Let's get right back to the amazing gardens at Lake Merritt in Oakland. For refresher, see here for the gorgeous birds in the area and see here for the beautiful flora and fauna in the gardens themselves. And to visit the websites for the Gardens, click here and here for Facebook.
We now find ourselves in the Mediterranean Garden which is connected with the Palmetum, or Palm Garden. In the center is the historic Easterbrook Fountain Wellhead which was gifted to the City of Oakland in 1914. Behind the fountain clearing, the palms provide a softly swaying background of green.
I was being chattered at relentlessly, and looked up to find another fat squirrel. This one was at the top of the chain link fence surrounding the Gardens. He posed for a striking picture with the 1929 Bellevue-Staten Building in the background.
I don't know what he was saying, but he chattered away looking right at me for a good five minutes.
These Angel Trumpets were simply amazing. There is a large tree growing beside the various palm trees where they joined together to form a beautiful tapestry in the sky.
Seemingly out of place was a little bed of Wood Sorrel, better known as Shamrocks. But it was almost St. Patrick's Day, so I had to take a picture!
There is a beautiful bonzai garden and I did take some photos of bonzai. But I didn't like the way they turned out. I didn't have the right lens on the camera. :-( However, the trees were in marvelous bloom in purple, pink, and white. I love these photos.
This is the water feature that is outside of the Japanese garden. It was under construction.
Next I walked through one of two Rhododendron gardens and the little enclosed garden next to the garden center. How many more times can I say the word garden? Garden.
St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and nature.
This isn't an Rhododendron. It's the magnolia tree above the Rhododendrons.
The second Rhododendron garden is called the Vireya Garden. It's in a type of shed as these stunning flowers are a more tropical variety.
My last spot for the day was a small succulent/cactus area. There were some folks sitting by the cacti so I don't have any shots of them. But succulents are so cool looking that they make up for it.
These cool, tiny, purple trumpets are not succulents, but they were in the same bed as them so here ya go. :-)
And then it was time to go! I actually went to visit the lake and birds as previously posted and then headed inland to home. There are so many things to do and see around Lake Merritt that I know I will be back. You should check it out too!
xoxo
Nikon D3000
