Missouri Botanical Gardens: Schoenberg Arid House 17 Views

 Adjacent to the Climatron geodesic domed Tropical Rain Forest at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens is the Schoenberg Arid House.  The space holds an impressive variety of desert and semi-desert flora along with geologic and architectural elements designed to enhance the experience.

Missouri Botanical Gardens: Brookings Exploration Center

 Attached to the Climatron Tropical Rain Forest at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens is a lovely interactive space for children called the Brookings Exploration Center.  It's home to a handful of interactive spaces that educate participants on the ways of plants from germination to death and decay.  Beautifully designed, it's an excellent way for concrete and kinesthetic learners to grow.

The display shared how trees age and how they die from within.

There was a video presentation depicting the emergence of seedlings from the Botanical Garden's archives going back to the 1930's

Another display allowed little ones to go up inside a hexagonal-shaped terrarium and see the roots forming.

Ancient roots suspended overhead.

My friend, and host.

Missouri Botanical Gardens: 17 Views Inside the Climatron Tropical Forest

 

Missouri Botanical Gardens: Christmas Trains!

 The Emerson Conservatory attached to the newly renovated and expanded Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens is home to this years Holiday Trains exhibits.  Three different configurations surrounded by poinsettias and terrarium plantings.  Amazing doll house-sized buildings with individually carved citizens engaged in a wide variety of activities up to and including a wedding.  Beats both DC and Baltimore hands down!

My friend, Kevin was standing on the front porch of the very first house!

Fun details for those who take the time to look.  Do you see Clarice?

Reminded me of "The Waltons"

Sometimes set behind the colorful houses were ones of similar size, but completely different aesthetic style.  I assumed these were from some earlier iteration and were being integrated in with the newer ones.

Some of these older ones were based on actual buildings.

We'll leave this green house with a parting shot of a green house!