When in Richmond, I like to visit the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, only a mile or two from the Amtrak train station. A couple of weeks ago, I visited for the 3rd time and spent six hours there; I never ran out of things to see and places to explore. My other visits were in April and September, so a mid-July visit was all new.

There’s a Lego exhibit on display there now (through 18 Sept), with 27 insects and other animals (and a machine, a person and a plant or two) made entirely from Legos, popping up all along the pathways and in the gardens.

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The butterfly exhibit in the Conservatory had re-opened a day or two before I was there, after a bad storm in mid-June damaged their glass home. I guess the resident butterflies were sent to the Smithsonian butterfly pavilion (which I’ve visited and which is also great), but there are new butterflies in the Ginter conservatory, and adults are breaking forth from cocoons every day. It’s an amazing place to be, though very hot, especially on a day with temps in the 90s.

New butterflies:

Great Owl butterfly:

There were lots of monarchs … and more to come!

Julia butterfly:

Buckeye, I think:

The Clipper (Parthenos sylvia):

A Clipper with closed wings?

The Common Morpho:

 

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And then there are the hot neon tropical gardens, the orchid and cacti rooms, the many woodland trails, the water features including a lotus bridge and a floating island, healing gardens, the tea house, a rambling children’s garden, a tree house, and a fountain garden. So much to see and do!

Bright colours!

Orchids and Cacti:

and other things in and around the conservatory:

The conservatory itself, visible from many spots on the grounds:

Healing and meditation gardens:

Fountain gardens and other watery spots:

Treehouse and children’s garden:

The rose garden:

The tea house, where we had a great lunch:

Woodland paths and trails:

and assorted other goodies:

Goldfinches in echinacea: