A FEW MORE FLOWERS FOR YOU FROM LEWIS GINTNER BOTANIC GARDEN.

This is my last post of the flowers we saw that day until we go there again. Hopefully that will be in a month or so. I thoroughly enjoyed our time here. 

I was really taken with the Stokes Aster and how it was unfurling in the photo below.

I found them along the pathway walking up to the entrance.

This courtyard greeted us as we exited the visitor center into the garden.

Purple Coneflowers.

Oakleaf Hydrangea.

The Daylilies were blooming beautifully (and thank you Marcia for letting me know it wasn't a Ditch Lily. I should have known better but took my plant ID at its word. Always grateful to my blogging friends for steering me in the right direction). I really loved this color combination.

Another pretty area I would like to explore next time we go. 

Next is the Spider Flower, perhaps a better name for it, Cleome. 

It's also called Grandfather's Whiskers, but we can also call it Pink Queen.

I shared these the other day, "Irish Eyes' Black-eyed Susan

My other post of the flowers can be found here if you missed it.

Have fun and 

thanks for stopping by.

FLOWERS AT LEWIS GINTNER BOTANICAL GARDEN - THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH, 2026

Thank you for all my Happy Birthday wishes yesterday my dear friends. You are the dearest people and I am so very happy you are part of my blogging family. I feel truly blessed! 

My special birthday meal didn’t go quite as planned. No worries, it all worked out okay but ye gads! I will tell all tomorrow. I have to write it all down first  

In the time being, here are some pretty flowers!

🌺 🌺🌺

 I will ID the photos as best I can. I expect many will recognize them. The first one shows a little honeybee on a Stokes' Aster (Stokesia laevis) and native to America. Specifically, this herbaceous perennial is a wildflower indigenous to the southeastern United States, ranging naturally from North Carolina down to Florida and west to Louisiana.

Next we have the Common Daylily (Hemerocallis fulvia). It is native to Asia (including China and Japan) and was introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant in the late 19th century.

According to what I could find, this is the White Swan Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'). (If you think I am incorrect on any of these flowers, please let me know.) It is native to North America, a cultivated variety of the common purple coneflower, a species naturally found throughout the central to southeastern United States.

Below you can see the Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), also a native to the United States. Its native range spans the central, eastern and southeastern regions of the country (from Ohio to Michigan south to Louisiana and Georgia). I have some of these in our garden at home. They thrive quite well.

This shows you the start of the that flower.

Only one decent Skipper photo as outside the Butterfly House, the regular butterflies seemed a bit scarce. My best guess for this one is a Field skipper  (Atalopedes campestris).

This is the Royal Lily (Lilium regale), also known as the Regal Lily or King's Lily. A native exclusively to the western Sichuan Province in southwestern China.

This yellow-petaled flower below is called "Irish Eyes' Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta 'Irish Eyes'). It is a distinct award-winning cultivar of the classic North American native wildflower. Instead of having the traditional dark chocolate or black center cone, it has a clear emerald or lime green eye.

My last but one photo for today is the Peruvian Lily (Alstroemeria) It is also called Lily of the Incas), a long-lasting flowering plant native to South America. It's trumpet-shaped blooms come in bright colors. I only ever saw the pink ones before this. 

Despite its common name, the plant is actually part of the Alstroemiaceae family and is entirely separate from true lilies.

I have more flowers but will save them for another day. I hope you have enjoyed these. 

Thanks for looking at these and 

I hope you have a great day.

BUTTERFLIES AT LEWIS GINTNER BOTANICAL GARDEN - THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH, 2026

I was delighted to see that there was an indoor Butterfly Garden inside one of the sections of the greenhouse. Our family very kindly bought us tickets and the four of us had a lovely time looking around. There weren't as many as I have seen in other places but, and I am just guessing here, the sun didn't seem that bright and I seem to remember once being told that they start to get more active when it is shining. You butterfly experts out there can correct me if I'm misremembering. We will be going back and expect to see more next time.

These are called the Common Morpho and my information came from their website here. A few facts are: Common Morpho - Morpho peleides - Family: Nymphalidae - Range: Mexico to Colombia - Wingspan: 5-8 in (12.7 to 20.3 cm) - Fast Fact: Common morphos are attracted to fermenting fruits.

This butterfly is apparently a Postman Butterfly. I was curious about its wing pattern which seemed different to others I saw, also identifying themselves as a Postman. The excerpt below explains it a little bit.  I read on Google: "Like all Postman butterflies, the H. melpomene species has long wings and a primarily black base, but its patterns vary drastically based on where it lives. 

"Regular" Postman (Heliconius melpomene melpomene): the nominal/common form is characterized by a solid, elongated red band across the forewings, and black or faintly iridescent hindwings.

The Plesseni Subspecies (Heliconius melpomene plesseni): instead of a solid red band, the plesseni variety has a distinct pattern sometimes referred to as a "split band." It typically features a reduced red area that is split or rayed, alongside a clear, pale yellow or white stripe near the margin of the hindwing. 

