Universal Studios Butterfly Garden

 This is what I could see from the "Garden View" Window of our hotel.  It was colorful and enticing I didn't know what it was but I knew I wanted to see more!

 This is what it was.  A giant butterfly made out of orange and yellow marigolds.  But it was actually a lot more than that.

  It was clearly labeled at both entrances  with the butterflies you might be lucky enough to find here. As well as what the plants were and their significance to the pretty butterflies.

Around the sides it had many other flowers in bloom, masses of color to attract the eyes of the butterfly to the nectar.

But most importantly, it also provided larvae plants.  Plants that the butterfly caterpillars can feed upon.  Here is Rosemary and Chervil.  Many other herbs were in the garden too such as parsley and fennel.  Thanks to Universal for such a fun garden to wander through!

SeaWorld and Shamu

 The "Shamu" family entertained and drenched another pleased crowd!

These whales were safe to walk by without getting wet!

Sea Gardens

This was a fun garden to wander upon at SeaWorld Orlando, FL.  This Sea Garden is filled with unique plants and rocks.

It is designed to look like plants growing on the bottom of the sea floor.

Wood carvings of colorful fish poking out between the plants made the scene even more convincing.

It was great fun to wander through this section of the park and I really felt the bottom of the ocean vibe.

True to SeaWorld's educational commitment this section was well labeled!  Another park and another garden!  Score another for me!

Topiaries of a Suessical Kind

 Thank you Dr Seuss, for the rhyme you have given to us. 

Sometimes it is funtastical and even most silliest.

But it is always fun to read and often quite what we need!

Celebrate today indeed!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

The Wands of Harry Potter

Those powerful magical wands are created with a variety of very strong woods.  Harry Potter's late mum used a wand of Willow, the tree we know as the source of the pain relieving salicylic acid  leading to our modern day aspirin.  Hagrid's wand was made of the mighty oak tree. The wand of  "He who must not be named" (Voldemort) was crafted from Yew. This evergreen was a symbol of death in Renaissance literature and a cancer fighter in the medical world.  Yew was the original source of the now synthesized Taxol.  Hawthorne, Ebony, Beechwood, Mahogany are other woods used to create wands as well as Maple, Walnut, Oak and Linden. 

The inner core of the wand could be made of one of the following:  Dragon Heart String, Phoenix Tail Feather or Unicorn Hair.

 No two wands are the same. And the wand chooses the wizard.

This one chose Angelica.

Harry Potter's wand is made of Holly with an inner core of Phoenix Tail Feather.

Butterbeer

Gallons of Butterbeer, the beverage of choice for the Wizards at Hogwarts Academy, are sold at Universal Studios Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  You'll find it sold by the tankard on the street and as a beverage selection in the Three Broomsticks. 
"Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it's a bit cold, isn't it?" Hermione Granger inviting Harry Potter to the Three Broomsticks Inn. (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

Butterbeer is a sweet butterscotch flavored beverage. 

A simple recipe to use for Harry Potter Fans in your life is:

8 oz of Cream Soda gently whisked with

2 - 3 T Butterscotch Syrup (We like Smuckers)

The Herbal World of Harry Potter

Universal Studios did a fine job recreating Diagon Alley (a cobbled wizarding alley and shopping area located in London, England) for us to walk through.  We could ship something through the Owl's post or purchase a wand at Ollivander's.   Of course, I was most taken by the Dogweed and Deathrow Botanical Shop.   This was purely scenery and not a shop we could enter so I can only suppose what plants were inside.  Perhaps some Aconite, aka Wolfsbane, to keep werewolves from going loco, and used in Harry Potter Potions.  Or maybe some of the toxic Mandrake, the tangled root helps Harry's teachers reverse the turn-to-stone spell.

This garden scene was at the top part of the Hogwart's Universal Studios Castle.    Perhaps these silk plants represent Nettles used by Wizards to cure boils or maybe Wormwood,  the ingredient used in sleeping potions in the Potter books.  Part of the fun of the Harry Potter books is the old Anglo-Saxon and Latin terms author J.K. Rowling uses such as "wizengamot" (a meeting of witches and wizards for judicial purposes).

Many herbs still have the old names such as Beewort (lemon balm) or cowslip (primroses).




This one is perhaps Dragonwort? Artemesia dracunculus , The roots are said resemble the head of a dragon or to grow where the blood of the dragon has been spilled.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Destination:  Orlando, FL,
the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Anticipation: almost unbearable.

Hop aboard the Hogwarts Express ~ Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station in London!

Muggles?  You decide.

 

Hogwart's Castle ~ Impressive.  Scary.  Magical.  Hallowed.

Loved the snow!
and candy land.

The Corner Rose Tea Room ~ Menu

Our tea began with a very savory tomato basil soup, served in a delicate china cup accompanied with a croissant filled with tasty chicken salad.

The three tiered tea tray was a feast for our eyes. The sandwiches, placed on the middle tier, featured a ham salad with pimiento cheese, egg salad crescent moons, sliced cucumbers, and another triangular sandwich.

The scone tray, on the bottom, included a nice variety of fresh fruit, petite cubed cheese, and two triangular scones, spicy cinnamon raisin and also lavender.

The cream was presented in a tea cup topped with a petite rosebud while the lemon curd was in a stemmed aperitif glass topped with a petite blossom.Dessert included chocolate cookies, assorted petit fours, and cream puffs, along with the cutest little mice made using a chocolate covered cherry for the body, a Hershey's kiss for the face and sliced almonds as ears. Too cute to eat!

All in all, it was an enjoyable evening for our first day in Florida. Susanna found this tea room by searching Orlando tea rooms listed on TeaMap.

Tea Room Ambience

Our first evening in Orlando included a visit to The Corner Rose Tea Room. This charming little tea room, situated on the grounds of The Russell Home for Atypical Children, is open 7 days a week, by reservation, and totally profits the children's home.  It was developed with great love to act as a fundraiser for the home.

The tables were gracefully adorned with beautiful mix and match bone china settings. Additional tea cup sets decorated the walls and shelves in the tea room.
Notice the displays with the vintage cotton gloves tucked here and there. The scene was set, the anticipation great, the opportunity to sit and enjoy Afternoon Tea was before us.

Hats, stoles, and beautiful china with properly brewed tea. Let the tea party begin! Details and menu tomorrow.

We're off!

We have returned from a fantastic journey to Orlando FL, five days of roller coasters, magical adventures, Harry Potter, Legoland, swimming, fun in the warm sun, gardens, tea rooms and more.  Join us over the next few days as we take you on our vacation!

Dill Weed and Seed

David was playing in the spices and shot this fun photo.  This is Dill Weed (the green) and Dill Seed.  

Dill is often distinguished in recipes by using the word "weed" and "seed".   The flavor of the seed is stronger then the leaf and it also has quite a different texture.  Therefore, we don't suggest you substitute one for the other.  We love to add dill weed to our veggies or lightly sprinkle it onto cucumber sandwiches and of course dill seed is a must have in pickles.   Dill seed is often used in bread making while Dill leaf (weed) is used in salad dressings, vinegars, and sauces. A very easy annual to grow, often you can use the dill seeds in your cupboard to start your seedlings.  Dill was known to 'dull' pain in colicky babies.