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Mom and I went to Kew today, to look at plants and the Chihuly sculptures.
Having sought lots of advice about the Chihuly exhibit, we took most of it by starting at the Temperate House. There's some fine glass art in this exhibit, as well as scattered around outdoors, including an impressive blue-and-white sculpture if you enter via the Victoria Gate. I have seen two other exhibits of Chihuly's work, both much smaller and one of them entirely indoors; this one makes very good use of the large spaces, both indoor and out.
Then we just wandered, and enjoyed looking mostly at plants but also at birds and sculptures. I took some photos of plants and sculptures because I liked them, and of birds in the hope of using them to identify the species of duck (other than mallard) and goose (in addition to the Canada geese) we saw.
After admiring a large old chestnut tree and taking several pictures, I said 'I'm being a tourist'. I used two twigs to pry open a chestnut casing and remove the nut, which I looked at, photographed, and then put down near where it had fallen. (As you know, we no longer have sweet chestnut trees in North America [1]). I was reminded of when Maureen visited the Bronx Zoo with me and Ben Yalow: I was showing off the okapis, but what most interested her in that enclosure was the chipmunks.
[1] There has been a long-term project to try breeding a chestnut blight–resistant chestnut by crossing a Chinese chestnut species with the very few (I think less than a dozen) surviving North American chestnut trees. The last I knew, as of a year or two ago, the project had produced trees that are 15/16 American chestnut and seem to be resistant--and have run into objections from people who think that this is not preserving but attacking a species that is important to them. (This is vague because I don't have time right now to track the information down.)
Having sought lots of advice about the Chihuly exhibit, we took most of it by starting at the Temperate House. There's some fine glass art in this exhibit, as well as scattered around outdoors, including an impressive blue-and-white sculpture if you enter via the Victoria Gate. I have seen two other exhibits of Chihuly's work, both much smaller and one of them entirely indoors; this one makes very good use of the large spaces, both indoor and out.
Then we just wandered, and enjoyed looking mostly at plants but also at birds and sculptures. I took some photos of plants and sculptures because I liked them, and of birds in the hope of using them to identify the species of duck (other than mallard) and goose (in addition to the Canada geese) we saw.
After admiring a large old chestnut tree and taking several pictures, I said 'I'm being a tourist'. I used two twigs to pry open a chestnut casing and remove the nut, which I looked at, photographed, and then put down near where it had fallen. (As you know, we no longer have sweet chestnut trees in North America [1]). I was reminded of when Maureen visited the Bronx Zoo with me and Ben Yalow: I was showing off the okapis, but what most interested her in that enclosure was the chipmunks.
[1] There has been a long-term project to try breeding a chestnut blight–resistant chestnut by crossing a Chinese chestnut species with the very few (I think less than a dozen) surviving North American chestnut trees. The last I knew, as of a year or two ago, the project had produced trees that are 15/16 American chestnut and seem to be resistant--and have run into objections from people who think that this is not preserving but attacking a species that is important to them. (This is vague because I don't have time right now to track the information down.)
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There were a couple of grey geese around last week which I don't usually see in Kew. What you'll frequently see is Egyptian geese (reddish, ring around the eye). I haven't seen the bar-headed goose in a while (they used to have a pair, last year it was on its own, and it's out of range, so unlikely to find a mate).
I'm far more wobbly on ducks.
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I also need to look at my duck photos again, though I'm not sure how clear, or useful, they are. Common scoter seems likely. (I'm better on ducks than on geese, though I had no trouble identifying the Canada geese I saw today.)
I was also pleased, after we got home, to see a magpie in my mother's back garden (I know they're common here).
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Confusingly enough.
We will be going to Kew tomorrow, and anticipate it will be raining, so thanks for the tip re the temperate house.
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Oh, cool. Didn't know that.
Temperate greenhouse, tropical palmhouse, Princess of Wales conservatory, waterlily house, two galleries, Kew Palace... you should be fine. Hope you enjoy it anyway.
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- There is an effort to breed true American Chestnuts that are blight resistant. Results somewhat encouraging, but far from definitive. As far as I can tell further research continuing.
There is an effort to cross breed American Chestnut with Asian Chestnut, which is blight resistant. Results good with the cross genes 98.9 or so American. Lots of these crosses planted.
There is still a stand of more or less pure American Chestnut that was planted in a distant location. Unclear whether that stand is affected yet.