Denver Botanic Gardens

Grandma Julie came for a visit last week and while she was here we went to the Denver Botanic Gardens. Featured was "Jurassic Gardens", a special exhibit that began in April and ends September 30th. Since I had never taken Katelyn to the gardens before, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to go!

First of all, the Botanic Gardens are impressive enough as is, but factor in some life-size replicas of dinosuars, fun dino-related activities, and an absolutely beautiful day, and voila you've got the perfect outing! It also turned out to be a special student day with activities set up throughout the park to enlighten young minds about nature, animals/insects relationship to nature, gardening, and dinosaurs' relationship to the plants of their time. We all learned a lot of course, but I think the best feature of the gardens is simply the tranquility. Peace & quiet. Calmness. Serenity. I can see why people would choose to get a membership and come to the gardens often to read, relax, think, wonder around, have a picnic lunch, and get a good workout~i.e., there is A LOT of walking to be done at the Botanic Gardens for sure!

The gardens are also a feast for the senses. There are so many beautiful plants, flowers, and trees to see. All that color! At one of the student stations we were allowed to feel/compare the leaves of different types of plants. And the smells! I love the smell of the outdoors! Even though the gardens are smack dab in the middle of the city, the air smells fresh. In one section of the gardens there are pine trees and plants/flowers indiginous to the mountains. I LOVE the smell of the mountains; it's pine, but there's more to it than that. It's hard to explain unless you've been hiking or to Rocky Mountain National Park, etc. I remember as a kid my mom and grandma would take my brother and I to Estes Park while we'd visit them on our summer break. I remember my mom always saying, "Smell, children, do you smell that wonderful mountain smell?" Well, my brother & I would just look at each other and roll our eyes! Teenagers, right! We thought she was such a dork! But she was SO right, and I find myself telling Katelyn to smell whenever we're in the mountains. And at the gardens I was constantly telling Katelyn to smell! Fortunately she's still young enough to put up with it! Now who's the dork?? HA!

The nose knows!

Katie & Grandma

Katie & Mommy

Fossil digging

One of the student stations had stories related to gardening

Katie & a Dimetrodon replica