Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory Grounds and Aquarium
/Continuing from yesterday’s post about our visit to Belle Island, Detroit, Michigan….
The conservatory has a koi pond that had some large specimens that seemed particularly dense near the waterfall. I liked the turtle fountain…reminded me of similar ones at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. I wondered what happened to the koi pond during the winter. Detroit must get very cold.
The structure of the conservatory has some high portions and there are some plants that have grown very tall…filling the spaces.
The grounds are grassy areas with some flower beds that were beginning to fade. I took a few macro images
There was a black squirrel that zipped across the very wet grass (we dodged the soggiest areas). There were black squirrels in London, Ontario too – more than the gray/brown ones.
The grounds also included a Japanese lantern and tower.
We went into the Aquarium. It reminded me of the
Washington DC aquarium that was in the Department of Commerce building; it closed in 2013 but I remembered touring it when I was pregnant with my daughter back in 1989…and becoming very queasy from the fish smell. The aquarium in Washington DC was completed in 1932. The one on Belle Island has been operational since 1904! They used the lull during the pandemic for renovation…it seemed to be in great shape (and no fishy smells). The lighting was such that it was easier to get reasonably good pictures through the glass! I particularly enjoyed the puffer fish, brittle stars, sea horses, and anemones.
Overall – our visit to Belle Island took about 2 hours. We headed back into Detroit to find a restaurant before we continued our journey to London, Ontario.
