The San Diego Zoo is also a Botanical Garden

I was away last week with my husband, daughter, and oldest granddaughter on a special early birthday celebration for our granddaughter who is turning ten years old this week. Five years ago we happened to celebrate her fifth birthday at Disney World in Florida and this time we went on a Disney Cruise Line trip from San Diego, California, to San Luis Los Cabos in Mexico.  We flew into San Diego a day early and that afternoon we visited the world-renowned San Diego Zoo!

The San Diego Zoo is a 100-acre wildlife park and home to over 12,000 rare and endangered animals, representing more than 650 species and subspecies, and is located just north of downtown San Diego in Balboa Park.  It was actually the second time I visited the zoo--I blogged about it in 2008--click here to read that post--but this was to be a first-time visit for our daughter and granddaughter. 

The Zoo is also an accredited botanical garden, caring for more than 700,000 individual plants, including a prominent curated assemblage of close to 13,000 specimens, representing 3,100 species.

On your visit to the zoo, you will see towering acacias, sturdy conifers, and stately palms to rare succulents, California natives, and an astonishing array of blossoms vying for the attention of pollinators.

Some of the flowers I saw at the zoo

San Diego’s mild climate makes it possible to grow many different types of plants than almost anywhere else in the United States. The Zoo and Safari Park also act as “rescue centers” for rare and endangered plants.

Information from the zoo website: 

"TheSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is saving and protecting wildlife—including plants—worldwide. As habitats have dwindled and disappeared around the globe, plants have their own place in the conservation spotlight. Without plants to provide oxygen, moisture, food, and shelter, ecosystems cannot survive, and neither can their inhabitants. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s plant conservation efforts are international in scope, working with partners to help save some of the most endangered plants, including coral trees, palms, cycads, and orchids that are nearly extinct in their native habitats. As part of these efforts, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance maintains the Native Plant Seed Bank, a collection of preserved seeds from plants all over the world, and partners with the Center for Plant Conservation, a consortium of botanical gardens that collaborate on plant conservation initiatives."

When we entered the zoo the first thing we did was take the Skyfari Aerial Tram to the far end of the zoo so we could walk downhill from the higher elevation at the rear of the zoo, and that was when I fell in love with all the magnificent trees and foliage we passed over. 

Perhaps because we left our home in a snowy and cold Colorado, seeing all these lush tropical trees filled me with awe and wonder!

I think I took more photos of the trees than of the animals.

We did see many of the animal exhibits and since we visited in the late afternoon many of the animals seemed to be getting a restful "after lunch" nap.

I was happy to see the new elephant 2.5-acre area that was being built on my last visit in 2008. There are many activities inside it for the elephants to enjoy.

The very best part of our visit to the zoo was seeing our granddaughter have a good time! 

We were all excited to know that the next day we would be beginning our Disney Cruise--more about that in my next post.

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