University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley
The garden was established in 1890 and has over 12,000 different kinds of plants from all over the world, many of them rare and endangered, spread over 34 acres in the Berkeley Hills. The plants are arranged by region in naturalistic landscapes.
Here are the details:
Location – 200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley, CA 94720-5045 (midway between UC Berkeley Memorial Stadium and 
Lawrence Hall of Science). Telephone (510) 643 2755 or click here. Admission - $5 adults, $3 over 65, free to children under 3
Car Park - $2.50 for 2 hours
We arrived at 9 a.m., just as they opened, so very few people there. We had the place more or less to ourselves and were able to wander about without seeing anybody else. Plenty of birds though and today I saw a couple of lizards as well.
[Click the image for a larger version]
Tom disappeared almost immediately into the New World Desert section, where the cacti are. I turned right and explored the California section. First I walked round the Alpine area and then made my way to the Oak Knoll. This is a great place for a picnic but no BBQs are allowed. Along the way there were display cases showing how the Native Americans used the natural resources that surrounded them, like acorns for food, soaproot to make glue for their baskets and also to catch fish and how they used the wood from the elderberry to make musical instruments. There were interesting display boards explaining different aspects of the region, for example where the Alpine areas are in California and what classifies chaparral plants.
July 24 2007 | Special Places | No Comments »
