Tag Archives: Assiniboine Park

fruit…

22 Thursday Feb 2024

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recently I’d seen an Instagram post about one of the trees in the Tropical Biome that was flowering…

the branches of the Kapok are bare, but at the very top of the tree, flowers were budding…

I was happy to spot it on our visit Tuesday…

there were lots of volunteers throughout the space and they provided a great deal of information particularly about some of the fruiting trees… we saw cacao pods, jackfruit, star fruit, breadfruit and the fingerlings of bananas…

we had a quick visit with the lead gardener as we discussed the three cacao trees, two of which currently have pods growing on them…

the Tropical Biome is really beginning to feel like the old Conservatory with all the lush growth…

so blessed to have this amazing space to spend time in on a regular basis;-)…

oasis…

21 Sunday Jan 2024

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for Christmas I gave friends a visit to The Leaf to see Voyage by Fleurs de Villes… it was fun because they got the card at Christmas, and then we got to spend time and have fun together during some very cold days in the city…

I was so excited when I saw that it was coming as I had gone to a similar show with my daughter in a mall in Ottawa and had been blown away with the amazing creations the florists had produced…

this was my favourite, but all the florists did a wonderful job…

I attended three times over the last week and every time I was there it was filled with many people (although I didn’t feel stressed) and the place was bustling… besides being a great exhibition, it looks as though it brought many new people to visit the space…

I had conversations with folk who had never been to The Leaf, members who had been many times, and others who had heard from friends and family about the show and decided to come for this special event…

seeing it in the biomes was much lovelier than in the centre of a mall, lol…

spending time in this wonderful oasis is like a little vacation in southern climes… well, for an hour or so, lol…

my membership, to both The Leaf and the Zoo, has been worth every penny and the cost of a membership for a senior is very reasonable and means I can visit as often as I wish all year round…

it was a wonderful treat and I enjoyed each visit… I had considered going for one last time this evening as I hadn’t been at night, but the tickets were sold out…

way to go Winnipeg… hope we get more shows like this;-)…

rosemary…

24 Sunday Dec 2023

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the Mediterranean biome smelled of rosemary and there were many of the plants growing all over the area… the Celebration installation was bright and shiny, with tons of lights on the trees and I was struck by some of the snowflake and icicle ornaments, so cute…

the many holiday trees, poinsettias, and amaryllis were beautiful;-)… the succulent tree is eye catching and I took quite a few photos of it…

I always like to visit the wollemi pine, a very rare tree known as the dinosaur tree…

sadly, we didn’t spot any butterflies in the Shirley Richardson biome…

a lovely visit…

what a treat to have this amazing place here in the city… a great replacement for the old Conservatory;-)…

walkways…

23 Saturday Dec 2023

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nearly a year to the day, we went back to The Leaf in the evening…

we ate dinner at Gather Craft Kitchen and Bar and then wandered through the biomes…

the restaurant was very busy, but we were seated by the window at a two-person table, so were quite a distance from the other diners…

we shared chorizo spiced seitan tacos, I had pork and veal meatballs, and my grandson had a fancy hamburger and everything was tasty… we decided to skip dessert and go for blizzards after our visit to the biomes…

as we wandered through the Tropical biome it was quite amazing to see how the plants have grown… the place is absolutely lush;-)… leaves fell over the walkways in a number of spots, lol…

looking down from the bridge on the third floor it was striking to see how much everything has grown…

it was the first time since that inaugural visit that I’ve been at night… unfortunately it was too dark for my Nikon so all my photos were with my iPhone… got to see some bananas, a pineapple, coffee beans and cacao pods…

it looks like the inside of the biomes have been wrapped with plastic, and the fans in the Tropical biome were blowing rather vigorously…

it was exciting to see that there were a great number of various-sized smaller koi in the pond… babies, maybe;-)…

the next post will be about the Mediterranean biome;-)…

weighted…

06 Friday Oct 2023

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Monday I walked over to the Park Cafe wearing my new weighted gloves…

they are purple and kind of cute, lol…

I popped them into my vest while we were there and couldn’t believe how heavy it was when I lifted it to put it back on before heading out…

after a quick tour of the English and Leo Mol Gardens, which have a beautiful autumn vibe, with orange, yellow, purple, and brown colouring, I walked home with them on…

