Page 499 - The British Big Four

loral Garden - The Floral Garden is the ter pond filled with water lilies. The pavilion Caribbean plants. Eventually, the eastern

F Cayman Botanic Park’s most ambitious also offers an excellent view of the lake. portion of the lake, adjacent to the button-

project, a horticultural triumph on this very L ake Becomes New Natural Attraction wood swamp, will have a boardwalk where
selectively fertile limestone island. Visi- - Another important attraction is the visitors can take leisurely strolls to the bird
tors stroll through a multicoloured mosaic watching tower and lookout.

of hundreds of species of tropical and sub two-acre lake located near the southern A Safe Home for the Endangered Grand
tropical plants spread over approximately end of the Botanic Park, just beyond the Cayman Blue Iguana - In 1995 the Park
2.5 acres. Flowering plants and shrubs, Floral Garden. Completed in August 1996,

succulents and cacti are arranged by colour the area was originally part of the ad- became the home for the National Trust for

in nine distinct displays. The entrance to jacent swamp. Decades of accumulated the Cayman’s Islands’ endemic Grand Cay-

the Floral Garden lures visitors into the muck was removed from the site leaving man Blue Iguana captive breeding program,

Pink Garden’s collection of rose and green a two-acre brackish water lake approxi- now seven years old. Currently more than

Caladiums, Anderson Crepe Hibiscus, Co- mately 3.5 feet deep. The area has three 40 pure-bred endemic Grand Cayman Blue

dyline ‘Morado” and exotic large bromeliads small islands with native vegetation in the Iguanas are housed in the captive breeding

including Aechmea ‘Victoria.’ The path con- centre which provide an important habitat and rearing facility, which was jointly fund-

tinues through gardens highlighting plants and breeding area for native birds that live ed by the Zoological Society of Milwaukee

in Red, Orange, Yellow, White, Silver, Blue, near large bodies of water. The Lake has County, Wisconsin (the Milwaukee Zoo) and

Mauve and Purple. The centrepiece of the already become an active site for bird- the affiliated Foundation for Wildlife Con-

Floral Garden is an ornate white wooden watchers, attracting a fascinating range of servation, also in Milwaukee. Field research

gazebo atop a rise, overlooking ponds filled bird life. Among species sighted have been on these rare iguanas has been funded

with water lilies and the nearby two-acre Tricoloured Herons, Common Moorhen, for the last five years by the Friends of the

lake, a prime habitat for a variety of resi- Green Herons, Black-necked Stilts, Ameri- National Zoo, as part of ongoing techni-

dent and migratory bird life. And a perfect can Coots, Blue-winged Teal, Cattle Egrets cal assistance from the US National Zoo in

wedding location! Visitors can relax in the and rare West Indian Whistling Ducks. On Washington, DC. This endangered species,

shade of the gazebo and enjoy a view of a the southern edge of the lake, visitors see found only in Grand Cayman, is protected

waterfall cascading off an elevated freshwa- native wetland vegetation mingled with by Cayman law.