Pretty Orchids in Glass Houses

As part of the Longwood Gardens Orchid Extravaganza there were these cute little displays of orchids in little glass houses. I think they were in the banana room, which is next to the regular (year-round) orchid room.

I guess these orchid houses are a fancy version of a terrarium and I suspect the Longwood Gardens staff built them especially for their precious orchids.

 Here you can see a bit of an overview of the setting the little orchid glass houses rested in.

 I thought it was neat that the roof panels could be raised to let out a bit of moisture if needed.

Have you ever seen orchids in glass houses before? Hope you enjoyed today's photos. May the God who created every beautiful thing bless and keep you!

Related posts:
2014 Orchid extravaganza: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/02/orchid-extravaganza-at-longwood-gardens.html
Orchid close up photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/02/close-up-photos-of-beautiful-orchids.html
2013 Orchid extravaganza: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/orchid-delights-at-longwood-gardens.html
Orchid Jubilee: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/10/orchid-jubilee-at-us-national-arboretum.html

Sea Lion Loves Snow!

During our last visit to the zoo we observed this adorable California sea lion checking out some chunks of snow some children had brought in to the big glass wall of their habitat at the National Zoo.

 I got the feeling that the cute sea lion really loved the snow and wanted to play with it.

The kids seemed to enjoy the interaction just as much as the sea lion. Sometimes the sea lion would closely observe the snow.

 And sometimes the sea lion would speed by, still keeping a close eye on the snow pieces.

Curious and cute, this sea lion appeared to win the hearts of all who watched it check out the snow. I felt blessed by the experience.

Praise God for creating such lovely sea creatures! May God bless you and keep you!

Related posts:
Sea lion feeding: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/09/sea-lion-feeding-photos-wild-wednesday.html
Tiger cubs play in snow: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/02/baby-tigers-playing-in-snow-photos.html
Snow bird photos and poem: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/01/snow-bird-photos-and-haiku-poem.html
Funny cute Christmas snow cat: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-cat-santa-and-reindeer.html
Red and yellow snow birds feeding: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/01/yellow-finch-and-red-snow-birds-feeding.html

Baby Tigers Playing In Snow: Photos & Haiku Poem

It took multiple attempts but we finally got to see the National Zoo's tiger cubs playing in the snow. They were so feisty and cute that it was worth the effort. My husband and I were sharing and swapping cameras so I'm not sure which photos are his and which are mine but they're all posted with his kind blessing.

 The baby tigers love chasing each other around this big tree trunk and throughout their habitat.

I think they look fuzzier in the winter and that just adds to their cuteness, even when they're putting all their strength into their playful activities.

Apparently tiger cubs make great wrestlers too. The baby tigers have grown since I last saw them but they're still little bundles of energy and lots of fun to watch.

Here's the haiku poem I wrote in honor of the cute tiger babies playing in the snow:

Playful tiger cubs-

fuzzy yet ferocious blurs-

romp in the fresh snow.

 

May God bless the tigers, their keepers and may He bless you too!

 

Related posts:

Baby tiger video & haiku: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/11/cute-baby-tiger-videos-haiku-poem.html

Sunlit tiger cub photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/11/sunlit-tiger-cub-cuteness-photos.html

Cute baby tigers playing: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/11/cute-tiger-cubs-playing-photos.html

Close Up Photos of Beautiful Orchids

As promised in my last post, here are some of my macro shots of a few of the amazing orchids at Longwood Gardens' Orchid Extravaganza. This bright yellow orchid with hot tropical accent colors was one of my favorites.

 These beautiful pink orchids were part of one of the giant orchid pyramid columns.

 This white orchid had a tinge of pink at its center as well as a fascinating set of accent colors.

 This frilly pink, magenta and yellow orchid was much larger than the orchids pictured above.

This neat chartreusy-yellow orchid with red, white and yellow highlights was part of the orchid meadow display.

You can probably guess that I love flowers. I love how they reflect our Lord's creativity and love of beauty. What are your favorite flowers? May God bless and keep you!

Related posts:
2013 Orchid extravaganza: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/orchid-delights-at-longwood-gardens.html
2012 Orchid extravaganza: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/02/orchid-extravaganza.html
National Arboretum Orchid Jubilee: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/10/orchid-jubilee-at-us-national-arboretum.html

Orchid Extravaganza at Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens is featuring their amazing "Orchid Extravaganza" exhibit through March 30, 2014. I took these photos on a recent trip with my husband and hope you enjoy them.

Longwood Gardens staff members created these neat pyramid-like orchid walls to anchor one of the main conservatory displays. If you look closely you can see some giant orchid balls hanging from the ceiling too.

Here's a shot featuring the orchid balls. They were much larger than the photos convey and filled with beautiful blooming orchids.

Another highlight was the "orchid meadow" which featured many different types of beautiful orchids blooming in a small field-like setting.

There were six of these modern art type orchid sculptures (the first photo in this post has a close up of the one in the middle of this shot). 

Here's the conservatory display from the opposite side. You can see the potted palm trees more easily from this direction (and the orchid wall/pyramids in the far background). I hope you enjoyed this mini photo tour of Longwood Garden's Orchid Extravaganza and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the photos. Which was your favorite? Come back soon for some orchid close up (macro) photos!

May God bless and keep you!

Yellow Finch and Red Snow Birds Feeding After A Snow Storm

If you enjoyed my last post I hope you'll love these videos too. I think I take better pictures than movies but you can be the judge. These yellow finches were so hungry they would fill up all the spots at the feeder at times. It makes me feel blessed to know we're helping these cute little birds. Kudos to my husband for keeping the feeders clean and full!

Since you couldn't see much snow in the first clip I took this of the birds actually hopping around in the snow. I love the little red tinged finches but all the birds warm my heart.

May God bless you and keep you safe and warm this winter and always!

Related posts:
Snow bird photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/01/snow-bird-photos-and-haiku-poem.html
Red cardinal feeds baby bird: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/09/red-cardinal-feeds-baby-movie-clip.html
Cute green bird's singing is a cat magnet: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/cute-green-bird-video-drives-my-cats.html
Cute cheetah cub photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/07/cute-cheetah-cubs-and-wild-wednesdays.html

Snow Bird Photos and Haiku Poem

We have bird feeders up all year but the birds especially seem to appreciate them when there's snow on the ground. I feel blessed with every bird sighting and that makes for a lot of blessings. The variety of beautiful birds feasting in the snow even inspired me to write this little poem:

Snow Bird Haiku 

Cardinals, finches

titmice, wrens and more flock

to feeders in snow.

 I love the red and puffiness of this pretty finch.

 This bright red cardinal kept his eye on me as I took photos.

This beautiful bird moved around so quickly it took quite a few tries to get a decent shot. I love the little seed sticking out from his beak.

The birds were so hungry they even shared feeders (as you can see with these four yellow finches). It was fun to watch them jockey for position.

God sure is amazing! I'm thankful He created so many beautiful birds for us to enjoy. Imagine how much greater heaven will be! May God bless you and keep you!

Related posts:
Cute green bird: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/cute-green-bird-video-drives-my-cats.html
Red cardinal feeds baby: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/09/red-cardinal-feeds-baby-movie-clip.html
Yellow finch feeding: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/08/yellow-finch-feeding-on-black-eyed.html
Fish grabbing bird: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/04/fish-grabbing-bird-photos.html
Osprey photos and haiku poem: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/07/osprey-photos-and-haiku-poem.html