Iowa Girl on the Go

Today was another splendid summer day — a perfect day to enjoy a visit to Reiman Gardens in Ames.

The main reason I went was to see the quilt show, but I ended up much less interested in the indoor quilt display than in the outdoor displays. It was just a really nice day to be outside.

Special this summer at Reiman is the “Nature Connects” display – sculptures built with Legos. The exhibit continues through Oct. 28, so you have plenty of time to see it. The exhibit features 14 individual displays with a total of 27 sculptures: a butterfly, lily pads and frog (below), dragonfly, bison, goldfinches at a bird feeder, a fox stalking a rabbit, hummingbird and flower (above), and several more. The sculptures, ranging from 530 Lego pieces to 45,000 pieces each, were created by Sean Kenney, a New York artist.

The Lego objects are whimsical and placed in the garden in appropriate places. They’re also fun to find. It’s almost like a scavenger hunt. There’s a brochure available at the front desk with the displays marked on a map if you want to cheat.

Besides the Lego exhibit, there are a number of other garden displays, such as “Animal Homes” in the Children’s Garden and “Building a Healthy You” in the Home Production Garden. The one I enjoyed most was “Bird Houses” in the Stafford Garden. Some of these are really well-designed and well-made. They reminded me a little bit of doll houses. Most of these special displays run through Oct. 14.

The quilt show was OK. My take on it was if you’re a quilter you’d like the show. Besides quilts on display there were tables filled with quilting products, fabric, tools, and whatnot. I breezed by pretty quick.

Last thing I did before leaving the Gardens was to peek into the window where the butterflies emerge from their chrysalides. Always fascinating! There were giant moths…but I really just love these dainty little green guys.