Thursday, April 6, 2017

Bird Sculptures at the Edison Estates

The theme this year for the ninth annual “Art in the Gardens” outdoor sculptures  using recycled materials was “Birds.” Schools from throughout Lee County participated and entered their birds, which were situated throughout the Edison Heritage Garden area near the museum. “Birds” is a fitting theme, as the Edisons and Fords were avid bird watchers and advocates. 

Teachers were awarded funds to assemble the weather-proof, recycled  materials for the sculptures, and the art was up to the students. There were supposed to be 20 schools represented, but on the day I went, April 28, there were 17 sculptures. The exhibit started on March 19 and continued through April 23. It’s a good idea to visit this site earlier rather than later because sometimes the weather plays havoc with these outdoor sculptures.

The Edison & Ford Winter Estates, the Lee County Art Educators and Lee County Schools collaborated to bring the project to fruition. Sponsors included Winn Dixie,  Forestry Resources and GoMulch. The exhibit was free to the public--it wasn’t necessary to pay the usual fee to visit the Estates. 


Entrance into the Art in the Gardens exhibit from Larchmont Street


Edison Family Pet Peacock

The Edison family owned a pet peacock. If it was spoken to softly, it would spread its tail feathers for visitors. 


Signage for Art in the Gardens


Mina Edison and bird sculpture in the Heritage Garden


Bird sculpture by Bill Frye, Edison Ford Winter Estates employee


Student art exhibits at the very entrance to the garden


Bird-themed sculptures line the walkway


Saint Francis Xavier Catholic School, Teacher: Vanessa Lombardo 


Ida S. Baker High School, Teachers: Elodie Cotton & Lorna Bluestein


Close-up of Bird house


Fort Myers High School, Teacher: Todd Abbey


Bird sculptures down the right side of the walkway


Diplomat Middle School, Teacher: Oliver Dominguez 


“Big Bird” made of plastic spoons and knives


Dunbar High School, Teacher: Linda Jones


Peacock on a ribbon


Mariner High School, Teacher: Jennifer Reilly


Close-up of Mariner Redbird


Lehigh Senior High School, Teacher: Cristina Penuel


Lehigh birds and bird houses


Edison Park Elementary School, Teacher: Karen Flanders


Edison Ford Winter Estates Home School and Manatee Elementary School


Edison Ford Winter Estates Home School, Teacher: Deborah Bowers


One of the bird faces hiding under the bougainvillea


Manatee Elementary School, Teacher: Andrea Luizzi
A bird family and its nest


Tortuga Preserve Elementary School, Teacher: Christina Sterrett


Tortuga Preserve “Tree”


Tortuga Preserve American Eagle


Bonita Springs Middle School, Teacher: Joy Cooper


Bonita Springs birds in buckets


Bonita Springs bird close-up


South Fort Myers, Teacher: Maria Cabrera


Varsity Lakes Middle School, Teacher: Marjorie Resler


Trafalgar Elementary School, Teacher: Helen Garcia-Valdez


Stacks of ceramics


The Alva School, Teacher: Nicole Bizjak


The Alva School bird plaque


North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts Middle School, Teacher: Brenda Lown 


North Fort Myers Academy


North Fort Myers Academy


North Fort Myers Academy


North Fort Myers Academy


Bird sculptures in the Heritage Garden



Saturday, March 25, 2017

Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs

In 1936, brothers Bill and Lester Piper established "The Reptile Gardens" as a roadside attraction along the newly-built Tamiami Trail from Tampa to Miami. As the animal and botanical exhibits grew, the attraction’s name was changed to the "Everglades Wonder Gardens" to better reflect its offerings. The Gardens also became known for its wildlife rehabilitation programs. For three generations, the Gardens was  under the ownership of the Piper family. In early 2013, landscape photographer John Brady and his family leased the property from the Pipers and helped form a not-for-profit organization dedicated to saving the Everglades Wonder Gardens.  

In 2014, a group of local residents formed the Bonita Wonder Gardens Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. With financial assistance, in the form of a $3.5 million loan from the City of Bonita Springs, the new organization was able to purchase the property and business assets from the Piper family in April, 2015, saving it from potential commercial development. 

Thomas Hecker, who has extensive environmental non-profit management experience,  started as the new Executive Director in January, 2017.  “We’ve got a strong vision for the future,” he said. “We just need some time and funding to make it happen.” Hecker’s plan includes a renewed focus on education. “We want to bring kids in from local schools to really learn and experience what we have here,” he said. While renewed education is an important part of Hecker’s plan, there are many other projects that remain, such as rebuilding wildlife enclosures, nurturing the botanical beauty of the property and renovating the flamingo lake. A new building, wedding gazebo and dock are also in the works. “It’d be great to give tours on the Imperial River,” he said. A large green space for events would finish off the acreage. Once restored, the Wonder Gardens will be a great asset to the community of Bonita Springs. 


 Billboard for the Everglades Wonder Gardens

The Gardens is on Old 41 between W. Terry and Bonita Beach Road. This stretch of Old 41 is undergoing a renovation/beautification process, and it already looks like a trendy and inviting neighborhood.


The entrance to the Wonder Gardens ticket office and gift shop


Estero Island Garden Club members at the entrance


Greatly enlarged brochure featuring the attractions of the Gardens


Master Plan for a new and improved Wonder Gardens


Gift shop


Pink flamingoes in gift shop


Macaws & cockatoos in gift shop


A menacing owl suspended from the rafters


Big Joe exhibit in Natural History Museum

Big Joe was at one time the largest American crocodile in captivity. He was 15 ½ feet long and weighed over 1200 pounds. He attracted visitors from all over the world until he died of old age at 75 years old in 2003.


Close-up of Big Joe


Display in Museum


Alligator with prey in its mouth in the Museum


Splayed alligator skin becomes a giant plaque in the Museum.


Bird cages for Macaws


Winnie, a blue and gold Macaw


A koi pond with fisherman sculpture


Pond with koi


Plants for sale


Huge staghorn ferns hanging from old growth trees
The name “staghorn” comes from their uniquely-shaped fronds.


Duck enclosure


Ibises in the duck enclosure
The ibises go anywhere they want.


Alligator signs


Alligator pond


Alligators


Alligators sunning


A cone-domed cage for a white cockatoo


Cockatoo


A green iguana with a black-ringed tail named “Buddy” in a glassed-in enclosure


Carol and Joanie in a parrot cut-out board


Carol and Margaret in the cut-out board


Ibises in a pond


Flamingoes


Flamingoes by their pond


The Imperial River runs right alongside the Gardens property.


Cactus garden


Cactus garden


Pond with water lilies


Bromeliad garden


A peacock roamed the grounds, but never went far from the bird enclosure.


A guinea hen that the peacock had a “thing” for is inside the enclosure--an unfortunate case of unrequited love.


Tortoises


Bantam rooster, Big Foot


Members admiring Big Foot


Joanie and Margaret taking a break


Picnic area


Stray alligator in the pathway


Water feature with cascade