Fitzroy Gardens

So, my dad wanted me to take pictures of trees around here. Unfortunately, in the city most of the trees are in the front yards of people. It's probably not good to walk down the block taking pictures of the front of each house. A large public garden seems like a much better option to me. Now, please understand before going through this blog entry that I am an animal person. I know enough plant information to get through Botany, Environmental Science, and Ecology in college, but I've probably already forgotten a large chunk of it. Plants are cool; I like them. I occasionally become interested in their symbiotic relationships with animals. That's about as far as it goes. 

For this blog entry, I learned something about myself. I take way too many photos!! In this entry, I chose the photographs which best represented each area. If you would like to see the other beautiful pictures that I just couldn't reasonably squeeze in, please see go to the short link below. Let me know if there are any issues viewing those photos.

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjLBLfbY

Fitzroy Gardens 

This is a rather large garden. This map, taken from the Fitzroy Garden website, represents each notable place within the garden by a star. I visited all of it.

It isn't easy to take pictures of large trees, so there are a lot of flower pictures as well. Dad, you'll probably prefer looking at the flickr page. 

Dolphin Fountain

Dusky Moorhen swimming in Dolphin Fountain!

Conservatory

Cooks' Cottage

Sign Says: Cooks' Cottage was constructed in 1755 in the English village of Great Ayton by the parents of James Cook. It was shipped to Victoria and re-erected in the Fitzroy Gardens in 1934. The cottage commemorates Captain James Cook, who in 1770 mapped the east coast of Australia from Pt Hicks, in Victoria, to Possession Island north of Queensland. The 'oldest building in Australia', it is open daily. 

Sign Says: The wide, spreading branches of this mature tree provide welcome summer shade. A fast growing native of New South Wales and Queensland, strongly identified with the area of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, it produces round, purplish figs which attract birds in the summer. As the Endeavour sailed northwards along the east coast of Australia in 1770, James Cook named Moreton Bay after the Earl of Morton (who was President of the Royal Society at that time). Sir Joseph Banks was astonished at the diversity of plants they collected at every Australian landfall. The same species of 'spinach' that they ate at Botany Bay now grows in the Cooks' Cottage garden.

A Tiny Village (Not sure of the name)

The Fairies Tree

Sign Says: 

The Fairies Tree, Carved by Ola Cohn From 1931-34 

"A Gift To The Children Of Melbourne" 

Foreword from her book "The Fairies' Tree" 

"I have carved a tree in the Fitzroy Gardens for you and the fairies, but mostly for the fairies, and those who believe in them. For they will understand how necessary it is to have a fairy sanctuary - a place that is sacred and safe as a home should be to all living creatures. Therefore, I dedicate this book to children and fairies, as it is them I owe my inspiration." Ola Cohn, Melbourne, 23 May 1932

Rotunda (Constructed 1873)

Playground

Surrounding Areas

After Fitzroy Gardens, I wandered around the street looking at some other interesting places nearby. Here is what I saw. Sorry I don't remember the names for most of it.

There are many more pictures on Flickr!