Glasgow's Botanic Gardens. River Kelvin Gorge. Mystery and Wonder in the Modern Age.

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A recent trip to visit Glasgow's Botanic Gardens and the River Kelvin Gorge provided an interesting day out. I looked up several of the plant names I didn't know afterwards but I was as wise as ever as they were all long Latin scientific names that I would never remember in a million years. It also got me thinking about a recent TV advert about the latest expensive smartphone that when you take a photo of anything strange or unfamiliar it automatically tells you what it is within minutes.... if you wish.

 At first I thought 'good idea'... but then where is the mystery and wonder involved? Some of my most memorable walks in nature happened precisely because I couldn't explain or identify what it was I saw afterwards. That's the mystery and wonder of life in general. Like the half glimpse of a colourful pink bird I spotted in Spain once... I think it was a hoopoe... or seeing a hummingbird hawk moth for the first time in France " What the hell was that thing!?" Precisely because it took me a while to find out about it made it special. Just like this fly/bee above. Even after searching google reverse image for 20 minutes I'm still baffled. Is it a honeybee of some kind? It looked different to the other honeybees feeding  right beside it. That's the mystery and wonder effect that gets me out of bed in the morning... that there's still something new to discover. And once you know what that particular mystery is... that feeling is gone forever... and immediately. 

 So this is a list of striking visual images I never bothered looking up. Keep the mystery... and the wonder...

 

Glasgow's Botanic Gardens.

 

A world within a glass bubble.... held within a plant...

 Cactus flowers. Or a Yeti at a fancy dress party.

Tangerine Dream.

Plant mixture.

Colour Mix.

Wild flower meadow.

Sometimes it's nice not to know... and much faster doing a long post.... :o)

Orchid. 

Worlds on a stick.

The muse.

Kibble Palace fish pond.

King Robert of Sicily sculpture... with his monkey.

An explanation.

A spiral staircase leading towards the heavens of glass above.

Eve sculpture

Explanation.

Eve. Back view.

Kibble Palace pottery.

After that I visited the River Kelvin gorge.

A still day so perfect reflections.

In the depths of this summertime gorge a unique colony of wildlife has taken up residence in the last few years. Far away from their icy but fast melting natural habitat climate change has forced them to adapt down here into other pursuits.

Like rock climbing and base jumping.

Camping in the mountains in caves.

Trapeze acts.

Tightrope walking.

Or gathering enough fuel for the winter to come.

 Toasting marshmallows around a fire.

Celebrating birthdays...

Watersports in the river.

So you never know what's out there to find...

Around the next corner. Mystery... and... Wonder.