A late afternoon visit to Dublin's Botanical Gardens with just 15 minutes in the Palm House before closing. The misters switched on and the dome was soon filled with a thick warm fog.
A detail about the enclosure: "The Palm house was put up in 1884, when the previous building was damaged in a storm. This building and its accompanying Orchid House and Camellia house wings was restored in 2004."
A question I would never have thought to ask, gleaned from the Dublin Botanical Gardens FAQ page :
Until recently we often had red squirrels feeding on the ground, especially around pine hill. Over the past 12 months however, none have been seen. Red squirrels are displaced by the introduced grey squirrels, which are able to eat unripe nuts, thus outcompeting the red squirrels by eating most of the food resources before they are palatable to the reds. The red squirrels have survived in the gardens until recently because they have the advantage when there are copious pine cones available - a food resource that the grey squirrels will only tackle when hard pressed. If you do happen to spot a red squirrel please notify the Visitor Centre, as we are anxious to know if they are still present. Although the grey squirrels are delightful to watch, please remember that they are wild animals - not pets. They can bite and scratch.
