Kew - Orchid time!

 Today marks the month long orchid festival - this year featuring Cameroon.

We headed a long queue at the gates waiting for opening - then dashed to the Princess of Wales conservatory where we headed another queue to get in for our time slot!  

So this is a cheat, inserted from later...

I took a couple on our speed walk past thought..

luckily the weather was milder this week so was able to dispense with as many layers of clothing to dress more appropriately for the tropical insides of the POW!  

they've implemented a one-way system round the POW for the orchids this year, you go in through the dry cactus section as always 

this was good, a swathe of orchids up the stairs through the desert area 

then into the tropical centre area 

the centrepiece -  Kim and I had both tried and failed to not watch the London news feature on the Orchid exhibit so had glimpsed him on tv...

the roaring lion (when I could un-fog the lens)  was great!

and so were the 2 hippos in the waterlily pool

especially this one! 

I'll take some more next week as I've got another time slot

on the other side of the pond they've created a waterfall of orchids.

hope you can read this, I rushed the photo a bit - there were people in the way

good reflections

to the side of the waterfall were a couple of crocodiles...

they were really good

towards the door into the next area - one of the trademark arches

and big pots in the pool

pitcher plants on the arch

bromeliads

 

another arch  as you leave the tropical room and head towards the cool orchid rooms..

some big tubs of orchids grouped at the corner

quite a show!

agapetes - these were pretty

Kim at the next arch

into the next room, and another creature!

a Leopard

there were some really pretty orchids in here

and (the bad lighting is my fault) these hanging orchids were really lovely

always love these deep purple ones, they're a permanent feature in the cool orchid room

these dinky little flowers were by a doorway

another arch, another group of people coming through!

another set of the hanging display,  the angle of the roof allowed for better lighting of this shot in this room

it was hard to look at them all as well as photograph them....

this was an oddly shaped flower!

into the next area now

either side of the path, two tall pillars of orchids, turned into giraffes! 

they were fabulous

love the tongue 

the "body"

eyelash envy!

tail

heading round towards the way out now,

although having seen a Facebook post since, there must be some more upstairs - all the access to the stairs were roped off today and we've missed something special - so will check again next week... no spoilers!

this was good, a big wavy display 

spanning a large area 

dammit, first time today back to front.. 

the last section 

and back into the desert section

a series of mounds, kind of ,  signs explained they are based on Cameroon shields

and some hanging display of the gourds - presumably saved from the vegetable garden in autumn

the exit was through what is normally a fire escape door.. 

Not sure that the one-way system really works but they try lots of different ways to control overcrowding for the Orchid festival.

we walked round to the other end of the POW - this is the big wisteria bare of leaf and flower - very structural.

headed back (to take my blog's opening shot!)

on our way to the Pavilion cafe for refreshments 

Kim caught sight of a jay skitting about - they don't stop to pose - managed to crop this one close enough to see it well.,

there was a second one, but missed him!

Spring is definitely on the way - crocus are out

this is by the Pavilion cafe

we sat inside, (there were people outside but we didn't think it quite mild enough)

cake and hot chocolate, proper crockery here, (prices higher too) 

the reason we snacked here was it's nearer the International Photographer of the Year competition winners by the Gallery  

Some good photos won, but lots of photo-editing which in my view is cheating!  

then, into the Temperate House

more crocus in the grass

fir tree along the path to the TH 

the coleus "Henna" so vibrant last week,

seems to have lost some of it's vibrancy

the fragrance from the  tubs of narcissus was lovely

Kim thought the sbudding flowers of this looked like raspberries

Kim noticed these first, there was a whole swathe of them

I went round the other side of the path by one of the side doors where I could get closer 

I caught Kim up by the statue - one of the gardeners has given her a pompom!

in the final section,  now.

we could hear the robin singing his heart out, echoing around

eventually saw him sitting on a pipe looking out of the window!

we took a short cut through the extension to the TH 

where they have my fave Grevillea like in the POW

heading to the lake

large groups of snowdrops on the way past the Treetop Walkway

by the lake

strange kind of markings on a fallen bit

at the end of the lake where the water is full of grasses, 

fabulous bullrushes 

I'd put the macro away (ready for the mirrors) but had to swap again

in amongst the leaf litter

can't be faffed to swap the order back...

one of the big Old Giants (ancient trees of Kew)

Kim headed for her bus... I headed - for a train!!!  first time in weeks there was either no strike or no engineering works...

stopped briefly by the midway of the Broad Walk at this big spread of snowdrops and crocus

and then Pampas grass

before heading to the station.

thanks for looking,  hope you enjoyed the orchids,  see you next week!