Flora vs. fauna

We love gardening. We do it often. Anyone who has seen our yard won't doubt that in the slightest. And since I am a former Master Gardener who spent about four years working in plant nursery this millennium, you would think that, on a trip to a botanical garden, nothing could distract me from the plants.

Plants? What plants?

It turned out to be all about the cats.

The Buenos Aires Botanical Garden (Jardin Botanico Carlos Thayes) is home to more than 5,000 varieties of plants and, I would venture to say, about 10,000 cats. (OK, maybe not that many.) Suffice to say that, despite my declaration to J that I was going to pet each and every one of these cats, I quickly realized that my attempt was futile. There are dozens of them...everywhere. Napping on ledges, frolicking in hedges, sitting on benches, sprawling on the grass next to sunbathing humans.

Despite being feral, every cat I petted was very friendly and relaxed. May I present Exhibit A:

Right after J took this shot, the cat blinked lazily and rolled over on his back. Clearly a connoisseur of the good life. The population of cats that decided to inhabit the gardens several years ago is receiving free food and veterinary care (thanks to volunteers) while they live out their nine lives, but no new cats are to be allowed in. Well, we saw one litter of tiny, frisky kittens and one sweet orange tabby who was clearly preggers, so I'm not sure how that "no new cats" rule is working out for them... .

Note: J reminded me that the airlines do have rules against transporting live animals in suitcases. Sigh.

Cats aside, the garden was lovely, and free to enter. It has a gorgeous, enormous glass greenhouse in the art nouveau style (which we didn't photograph since this time of year they have shade cloth over it, subduing its glory) and a wealth of classical statuary. Since I complained in a previous post about most statuary subjects having such serious expressions (maybe that's what the Joker was talking about in the last Batman movie...), I felt it was fitting to include a look at this not-so-serious statue. Ciao!