Thursday, June 22, 2017

como



have you ever been to como zoo and conservatory?
it's in st. paul mn. and it's free to go there.

that wasn't a typo... it's free!
(they do have donation boxes at the door).
como is one of the last free zoos in the US and was established in 1897.

my friend mary and i went to como recently armed with
our cameras, ready to soak in all the
green, lush goodness and to say hello to the animals.

here are some of my photos from that day~









there were gobs of pretty blooming flowers but these gold globes were
probably my favorite. I can't remember right now what they were called,
but next year i'm going to try find them for my own garden. : )



























































the lush tropical section at como is really amazing. you'll see plants there
that you sure won't see growing outside in Minnesota.
*and you can pretend like you're on vacation!































close ups at the fountain~







this little orchid looks like a giraffe to me.





























a fern unfurling, an unfurling fern... (say that a few times).










bromiliads are cool. did you know that pineapples are in this species?






















now on to the zoo and a few photos of my favorite fellas out there~



lookin good little guy, looking good. that stash is working on you.










there were 3 large male gorillas in one area.
they are so amazing aren't they?
so almost human.
when one of them locks eyes with you I swear it's like they are one of us.
(one of us trying to tell us something. it's intense).

















cousin larry, is it you?




this dude took this big plastic lid and chucked it at the other two~ like he was throwing
a frisbee. (real hard, like "in yo face") haha.






sparky the sea lion





a puffin butt






















and~   i'll end with the king of the jungle.
we were at the zoo in the early afternoon and it was nap time for most of
the creatures. this guy may be fierce, but when he's tired he
just looks like a big ol kitty cat don't you think?



















it's Thursday, almost the weekend~
thanks for stopping by and have a good one!

xo, beth