Callaway Gardens

Friday we went to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain.  J had needed to work late several nights earlier in the week and he was able to have all his hours done by Friday so he had the day off.  Before we went into the gardens, we stopped in at a market to get a couple of fresh peaches to snack on.  We were approached by sister missionaries!  One was from Germany, the other was from Sandy.  When they first approached us, I thought they had spotted the Utah license plate, but it turns out they were just proselyting and they thought I looked nice.  They were surprised when they found out we were members (we didn't ask, but they must have a small ward/branch in Pine Mountain).  It was fun to run into them!

Callaway Gardens is huge!  We didn't even cover half of the whole place--partially because a storm blew through, but also because it is a big place.  Aside from the main gardens, there are golf courses, beaches (which we were unable to go to because of the lightning), shows, bike and walking trails, pioneer cabins, a horticulture center, a butterfly emporium, and much more.

When we first arrived, we decided to go to the butterfly emporium first (thinking that it would be cooler inside) to give us a break from the heat of the day.  What we didn't realize is that inside the butterfly emporium was more humid and hotter than it was outside.  In fact, after being inside the emporium, the outside, which had a heat index of 103 felt almost cool by comparison. 

Despite the heat, Zuri was a perfect angel the whole time at the gardens.  We brought her stroller and she was content to sit in it as we hiked and walked around. 

The butterfly count for this week was 2808.  I don't know how many of you have tried to take pictures of butterflies, but it can be quite tricky!  Still, we were able to get some amazing shots.  We took so many pictures that it was hard to choose!  If this post is a little too picture heavy, then I apologize; we hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we do!

The last few are what I like to call a "bee" butterflies.  The markings look a lot like a bee and are designed to warn off predators from above.

Some of the butterflies were very cleverly camouflaged. 

This is one of my favorite pictures (above)

Here are a couple more butterfly pictures--but they weren't taken in the butterfly emporium!

After the butterfly emporium we took a walk along a few of the trails and wandered along the river.  We went through the azalea bowl but it is the wrong time of year to see azaleas in bloom.  We noticed that a few of the trees were starting to turn colors.  Unfortunately, we are in the middle season--too late for the spring and too soon for the autumn, so while we still had beautiful gardens to look at, we missed the full scope of what the place really could be.

On our walk, Zuri fell asleep.

We then went to the horticulture center, where Zuri woke up from her nap and felt ready to explore.  It was beautifully designed, starting enclosed but opening out into the open in such a way that you almost don't even realize it!

They had this really cool rock wall where plants grew out.

There were at least ten different types of banana trees, and a couple papaya trees, all bearing fruit.

Flowers of the gardens:

Can you spot the grasshopper?

These two pictures (above and below) were taken as just before we left, in the rain.  I love capturing water droplets on the petals of the flowers!

This little flower has become my favorite Georgia wildflower.  I love all the colors and the rows of little flowers all making up the bigger flower.

The Day chapel.  We just missed a concert.

While we waited for the Birds of Prey show, we took some time and looked out over the water from the bridge.  This was Zuri's favorite part of the day.  She got excited looking over the edge at the turtles, fish, and ducks swimming in the water.   She would go from one side of the bridge to the other and just be so excited.  While we were on the bridge, we heard the storm sirens--meaning that there had been lightning strikes within five miles of the gardens.

 

There was a fish food dispenser, and you could tell that the fish were used to being fed!  All you had to do was lean over and tons of fish would swim to where you were.  The ducks and turtles also got in on the action.  J counted about a dozen turtles. 

We were able to catch the Birds of Prey show before the rain started.  We drove around in the rain for a while to see a little more of the park, but eventually the rain grew too heavy to see anything, so we headed home.

The first two pictures are of the harris hawk, and the last of the great horned owl.  Zuri really wasn't interested in the bird show--she had more fun playing in the dirt.  Even though we got rained out--we had a lot of fun--there is so much to see!