Wednesday Notes
sharing the view from my window - all photographs by Lucy Tobias
Wednesday Notes, September 22, 2021
With tangy salt air and light drizzling rain as my companions, I circled the center of a labyrinth at Key West Garden Club at West Martello Tower.
And I wondered - why don’t I walk labyrinths in the rain and salt air more often?
Delightful.
Plus, the location here is amazing.
Set high on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, this five-circuit classical labyrinth and a peace garden were added in 2020.
The labyrinth is surrounded by plantings of firebush and Mexican Penta. There are benches.
Fort Martello was one of three Civil War era forts built as a defensive chain around Key West.
No cannons were ever fired, and no soldiers died at this fort. West Martello Tower is a National Historic Site.
Located at 1100 Atlantic Avenue on Higgs Beach, the Gardens are open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Donations appreciated. Some nearby parking is free.
Munroe County and the Key West Garden Club have a lend lease agreement in place since 1949.
Old ruins partnered with new gardens, both native and exotic, make a lovely juxtaposition – especially placing a peace garden and labyrinth in a fort designed for repelling invaders.
Whatever the club’s board of directors decides to do, that is what happens, so the gardens continually evolve.
There is an obvious love affair with orchids.
Brick paths wander past a fountain, a waterfall, fragrance garden, butterfly garden, tropical plants, and a gazebo popular for weddings.
A vaulted fort ceiling leads to a secret garden.
This is an intriguing place, a blend of history and creative garden vision. I walked all the paths twice. I would go back in a heartbeat.
Moving on, Key West, as you ma knowy, is a city most fowl.
After leaving the Gardens at one point I had to stop driving so a rooster could amble across a street, and he was not even in a pedestrian right of way. Roosters rule. Then walking along a sidewalk, a mother hen pushed two chicks out of my way, clucking at them – probably saying, humans are not to be trusted, give them plenty of room.
My plan after the Gardens – hang out with the blue morpho butterflies and much more at the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. Located at 1316 Duval Street, conservatory hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. General admission is $15, seniors (65 and up) $12. Masks required inside Conservatory.
Magic.
Take off your watch. You will want to stay here and forget everything else. The photograph below shows the underside of a blue morpho butterfly.
So many butterflies and little songbirds. I sat on a bench watching a male songbird (don’t know the name) pick up several small twigs. Then he flew to a nearby bush and handed them to a smaller bird – his mate. She twined them into other branches. Nest building! How wonderful.
Two flamingos inhabit a pond in the center of the conservatory. Their names are Rhett and Scarlett.
Rhett was making quite a racket.
A sign says “Why is Rhett making so much noise? It is mating season and he is trying to get Scarlett to notice him.”
That may also explain why he was also stamping his feet on rocks as he vocalized.
Scarlett ignored him.
But I caught his whining on video while filming butterflies.
Butterflies. Yes, I appreciate the butterflies that visit my back garden. It is a blessing every day. But I have to say if you want an over the top breathtaking butterfly experience, with memories that will stay vivid and fresh, come here to the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory.
It was hard to move on, but I did.
Those who read my ramblings regularly know that I am addicted to caffeine. I can go to a new place and find the best local coffee withing oh, say ten minutes of arrival.
And so, on the way to Key West, I found Baby’s Coffee, billing themselves as the southernmost coffee roosters in America. The address is 3180 US Highway 1 MM 15. Open Monday through Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
An unpretentious building where they roost awesome coffee and make open face bagel sandwiches, key lime pie and pizza. The parking lot is usually full.
My regret – not buying a bag of their fresh roasted coffee beans like Death by Coffee or Breakfast Roast. Can you say online shopping?
URLS
https://keywestgardenclub.com/learn/west-martello-tower-history/
https://www.keywestvisitorguide.com/forts-in-key-west/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West_Butterfly_and_Nature_Conservatory
https://www.keywestbutterfly.com/live-webcam
VIDEO