The Postman butterfly is famous for its bright, warning colors (aposematism) to deter predators and its incredible ability to mimic other species. Because it is so widespread throughout Central and South America, this single species has over 30 recognized color variants or subspecies. The plesseni subspecies primarily inahabits the eastern Andes region (such as Ecuador).

If you go to this website at iNaturalist, it will tell you more about the Postman Butterfly. I went down a rabbit hole. There is so much information that I could have been here until sundown. I will go back sometime and read as much as I can. Hopefully I have all my info correct but if you find anything that you disagree with, please feel free to put me straight.

Next comes the Atlas Moth. I had a great chat with a gentleman called Buzz, who had been a volunteer here for many years. He had a great deal of knowledge, telling me he acquired this interest when he was a young boy. I enjoyed my short time with him. I wish it could have been longer but there were others waiting to ask questions. A very interesting gentleman. One of the things he told me was that this moth had somehow got entangled in his cocoon and had difficulty getting out of it. His wings were a bit misshapen and they were hoping they would open more. I didn't even know that could happen.

The information says: Atlas Moth - Attacus atlas - From Southeast Asia, the Atlas moth is one of the largest moths in the world> As a caterpillar, these moths live for 5 weeks and can eat over 200x their body weight in leaves. Once they become an adult moth, they no longer have a mouth and cannot eat. They survive about 7 days as a moth and their main objective is to mate and produce offspring. Added note which I found very interesting: Due to USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) regulations, we must keep adult moths in a separate enclosure where they cannot lay eggs in the exhibit.

This Common Morpho landed on Gregg's back so we carefully removed it. It was time for us to go.

Here are a few do's and don'ts.

It reads: Butterfly Blooms - from top left to top bottom. The other side is printed in Spanish.

DO NOT TOUCH THE BUTTERFLIES: they are very fragile and can get hurt easily. We probably should have asked for help to remove the one from Gregg's back? Next time but we tried to be very gentle. DO NOT TOUCH THE PLANTS OR PICK ANY FLOWERS: Due to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations, we must keep all plants and insects contained in the exhibit.  WATCH YOUR STEP: as butterflies like to sunbathe and drink water from puddles on the floor. NO FOOD OR DRINK: no food or drink allowed in the exhibit except water.

That's the end of this butterfly post. There was a wonderful exhibit inside the visitor center of butterflies and moths, which I took photos of. I will share those soon.  I figured next time I will concentrate on the flowers.

I hope you have enjoyed this post today. 

Thanks for visiting and I

hope your day is a great one.

LEWIS GINTNER BOTANICAL GARDEN NEAR RICHMOND, VA - CREATURES OF A DREAMWORLD EXHIBIT

This wonderful sculpture is called Goliath and is one I shared in yesterday's post. He is a brightly colored, larger-than-life Alebrije (Mexican folkart sculpture) that combines the features of a deer, giraffe and eagle, to symbolize gentleness, perspective and vision. He is part of the "Creatures of a Dreamworld" exhibit at Lewis Gintner Botanical Garden, near Richmond, Virginia. Goliath was designed by artist Edgar Camargo to honor his childhood hero and father, Goliath. 

 This sculpture was crafted by a team of six Mexican paper-mâché artisans over the course of two months. Consistent with traditional Alebrije folk art, the sculpture is painted in extremely vivid, luminous hues featuring intricate patterns that make the mythical creature pop against the garden's lush landscape (everything I am sharing here was found online, except for my photos. These works are amazing when seen with one's own eyes. Photos don't give them the justice they deserve.)

On Thursday the 25th, we had a wonderful time with family in Richmond (Virginia). We were delighted at the suggestion the week before. The garden is midway between our homes, a two-hour drive for them and a two-hour drive for us. It was a beautiful day, made even more so because of meeting up with our family, which because of distance is too far between get togethers. This day was a blessing and the weather was perfect.

I was delighted to see our family and it was fun to walk around these wonderfully colorful sculptures together. We had lunch in the garden’s cafe later. The first sculpture we saw was the porcupine, and the explanation on the poster reads: Alebrijes (I will give an explanation of this word somewhere below and forgive me if I repeat myself as it is a lot of info and my brain seems to be in a fog today, but I don't want to miss a thing. If I make any typos I will fix them as I see them later.) Escoba Porcupine designed by Edgar Camargo. Escoba means "broom" in Spanish. The name is a playful reference to the porcupine's quills, which resemble the bristles of a broom. Inspired by the porcupine, the sculpture represents protection, boundaries and self-confidence. It reminds us that we can be kind and open while still protecting ourselves when necessary. The sculpture reflects resilience, self-respect and the importance of balancing gentleness with strength.

Alebrijes (pronounced ah-leh-BREE-heh) is a brightly colored, whimsical Mexican folkart sculpture of a fantastical creature. They typically feature a vivid, imaginative combination of different animal parts, such as a jaguar with wings, lizard with horns or a dragon with rabbit ears - all painted with intricate patterns. The word Alebrije has no literal translation or root in the Spanish language. It was completely invented by its creator.

