05/04/17 - Day 31 - Bronx, NY - NY Botanical Gardens

This place has been on my to do list for a while and May is the perfect month to visit.


A National Historic Landmark founded in 1891, the botanical gardens is a 250 acre preserve that consists of a number of conservatories, exhibits, and natural areas.  While the rose garden was closed, the azalea exhibit was in full bloom.


They had dozens of varieties










There were also a fair amount of animals running about








Only one of the art conservatories was open while I was there.


They featured works from blown glass artist, Dale Chihuly.  Never heard of him, but had some interesting pieces








Besides azaleas, there were lot of other plants in bloom and on display.








It's really pleasant place to take a walk.  Its large size combined with my choice of timing (a chilly weekday afternoon) meant it was not very busy at all.






They've got many different types of trees, but this was one of the weirder ones I saw.  A Camperdown Elm.  They look a little like giant bonsai tress.  They don't propagate from seeds; they have to be cut from an existing tree and grafted to another.


A very good place to visit, may do it again before I leave for Boston.

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