Stopping to Smell the Flowers.

Labs come with a major in Environmental Science, and it is a rarity, especially these days, that I am eager to attend them.  This one was an all-day affair.  My classmates and I hopped on a bus in the early morning Elkins fog and headed to the big city.  Pittsburgh, a city I had never been to, only heard about on factory shows and food networks famous for their chocolate factory and pizza joints, but I never heard about the Greenhouses.

I knew I was in for a treat the second we pulled up to PHIPPS Conservatory.  The tropical air and trickling water sounds greeted me at the door and immediately put my mind at ease.  The sweet scent of blooming orchids and other buds wafted over me and transported my mind to a tropical place.  I was in the rainforest room.  Full of lush green leaves, larger than my head, and more shades of green than anyone thought possible, I felt as though I was in a true rainforest.  The warm and weighted air transported me there - into a state of utter bliss.  On to the next room, we wandered through bonsai trees, twisted in every intricate direction; it was almost as if they were posing for the camera.  Interspersed with all the wondrous greenery was the appropriate pops of color, of course.  

Stunning displays of orchids greeted me at almost every corner.  Their leaves were drenched in the deepest shades of pinks, purples, and the most vibrant shades of white, pouring their delicate beauty towards the audience, begging for a picture.  The fiery shades were taken up by the cactus flowers.  These blooms emerged out of the spikiest of leaves; their color was so pungent, and their shape so unique that they almost sparked scents into the sky.

Room after room was just like this.  Grand topiary arrangements filled with the most beautiful blooms, drenched in the most scrumptious colors, and dripping with pollen.  When thinking back on this day and attempting to describe it, only one word comes to mind; majestic.  When I close my eyes, I still see arrays of colorful petals, and I smell the sweetness of the pollen; I am transported back to PHIPPS.   

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's one for your eyes to ponder: