Garden Tour, August 27, 2011

by Lynnda

Yesterday I led a delightful group on a tour of the Garden.  The weather was warm, but the cool shade throughout the paths was a welcomed respite from the intense noon-day sun.  When I arrived, there was a great blue heron, pretending to be a statue, on a rock in the inland sea.  When I went back to get my camera, he was gone.

A visitor at the garden wanted to know how the three koi that were donated yesterday were doing.  Since I knew nothing about the donation, I could only speculate.

When my group stoped at the moon viewing platform, the majority of the koi were being fed from the zig zag bridge.  It took a while for them to realize there was more food awaiting in a different location, and the koi parade began! 

They were so colorful, and there were so many.  Before all the larger koi arrived, I noticed many small koi zipping out from under the lily pads.  It was interesting because I had never seen so many at one time.  Unfortunately, their tiny mouths, unlike the more mature koi, were too small to grab the fish food.   

Yesterday, the 520 bridge was closed for repair.  I rarely notice a complete lack of road noise, but I was intrigued that several times during my tour, I heard quiet - no cars driving by.  This gives me great hope for the change that may be realized when the Arboretum on-ramp is closed.