During our visit to Austin, Texas, we had the pleasure to visit the city's two botanical gardens. The Zilker Botanical Gardens stretch across the Colorado River hills just west of the downtown area. Relatively small but attractive, this preserve mingles a natural ecosystem with native plantings, historic structures and a variety of water features. Access is via a network of paved and earthen trails, bridges and rock stairways.
Much larger and nationally famous is the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center (also known as the Texas Botanical Gardens), southwest of the central city area. It too offers a mix of natural habitat, plantings and historic structures and is a center for education and horticultural research. The extensive, flat landscape is accessed by several miles of paved and unpaved trails.
More than peaceful destinations for observing and photographing flowers, modern botanical gardens often introduce visitors to plants from across the globe but focus primarily on regional flora. Emphasis is placed on both education and conservation and attentive patrons gain appreciation for evolutionary adaptations in the plant world and the vital roles that plants play in our natural ecosystems. For birders, botanical gardens, with their broad array of plant life, always attract an excellent variety of species.
Much larger and nationally famous is the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center (also known as the Texas Botanical Gardens), southwest of the central city area. It too offers a mix of natural habitat, plantings and historic structures and is a center for education and horticultural research. The extensive, flat landscape is accessed by several miles of paved and unpaved trails.
More than peaceful destinations for observing and photographing flowers, modern botanical gardens often introduce visitors to plants from across the globe but focus primarily on regional flora. Emphasis is placed on both education and conservation and attentive patrons gain appreciation for evolutionary adaptations in the plant world and the vital roles that plants play in our natural ecosystems. For birders, botanical gardens, with their broad array of plant life, always attract an excellent variety of species.
