of existence while illuminating the shadowed side of nature.
~ Nana Abreu
Local opossum in early summer after an enjoyable night dining in a cherry tree.
~ Bronwyn Watson
Fun blend of sculpture and plants, Barbara. I’m glad you got out and had a tick-free visit!
Thank you, Eliza! It was a delight to finally have some fresh-smelling and crisp autumn air to breathe.
Courageous of you to head out, Barbara, and what a bonanza of beauty as your reward. Every one of these photos is gorgeous, and it’s easy to see why that sassafras sapling grove enchants you. I love all the black-eyed Susans and some so tall! Thanks for going out and sharing this beauty with us today.
Thank you, Jet! I’ve recently learned that sassafras trees grow close together because they naturally reproduce by means of root suckers. I love the backdrop these sapling trunks create for the seasonal wildflowers surrounding them. And those black-eyed Susans have outdone themselves this year!
I’m glad you avoided the ticks this time! What gorgeous shots these are, Barbara — I love the Susans, the phlox, and all those asters. This would make a perfect Walktober walk, if you decided to participate this year?!?
Thank you, Debbie! It felt so good dusting off the camera and get some pictures. That lingering phlox was all by itself. I do have something in mind for the Walktober walk this year but if it doesn’t pan out I could always fall back on this one.
Pretty pictures! Looks like you enjoyed nature that day and so glad that you were prepared for those nasty bugs! You certainly have a great man taking care of you!!
Thank you, Teri! It was a great day just to be outside and the autumn flowers were an added bonus. Tim is the best, and after 50 years, I think I’ll keep him! 😉
I am glad you finally got back here after all these months Barbara and just in time to see some of the prettiest Summer offerings like the Black-eyed Susans and other wildflowers along the way … no wonder it was like a breath of fresh air and hopefully you’ve not brought any “hitchhikers” home. When the furnace tech was here a few weeks ago for a check-up, she told me she was glad to be doing furnace check-ups now as she had to spray her pants and shoes daily and do a tick check before going back into the truck as she never knows what she will encounter in the backyards when checking the A/C units. I like all the sculptures and I think I remember the name Gary Taber from last year’s sculptures. My favorites are the cactus, the egret and the opossum, all nature related … the opossum even has some “food” scattered around the base of the sculpture. Considering the hot, humid Summer these flowers endured, they are looking perky, especially the Phlox.
Now that’s a hazard for HVAC workers I never considered before. I’m glad that I didn’t have any bites on this trip but I can’t know for sure if it was the picaridin working or if there just weren’t any seed ticks this time of year. I’ll probably have to test it next summer if I dare to find the answer. Then maybe I can see some of the summer flowers. That phlox must have been an anomaly, it was blooming there all by itself. There was also a single rose blossom on that huge rose bush in the arbor that blooms so profusely in April. I was quite fond of that opossum, too, especially after seeing two of them wandering around my yard one morning this summer. I’m glad they moved on, though. If the weather cooperates we’re going to take the grandchildren to do the Sculpture Scavenger Hunt on the next teacher workshop day when they have no school. They enjoyed it last year. They hunt for sculptures and find clues like a crossword puzzle and then solve the puzzle.
I was surprised when Tara told me that. I would not have thought that was a job hazard either. She said she swears by Deet, spraying it on her pants/shoes/socks every morning before she leaves for work. I told her the outdoors clothing company REI makes pants that have a permanent anti-tick product on them, but she said she would have to wear them under her work pants and it would be too hot in the Summer months. That’s great you came away unscathed. I only went one place after all the tick infestations and that was at the Environmental Interpretive Center trail. The trail started out pretty wide, so I figured I’d be okay with nothing latching on, but the trail got very narrow later and people came from the opposite way – not great, but I didn’t bring anything home either. You and I hated to curtail our outdoor activities, but …. today on the news, someone was bitten by a rabid bat. They warned that bats are looking to find a warm place to roost now with the sudden cooler temps and it may get into the house, go where you least expect it. I’ve never seen a bat, let alone in the house.
Interesting about the phlox – maybe someone planted it. At Elizabeth Park last week, there was a group of flowers, cosmos of various colors, all planted together and I never saw that there before. They have memorial trees, but that’s not where a memorial tree was. I hear about opossums eating ticks, but I wasn’t keen on finding the two in my yard and then a huge one was walking across the front yard in broad daylight last year. The sculptures were nice. That sounds like a fun event for the grandchildren. Maybe the grandkids are off this Monday for the Columbus Day holiday? It would probably be busy if all the schools were off though.
I found the warnings about spraying deet on synthetics discouraging. Apparently picaridin is just as effective as deet but safer to use and can be sprayed on skin and clothing. It became available here in the US in 2005 but has been used in Europe and Australia since 1998. REI carries it. I knew someone who found a bat on his towel in the bathroom one morning. The bat flew away but it touched him so he had to get the painful rabies shots just in case. I always check under the umbrella on our deck when I go outside, for bats and spiders…
Apparently they don’t get Columbus Day off down here!
I’ll have to ask Tara if she uses picaridin especially for the hot Summer months. I am torn between using anti-tick clothing and sun protection clothing. I go with the latter as I don’t want to get sunscreen on the camera, but I triple-check for ticks, but after I got the tick in my ear, I guess I did a poor job checking. That’s too bad about having the rabies shots series. If spiders and centipedes unnerve me, I’d really be in bad shape if I saw a bat – kudos to you for being so brave. That’s interesting – I thought maybe you celebrate Robert E. Lee Day, but I looked and it is only Alabama and Mississippi – so much for that. 🙂
Such beautiful flowers and sculptures. I’m glad you were able to get back out there, Barbara, and came through tick-free. They’ve been bad here this year, too. Now that we’re into chigger season, I haven’t been going out too much. The chiggers love me and I get quite a reaction to the bites.
Thank you, Robin. Your chigger bites sound awful. My reaction to seed tick bites was so bad they put me on steroids. Another good reason to dread summer besides the heat and humidity. I hope you’re enjoying the autumn weather and are looking forward to winter, which, if I remember correctly, is your favorite season.
Beautiful collection of color! Not much left in the way of blooms here in MA, unless you count the mums that everyone decorates with this time of year. Glad the temperatures have gotten to a place where you can enjoy being outside again.