Today I visited Fairchild Tropical Gardens. This weekend is their annual International Aroid Society Show and Sale. I was thinking to myself, it probably won't be too crowded, as it will be too hot and who really goes to Fairchild to buy plants anyway? Answer: EVERYONE apparently! The lines to get into the garden were long and parking was being directed to the back entrance. I stuck it out and was actually quite surprised that I was alone most of the time. Seems that everyone stayed by the event and that was fine by me. I did see many, many people carrying plants to take home. 

Pre Covid, the gardens used to open very early in the morning. Now they open at 10, which causes harsh lighting issues. It was scorching today with feel like temps in the low 100's! I typically go to my favorite pond when I first get there and you can see how bright it was, as I had a difficult time controlling the highlights. Still, I was happy to see that I was greeted by this Green Heron on a large lily pad.

I had no shortage of lizards, iguanas and dragonflies to take pictures of today. Not many, but I did manage to find myself a couple of birds varieties today. I even found a banana spider. Seeking out such wildlife obviously put me in some mosquito infested areas. It was terrible actually. I had to stop what I was doing and spray myself down. I am anxiously awaiting cooler weather.

The rest of the time, I kept my eye out for whatever was colorful and blooming. Despite the heat and all of the people, I did enjoy being back out with my camera. I hope that you enjoy looking at what I found today around the garden. Thanks for stopping by the blog. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

If you are so inclined, all of the photos I took today can be seen in the photo gallery. A Scorching Day in the Garden Gallery