The Botanical Gardens is a true work of art available for all Cornellians (and locals!) to visit. Located just a short walk from the Ag Quad, it is a remarkable place to walk around and relax. Upon arriving, we met our tour guide Peter Davies, a retired professor from Cornell. We learned about the history of the garden, including the fact that the land that the university sits on was indeed Ezra Cornell’s farm. He mentioned that corn was likely grown where we stood and that the rest of the land was probably flat, as opposed to all the trees we see on campus now. It was interesting to find out that the garden came about through the CCC, information that I had not known prior. In addition, I found out that the rock near the welcome center is named llenroc, which is actually just Cornell spelled backwards!

I found it funny when our tour guide kept mentioning all the buildings that were built for the university, taking away some of the open green space. I do appreciate the fact that we have so much nature within and around our campus because it provides a place to relax and not have to worry about the stress of school. The convenience of the gardens was also appealing, as finding something similar at Harvard would require a longer drive.

I loved seeing the variety of plants in the botanical gardens. I was surprised to hear that the plants near the entrance of the welcome center are all tropical plants, the banana tree among them. I plan to come back to the gardens before it gets too cold and also in the spring to see the flowers bloom.