Cover: Zoo's Playful Orangutan

"Zoo Atlanta has evolved from a quaint picnic stop where people gawked at wild animals to a conservation organization seeking to engage the public in the lives of its animal ambassadors and the preservation of their counterparts in the wild." - Zoo Atlanta Website

Playful Orangutan at Zoo Atlanta

This is one of my all-time favorite Atlanta photographs...orangutans are so much fun! They're not gregarious creatures, but they're subtly fascinating. I guess also I'm influenced by having seen "Every Which Way But Loose" starring Clint Eastwood when I was young, which co-starred an orangutan AND the movie had scenes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which was near one of my high schools.

Zoo Atlanta has consistently been a great visit, whether with friends from out-of-town or on my own to make photos (this photo was made while on a solitary photo excursion). 

With a history of more than 120 years (growing from a circus animal rescue effort), being one of the few zoos in the United States to host Pandas, and new babies all the time (Sumatran orangutan Blaze is expecting!), there's a LOT to discover here!

Enjoy the above pre-sized Facebook Cover Photo...it's one of my favorites! This one and many others are also posted at the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page...go have a look and then go see the orangutans play!

Cover: Bog Garden

The Conservation Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, sometimes called the Bog Garden, is unfortunately one of the frequently overlooked features of our amazing Garden. Granted the Garden is 30 acres, but I tell people that it's pretty compact, so it's really (relatively) easy to see nearly everything.

Conservation Garden (Bog Garden)
Atlanta Botanical Garden

"The Garden has been the recipient of grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Georgia Department of Resources since 1998. A mountain cataract bog display complete with native species, rare conifers, pitcher plants, orchids and interpretive signage was created in 2007 with funding from the Wildlife Conservation Society."

 - Atlanta Botanical Garden website

Some know about the Garden's orchid conservation efforts and its amphibian research efforts, but just when I think you know everything the Garden is doing, I learn something new. I'm incredibly impressed with all that they do and that they do it with such passion.

The conservation Garden is especially attractive to kids, too...it often has carnivorous plants or "pitcher plants" and Venus fly traps! And it's wide range of color is attractive as well. Personally, I love that it's one of the most beautiful spots in the Garden...overlooking parts of Piedmont Park, the Atlanta skyline is directly in the background.

Enjoy the above pre-sized Facebook Cover Photo of the Bog Garden then head on over to the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page for more illuminating photos! Please "Like" the Page while you're there!