On Thursday we took a stroll around the Botanical Gardens, what a place to relax and get a real sense of the natural world in the middle of all this man made artificial wealth.

Inside the Tropical Center [a glass pyramid] it was humid and hot [as it would be in the tropics] with all sorts of vines and palms and a good display of orchids.

Pictured is just a fraction on display.

Outside, after a stop for coffee, I noticed a telescope that said 'bat viewer'. Finding that strange a shrugged and walked on a bit further when Fran yelled out "look at all the bats".

Low and behold up in the trees were hundreds and hundreds of bats [actually flying foxes but bats sounds more dramatic].

Noisy little buggers too they are, it was difficult to photograph any in flight as they took off and landed in other trees rather quickly.






Back in the Tropical Center there where several types of picture plants, Fran pointed them out what with a picture plant being the emblem of the province of NL.

My feeling is that this particular plant would better suite as our emblem, it gives one the impression of being able to not only suck in insects for food but also all the tax payers hard earned money.