 The artform was invented in the 1930's by Pedro Linares, a papier-mâché (cartonería) artist from Mexico City. During a severe illness Linares fell unconscious and experienced vivid hallucinations of a strange forest. In his dream he saw bizarre hybrid creatures. All of the animals were shouting a single, made-up word, "Alebrijes!" Once he recovered, Linares recreated the strange, chimera-like creatures he saw in his dream using cardboard and paper-mâché. (As mentioned, I found all this information on Google and there is so much more if you care to explore.) If you click on this link it will take you to the garden's website explaining these colorful creatures, along with a slide show of those I didn't take photos of.

Nahuales comes from pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica (and I had to look this up and read: Mesoamerica refers to the historic cultural and geographic region stretching from Central Mexico through northern Central America. The term literally means "middle America" in Greek and defines an area where advanced, interconnected pre-Columbian civilizations - such as the Olmec, Maya and Aztec - flourished before European contact - thank you again Google.)  To continue, Mesoamerican traditions are part of a spiritual world view. A Nahuale (pronounced nah-WAH-leh or nah-GWAH-leh) is understood as an animal spirit connected to a person, often seen as a guide, protector or spiritual counterpart. This concept is rooted in indigenous cosmology and is linked to identity, birth and spiritual practice.

This delightful creature is called the Blue Raccoon, Artist Miriam Salgado. The sign reads: In every detail this piece holds a small expression of love. Blue represents curiosity, adaptability and problem solving. Like the raccoon, it finds ways to adjust and thrive in different environments. The sculpture celebrates creativity, intelligence and exploring new paths.  It is built on a metal frame and painted in bright vivid blue. It is one of the Alebriejes: Creatures of a Dream World exhibit. Four Mexican master artisans are involved: Edgar Camargo Reyes, Alberto Moreno Fernández, Alehandro Camacho Barrera and Perla Miriam Salgado Zamorano. Again, Alebrijes are iconic Mexican spirit animals that typically blend traits from various real and mythical animals.

I didn't get to see all of the sculptures but it's a great excuse to go back and see the rest now that we know they are there.

Above is the Juki Deer by Miriam Salgado - Juki means "deer" in the Totonac language. It represents a free spirit and a connection to nature. The deer is a symbol of gentleness, awareness and peace. This sculpture reflects kindness, intuition and the importance of living in harmony with the natural world. 

Gregg took this last photo above. She is called Gigi the Bear and is also part of the Alebrijes exhibit. She is the fun-loving animal spirit and designed to show the playful, gentle and joyful side of nature. Her bright colors and patterns represent a celebration of life and a lighthearted approach to the world. She serves as a guardian of imagination. She encourages onlookers to look past the physical appearance of a bear and connect with the surreal, dreamlike possibilities of the natural world. Her design not only includes a bear, but also a mouse. While traditional Algebrijes frequently feature aggressive or sharp animal parts - such as a jaguar with dragon wings - artist Alejandro Camacho Barrera took a completely different approach with Gigi. He purposely blended the qualities of two mammals to emphasize vulnerability and playfulness. The Bear base features the prominent body shape, round snout and sturdy stance of a woodland bear. Her exaggerated, large cubic ears and welcoming, wide facial expression mimic the friendly, non-threatening characteristics of a mouse. This specific combination makes her look as if she is reaching out to offer visitors a giant hug. It reinforces her meaning as a gentle guardian of imagination, rather than a fierce protector.

I didn't get to see everything today but I am very happy that we have until Sunday, September 27th, 2026 before it ends. We will be back!

We feel very fortunate that all the places we go to in our area are either free or have a very small fee. The price to get into Lewis Ginter as seniors is $20 per person. Our family are members of a botanical garden in their area and their card was accepted here, so they were able to get in for free. We are going to look into this. Maybe one of the gardens we go to has the same offer. The Butterfly Garden was $5.00 per person (at the time of typing on 7-2-26). Our family very kindly bought our tickets for the Butterfly Garden, and we had a lovely time there. I will share that in another post. I guess what I am getting at is, it can be quite pricy if you are paying for a larger family. However, this garden is considered to be one of the best in the country. It is a truly gorgeous place to walk around.

On July 4th there will be free admission for everyone. You can check their website for details. 

The address is 1800 Lakeside Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23228.

Daytime admission between 9.a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Dates and times could change, however, and again, I would highly recommend checking out their website below.

https://www.lewisginter.org/visit/hours-admissions/

(link here if you prefer)

Quite a long one today but I wanted to remember all the details for future look-sees.

Have you been to a favorite botanical garden? I know Debbie of It's All About Purple has been to Longwood many times and it's on our bucket list thanks to her amazing posts and photos. Thanks Debbie!

Lastly here is a map where all the sculptures are located.

And thanks for visiting and 

I hope your day is a great one.

WHERE AM I?

Isn’t he a charming fellow, obviously pondering life, and wondering why this woman keeps telling him he is beautiful? I believe he already knows that!

I have a never-ending admiration and respect for artists who can put anything like this together.

I will be sharing a longer post tomorrow. 

Thank you for visiting 

and I hope your day is a great one.