Golden Gate Turned Pink --- Days 312, 13 & 14

Walk: 1. Presidio Pickleball  2. TJ's then Movie Time (Zoom Discuss The Two of Us, watch Another                    Round)   3.Golden Gate Park Magnolias

Distance: 1. 2.3 miles, 90 minutes pickle  2. 2.5 miles then sit discuss & watch  3. 8 miles

So, it's been a pre-covid while since Ciwt spent time in Golden Gate Park's Botanical Garden.  And when she went today she found it had turned gorgeous shades of  pink. 

The pink world above her and petals at her feet was the annual bloom of more than 200 rare and historic magnolias and one of San Francisco's most breathtaking natural marvels.  The timing is weather dependent and Ciwt was a shade late for the peak, but even in this later stage there were dramatic splashes of velvety color and sweetly fragrant scents.

Magnolia campbellii

The Botanical Garden is home to the most significant magnolia collection outside China.  It began in 1939 when Eric Walther, the Garden Director planted the first magnolia and went on to introduce a wide variety of species and cultivars.  One of the most famous species he planted was a cup and saucer magnolia or Magnolia campbellii which, in 1940, was the first to bloom in the United States and attracted huge crowds of visitors who stood in long lines for the opportunity to see the large pink blossoms.  

80+ years later it is still standing, but Ciwt isn't sure whether she saw it or the numerous other campelliis now in the Garden, each with its own history.