2022-04-04 Frederick Meijer Gardens Trip

I was over at Jamie's place and since the Meijer Gardens were having a butterfly exhibit, we went on a date there. Also there was an excellent temporary exhibition, "Planets in My Head" by Yinka Shonibare CBE, which were amazing works and made me feel lots of things.

SO. FUZZY. And it has BABIES.

MOAR CACTI BABIES

They look like they want to play. (Tom Hills. _Five Meerkats_, 1996.)

Monarch caterpillar!

Monarch caterpillar!

An absolutely gorgeous chrysalis, with dew drops and neat little gold things that the caterpillar made on the outside.

Two chrysalises

These tulips are SO ORANGE.

THE LITTLE ANTENNAE! MONCH MONCH MONCH

(Bessie Potter Vonnoh. _Water Lilies_, 1913.)

IDK about you, but despite the figure on the right being male-presenting, this sculpture really gives off sapphic-love vibes. (Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse. _Autumn Lovers_, 1857.)

Some pretty pink flowers. This would be a good phone background.

The same pretty pink flowers. This would make a nice desktop background.

A sealed terrarium.

Butterflies are hard to take pictures of. They are surprisingly fast!

I flaps and I eats.

I am veRY BLURRY because am FaSt

These guys are SO BLUE when they had their wings open, but they were so zoomy that I literally could not take an image fast enough before they closed their wings back up. I _think_ they might be blue morphos?

Some really pretty yellow and white flowers. This would make a good phone background.

Still trying to get the thing to open its wings. But no.

A little black and white butterfly near a waterfall.

Some pretty pink flowers. This would be a good phone background.

Some pretty pink flowers, and also an orange spiky boi.

AM BIG! EAT FLOWERS!

Another of the black and white butterflies, also showing a little red or orange underneath.

(Joseph Kinnebrew. _Visitations: Majorette, Hand Stands, Gifts, A Slight Lapse of Purpose, Yea_, 1994–1997.)

Vines on the amphitheatre columns.

This guy is a whole mood. (Sean Henry. _Lying Man_, 2003.)

Lovely desolation. (Deborah Butterfield. _Cabin Creek_, 1999.)

Vines on the wall behind the amphitheatre restrooms. Might make a good desktop background.

Condensation in a groundlamp.

(Kirk Newman. Children of the World, 1995.)

(Kirk Newman. Children of the World, 1995.)

(Kirk Newman. Children of the World, 1995.)

That ball is bigger than he is! (Kirk Newman. Children of the World, 1995.)

I appreciate the polio braces. These children are children, not perfection. (Kirk Newman. Children of the World, 1995.)

Oh noes, my girlfriend turned into a butterfly!

Trying to capture the dewdrops on the juniper.

(Yinka Shonibare CBE: "Planets in My Head" exhibit. Not sure what this one is.)

Is he going to fall, or take off? (Yinka Shonibare CBE: "Planets in My Head" exhibit. _Butterfly Kid (Boy) IV_, 2019.)

I really like the dynamism he shows, with the girl carefully maintaining balance with the weight of knowledge behind her. (Yinka Shonibare CBE: "Planets in My Head" exhibit. Likely one of the _Blanacing Knowledge_ works.)

You can just feel the hope and weariness of these folk, trying to better their station. (Yinka Shonibare CBE: "Planets in My Head" exhibit. _Moving Up_, 2021.)

I love this one, the innocent ballerina with a demurely-held flintlock. (Yinka Shonibare CBE: "Planets in My Head" exhibit. _Girl Ballerina_, 2007.)

Me on the left, Jamie on the right.

My brilliant girlfriend, Jamie!

Spiky bois! They look so fluffy!

A very pretty spiky red flower

An absolutely gorgeous chrysalis, with dew drops and neat little gold things that the caterpillar made on the outside.

Not sure what this one was. We took the picture through the windows in the main building, looking into the central courtyard.

(Joseph Kinnebrew. _Visitations: Majorette, Hand Stands, Gifts, A Slight Lapse of Purpose, Yea_, 1994–1997.)

(Stuart Padnos. _Multi-Colored Rings_, 1998.)