I am getting used to them…

walk

28 Thursday Sep 2023

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finally made it all the way to the English and Leo Mol Gardens…

it was a beautiful day and there were lots of people out and about enjoying the amazing fall day…

as I walked along the path through the trees, I came upon a birder, (he had a camera with a very long lens hanging around his neck) who was feeding chickadees and nuthatches from his hand… he had shelled and unshelled sunflower seeds so they could have a treat right away, but also something to take away and stash, lol…

I stood and watched for a few moments;-)…

here are a few other things that caught my eye;-)…

the gardens look lovely with all the fall blooms and colours…

while I was there, I did collect some Poké balls, lol…

what a delightful walk;-).

guide…

03 Sunday Sep 2023

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Tuesday, a friend picked me up and we had a wander through the Diversity Gardens…

it was her first time there and I enjoyed being the tour guide, lol…

we were so busy catching up that I barely took any photos…

I did take some of a few grasses we thought might work in the garden between the cedars which might cover it a bit more of the chain link now that the neighbours have removed their planters…

from there, we drove over and walked through the English sand Leo Mol Gardens…

we spent some time relaxing on a bench by the pond and learning about Pokémon as I have just started playing again and now have my own account;-)…

allée…

30 Wednesday Aug 2023

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on Sunday we went for a walk around Assiniboine Park to catch Pokémon… apparently it was a special event around the world… it was hot and sunny…

there were people everywhere… many of them with their heads down, focussed on their phones, with cords connecting to power packs in their pockets, lol…

we walked around the allée that circles the Diversity Gardens… it was fully shaded and there were many people along the way…

from there we walked across the Park to the English and Leo Mol Gardens… it was a long way, lol… we stopped now and then for a rest and sip of our water, and got to walk down one of my favourite paths…

it has been months since I’ve been to the Gardens, so it was a treat… besides all the people, there were lots of flowers in bloom with beautiful water lilies, and frogs, in the English Garden…

the cricket fields had some good items as we headed back to the car…

nice to enjoy a walk, although my feet were a little tired;-)…

thrilled…

04 Tuesday Jul 2023

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on Friday, before my daughter left to return home to Ottawa, we went one last time to The Leaf…

we walked through the Diversity Gardens in the daylight and were happy we went early, because the temperature was rising quickly…

we checked out the Water area and were thrilled to discover water lily blooms…

then it was on to the Tropical Biome to visit the cacao trees… while there, she provided a little education for a few visitors;-)…

some of us stayed in that spot, and the rest of us checked out the other areas… we weren’t able to see the Butterfly Garden or walk on the skywalk as they were closed for the day, but it was fun to check out both biomes…

we had an early lunch at Gather, one last visit to the cacao trees and then home to nap and finish packing for the flight…

grown…

17 Saturday Jun 2023

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Tuesday and Wednesday we spent hours at The Leaf in Assiniboine Park…

things have grown and been added since I was last there…

there was mist rising from the ground and there are now three cacao trees…

it was very exciting to see them in flower and with pods on one…

Tuesday we were there in the morning and came across some school classes and quite a few other visitors… we had a delicious lunch at Gather and went back into the biomes for a last look before heading home…

on Wednesday we went in the evening… I had hoped the lights would be on but they weren’t until after we left, lol… there were few others in the space and ample opportunities to sit quietly and reflect on the beauty of nature…

thanks to a very knowledgeable volunteer, we found the sugar cane and the dinosaur trees…

we did enjoy dessert at Gather before a quick walk through the Diversity Gardens… one treat was sitting by a fire in the Indigenous Peoples Garden…

looking forward to another visit in a few weeks… cheers;-)…