Field trip to N.C. Botanical Garden

Last Friday, we met our field trip group at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.  (It is a part of the University of North Carolina.)  The gardens are a conservation effort to grow flowers that are native to N.C.  Our group took a guided tour through several sections of the gardens.  These sections were divided up to represent the different parts of our state:  mountains, piedmont, sandhills, and coastal plain.

We live in the piedmont area so it was neat seeing wildflowers growing that the kids and I have recently identified, growing in our own yard or along our road, such as sundrops. 

The guide was a little too wordy for my children's taste, but I found most of it interesting.  (Why do we appreciate learning so much more when we are adults?)  Tabby just wanted to be left alone so she could take pictures.  She does a great job with her photography and is planning to post some of the pictures she took on The Goat Chick tomorrow, for Wordless Wednesday.

Here is Solomon in front of a plant called "Solomon's Plume":

The N.C. Wildflower of the year is called "Fire-pink".  (I got a free pack of seeds from the gardens earlier this year, but have not planted them yet.  Sigh.):

This plant was very funny to us since we have goats - Appalachian False Goats-Beard:

Nice display outside the educational building/gift shop:

Hunter's favorite part (besides spotting sprinkler systems tucked into flower areas) was the big sculpture made from twigs/branches:

Our tour did not include the herb garden nor the carnivorous plants area.  So my kids and I went through those before we left.  I love using herbs for many things and would love a big herb garden one day.

Venus flytraps and pitcher plants:

Another Solomon plant!  Solomon's-seal:

Water lilies and lily pads!

". . . Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;  and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." - Matthew 6:28-29