San Francisco: Conservatory of Flowers

The leaves on these tropical plants consumed me for many moments--such beautiful textures! I was so focused on these leaves that I didn't look up, even though I noticed there was a growing number of voices near by. I took pictures without glancing up to see, and realized that it must be a group of tourists with a guide, who was talking about the lovely architecture of the Conservatory. (I'll have a picture showing you what I saw when I looked up...my jaw dropped and I said, "WOW!" Stay tuned...) This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

Some beautiful flowers in a bed outside the Conservatory of Flowers. This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

Lovely marigolds posing in front of a sea of other beauties behind them. This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

I found this gorgeous fellow walking boldly around the grounds outside the Conservatory of Flowers. Isn't he cool?! I've never gotten close enough to take a good picture of one of these before! This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

Winner of FlickrDuel contest: Alpha Architecture This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

(for those of you who are interested in seeing my San Francisco trip images, I have uploaded 10 pictures in this batch [78 in the past couple of weeks]. Thanks everyone for your comments and your visits to my photostream! I hope you enjoy the show!) The Conservatory of Flowers is a greenhouse and botanical garden that houses a collection of rare and exotic plants in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. With construction completed in 1878, it remains the oldest building in the park, and the oldest municipal wooden conservatory remaining in the United States. It is also one of the first municipal conservatories constructed in the country. For these distinctions and for its associated historical, architectural, and engineering merits, the Conservatory of Flowers is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Places, is a California Historical Landmark, and a San Francisco Designated Landmark. (info from Wikipedia) If you would like to know more about this amazing place, please visit this Wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatory_of_Flowers By the way, for those of you who may not know, there is a very fun, free Flickr competition site which you might like to take part in. It's called FlickrDuel.com and features dozens of ongoing competitions, or duels every day. You can enter your pictures into many different categories and vote on contests too. It's another way to enjoy your photography! This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

As I approached my dear friend Laura, I saw her chatting with the owner of this hilariously cute and sweet bulldog. Everyone was so happy that I wanted to capture the moment forever! This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

Many of these beautiful flowers are so large that it was easy to fill the frame with a juicy, face-filling close up of utter beauty! :) This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

Another angle of this magnificent architecture. This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

This is one of the unfortunate, dispised and unwanted residents who live illegally within the boundaries of Golden Gate Park. They are responsible for destroying plants, filling the park with garbage, and making it a dangerous place to be at night. If you would like to know more about the homeless encampments in GGP, please visit this Wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Park#Chronic_homeless_e... This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

The Conservatory of Flowers is a greenhouse and botanical garden that houses a collection of rare and exotic plants in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. With construction completed in 1878, it remains the oldest building in the park, and the oldest municipal wooden conservatory remaining in the United States. It is also one of the first municipal conservatories constructed in the country. For these distinctions and for its associated historical, architectural, and engineering merits, the Conservatory of Flowers is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Places, is a California Historical Landmark, and a San Francisco Designated Landmark. (info from Wikipedia) If you would like to know more about this amazing place, please visit this Wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatory_of_Flowers This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

How lucky is this shot! Though the one in flight isn't crystal clear, I was elated that I got this neat image!! This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.

An immaculate display of flowers adorning this clock in the garden outside the Conservatory of Flowers. This image was taken during my trip to San Francisco during September 12-15, 2011.