We took the opportunity to go to an Asian lantern festival at the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Garden while we were relatively nearby for Christmas.
I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting, but what we saw exceeded my expectations—it was delightful!
Lovely to see some cactus. A little bit like being home. Though I have never seen one nibbled on by a camel.
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Cute little mushroom. One of many.
![photo of a red mushroom lantern with white spots](https://heat-weirdlastname.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/img_4865-1-683x1024.jpg)
Snakes!
![](https://i2.wp.com/heat-weirdlastname.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/dsc_0721-1-1024x683.jpg?ssl=1)
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Just as mean-looking, a dog (that reminded us a bit of one of our dogs)
![photo of a Chinese dog lantern with a mean look on his face](https://heat-weirdlastname.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/dsc_0750-683x1024.jpg)
I was very excited to have still water for reflections. We don’t have a lot of still water at home.
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The peacock was really neat. The lights moved up its feathers and also changed colors. When it completed its cycle, they were solid green and moved down into a folded-back position, the way an actual peacock would.
![photo of a peacock lantern; green body with alternating blue and pink feathers](https://heat-weirdlastname.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/dsc_0751-1024x683.jpg)
Water critters
![](https://i2.wp.com/heat-weirdlastname.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/img_4863-1-683x1024.jpg?ssl=1&resize=1080%2C1080)
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The dragon was enormous and wonderful to look at. The lens I brought combined with the space we were in didn’t allow for a shot of the whole thing.
![upward shot of a dragon head lantern](https://heat-weirdlastname.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/dsc_0749-1024x683.jpg)
The butterflies were also neat. They made up the top leafy portion of a tree. The sign indicated that this actually happens, where migrating butterflies will completely cover a treetop, making it look like a butterfly tree. What a sight that would be!
![photo of dozens of overlapping butterfly lanterns in several colors](https://heat-weirdlastname.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/dsc_0717-1-1024x683.jpg)
And some pelicans
![photo of pelican lanterns](https://heat-weirdlastname.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/dsc_0743-1024x683.jpg)
The lead photo, the pandas, shows Rocket Kid’s favorite part of the whole thing.
Next week, I’ll share photos from the beach, also taken on this trip.
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