Family Fun with Butterflies, Birds, and Fish at the Tennessee Aquarium

This past weekend our two daughters (Christine and Liz) joined us in Chattanooga with their daughters (Adella (left) and Everleigh (right) respectively) for some family fun. We also brought along our youngest grandchild (Riley) since his father was not able to bring him. We were only missing the oldest grandchild (Joshua) who happens to be in school in Florida. It was delightful to have three of the four grandkids together and the two girls! Mr. Fix-it and I had a wonderful and relaxing time. Thanks Chris and Liz for taking Riley overnight! 

We met in Chattanooga to kind of shorten the driving distance for Christine and to also have fun at the Tennessee Aquarium. While the grandkids might've been a bit young to really enjoy the sights and sounds of the aquarium, they did have a good time as did the the adults. Here the three grandkids are looking at two very noisy, very blue, very big macaws. These birds were quite fascinating to the kids until they squawked. That really got their attention but no one was scared enough to cry. It was a good start to the tour and we spent several hours at this wonderful attraction in southeastern Tennessee-for once I was a visitor to a tourist attraction in a state I actually lived in!

The aquarium has much more than just fish in it. I did not know the Tennessee Aquarium had a butterfly house. It was a very small butterfly house but a very prolific one nonetheless. Their chrysalis hatching area was huge compared to Callaway Gardens; which had a much a bigger and stand alone butterfly pavilion.  I think I could've stayed and watched those butterflies hatch out all day long had it not been for more touring to do. 

One really cool feature of the butterfly house was a hook containing fresh fruit skewered on it and hung from the ceiling. There were several butterflies on it but when I approached all of them flew off-except this one. Can you see it?

It is a nicely camouflaged butterfly that I believe is a gray comma butterfly. I may be wrong on the identification so if I am please let me know! I should've looked it up on the handy charts while I was in the butterfly house but did not. This butterfly really looked like another piece of food or a dried leaf. Looking at it casually you might not ever know it is there because it was perfectly still feasting on the juices from the fruit.

The last butterfly I will share is a blue morpho. These are common butterflies where Christine resides in Florida but I am not so familiar with them in my area. Christine was quite familiar with it and while we were there one landed on her arm and hung out there for quite a while. The outside of this butterfly looks like a giant owl butterfly but the seven spots actually gives this one away. If it was to open its wings the butterfly would look completely different and beautiful. It is, like its name, blue! It is a spectacularly colored butterfly but only when the wings are opened....

in the garden....with family.

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Some Pretties and Happy New Year

We have had such a mild winter this year in Tennessee that you'd hardly know it was wintertime! Blooms in the garden in the winter is a very delightful thing for me because 2011 has not been a very good year yet the garden always makes me happy. I thought I'd share a few pretties with you all today and also wish you a very safe and wonderful welcome to the new year. First up is the first hellebore of the season. I love love love hellebores mainly because they do well in the shade here at Tiger Gardens and because they bloom in the wintertime. I was a bit stunned to find a bloom so early-27 December 2011!

I added several flats of violas to my gardens this year. They are sweet little flowers that bloom and bloom and bloom. Our local market here in the Clarksville area did not carry violas in great quantities but when I traveled to Alabama to welcome my newest grandchild into the world I stopped in Chattanooga and found several flats of marked down violas. Viola!

Walking in the garden I noticed a heavenly gentle scent that I knew had to be the vernal witch hazel. This witch hazel does the best of the three that grow in my garden and begins blooming in January each year (it's a bit early this year). It has been in my garden for five years and is finally growing into a lovely form. I may even cut some branches to bring into the house. These are perfect shrubs for that kind of thing.

The greenhouse is a delightful place to be on a sunny day-any day really. The blooms are amazing.

I've been busy working in the garden too-when I am able to-which is not often. I have started digging a 1600 gallon watergarden pond. The hole is almost there now too! I have to dig the deep part about another foot but the rain came and stopped progress for a bit. All of the dirt removed found a home elsewhere in the garden via wheelbarrows. Lots of good work! Now if I can teach myself the mechanics of the pump and so on I might actually get this thing done in another month or so. If you have a pond and can share your successes and what you may have done differently-let me know.



Of course no self respecting pond would be complete without a nearby patio. A store about two miles from our home is under renovation. A big pile of HUGE concrete chunks materialized out back of it. Opportunity! I asked if I could gather the chunks and was told yes, of course since the contractor has to pay to dispose of them. Mr. Fix-it, Jimmy and I made two very rough trips to get these chunks of concrete. I have finally buried them level with the ground and they make a perfect informal patio for my salvaged table and chairs.




And finally, a shot of my beautiful oldest twin daughter, her husband and brand new baby girl named Adella. Adella is one of the few bright spots of this past year and is sure to warm our hearts for many years to come. Here's to 2012 and good things to come....


in the garden.....
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden