THE DUCK POND AREA
The pond and nearby is the most popular area for children especially as there is the possibility of seeing at least one of the five turtles/terrapins who have decided that the pond is their “forever home”. I am not sure that the terrapins have survived as I have not seen any of them for more than a year, however, someone did contact a year ago to say that they was a new addition bring the total to six.
In March 2019 I contacted management and received the following response:
Hi William
Thank you for your concern regarding the turtles in the pond. They have been in the pond now for at least 4 years. They were abandoned there without our knowledge but they survive ok by themselves so seem to be quite happy there. They like to sun themselves at the edge of the pond when the weather is warm so they are more visible in summer.
Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.
Best regards
Visitor Centre
National Botanic Gardens
There is also a sculpture, designed by Charles Jencks, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the DNA double helix in 1953. It is a gift to the nation from private donors. It demonstrates our growing knowledge of RNA. It is only recently that we have discovered that all life on earth, from microbes to plants and animals are all related to one another.
note: a young girl corrected me saying that the sculpture relates to RNA rather than DNA and I was not in a position to argue
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