Unlike a young Charles Darwin, you do not need to take a trip to the Galapagos to find an island with unique environment, lush greenery, strange reptiles, or exotic birds.
The Teaching Plant Collection of the Botany department, atop the Earth Sciences Center (ESC) at 25 Willcocks St. is all of that. And its location is a bit more convenient and affordable as well.
Enter the Earth Sciences building from Huron St, take the elevator to the fourth floor, and climb one flight of stairs to the four houses of the collection.
The Orchid House is a spectacular array of flowering orchids, colorful bromeliads, and a wide variety of ferns. An extended family of Red-eared Slider turtles swim around in a little pond.
Mosses, and exotic tropical plants such as cocoa and mahogany can be seen in Palm House. The Mediterranean house is rife with conifers and the Cactus House is of course, a sanctuary for cacti and succulents.
A couple of Australian bearded dragons and a cage-full of budgerigars live in cages that get moved around a lot. The collection is open to the public on weekdays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Usually, you can find first and second years exploring the collection for botany class, or visitors basking in the greenhouses’ perpetual summer.
-Sazia Sharmin
