At The Backroads

SD Zoo Skyfari

San Diego Zoo is nestled in the northeast corner of Balboa Park, a cultural and horticultural oasis right in the middle of the bustling seaport metropolis and in the heart of the paved city. It is right next to downtown San Diego, but it feels a world apart for me since if downtown is dominated by concrete and tall buildings, Balboa Park is dominated by museums, gardens, clubs, theaters, hundred-year old trees, sports facilities, fountains, and a forested like San Diego Zoo. The trees and the plants of San Diego Zoo are also its residents main source of food, such as eucalyptus for koala and bamboo for pandas.

Flamingo Exhibit

When you enter San Diego Zoo, it would be like in a crossroad as where to go. However, facing the entrace is the Flamingo exhibit, that usually people entering would proceed there and observe how the flamingos interact with each other.

Pensive Flamingo

Talking (?) Flamingos

Contortion of a Flamingo

Though San Diego Zoo is not as huge as its sister park, the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park, yet walking the entire 40 hectares of the zoo would also give one a decent exercise. If one is already at the Flamingo exhibit, right next to its boardwalk is the Monkey Trails and Forest Tales Exhibit. It is a naturalistic home to more than 30 species of African and Asian birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, some of the world’s most exotic and endangered wildlife. Connecting to the Monkey Trails is the Gorilla Tropics Exhibit.

A Young Gorilla Playing

Adult Gorilla Watching the Young

From the Gorilla tropics is the Scripps Aviary, which is a young African rainforest complete with waterfalls and freely flying birds. From here, you can connect your walk to the Tiger River (sorry, I could not find my tiger picture), to Ituri Forest. 

Hippopotamus Exhibit at Ituri Forest

Sleeping on Top of Each Other

Guenon At Ituri Forest

Playful Swamp Monkey

At Ituri forest, you can see eye to eye with the river hippos and you can see swamp monkeys play with otters. Once outside the Ituri Forest, you will see the Panda Bear Exhibit.

Giant Panda

Playful Panda

On top of Tree

More of San Diego Zoo to come……..

Desert Garden Bloom, Balboa Park

While I was crossing the footbridge yesterday on my way to San Diego Natural History Museum and The San Diego Science Center, I was side tracked by the buzzing bees busily sucking the sweet nectar of a succulent bloom. I delayed crossing the footbridge, instead, accepted the invitation of the bees to enjoy the same sight and scenery that kept them busy.

Bees Happily Sucking the Sweet Nectar of the Succulent Flower

A Happy Bee and Succulent Bloom

I was taken by surprised with a lot of blooms already, and then, I remember it is actually already January  .

Succulent Bloom

January to March is the peak blooming period of the succulents, but then, the cacti and other succulents are still interesting even without the flowers for the always come in different forms and shapes.

This Cacti

Is Part of this Spooky Giant Cacti

So, instead of proceeding right away to the Science Museum, I at first took the short trail at the Desert Garden, what a wonderful walk that was amongst the intereresting desert plants. I always am fascinated by the forms of cacti, for me they are part of the lure of the wonders of the desert.

And their flowers, are one of the exotic blooms I have seen.

This is a Very Tall Succulent

How Tall? Just a lot taller than me

Not all the cacti and succulents were on bloom yet yesterday, I believe others will start blooming February and continue until March or April. Especially the barrel and the beavertail cacti. Nevertheless, I saw a lot of passersby stopping their car on the road and taking a picture of this photo which faces the Park Blvd.

Desert Garden Blooms

But my greatest surprise yesterday while walking at Desert Garden was this

Can you find the Caterpillar?

The presence of butterfly and caterpillar surely brought priceless joy to my walk. Okay, did I say a caterpillar? Yes, there is a caterpillar in the picture above, but unlike Ratty of Everyday Adventurer whose Who Found the Squirrel Game was really fun and I thoroughly enjoyed, the caterpillar I have in the picture is kind of very obvious  , sorry, as I could not get any other angle in taking the picture of butterfly afraid it will fly soon. And I want the butterfly to be in the photograph with the caterpillar too. King of which comes first, caterpillar or butterfly game? But anyway, just for fun, I hope you join me in describing where the caterpillar is in the above picture. And since it is already obvious, you do not have to click on the picture to enlarge it, hahahaha! But if you want more challenge, visit Ratty’s Who Found the Squirrel Game .