The first occasion was in January of 2008 when the weather was cold, or at least as cold as it can get in South Florida.

During the winter, the orchids inside the greenhouse were amazing but it seemed like the rest of the grounds were a bit dormant due to the weather.

In comparison to winter, the grounds during the summer were teeming with life including a variety of plants, animals, and insects.

Some of the wildlife we saw included a marsh hare, a southern black racer snake, a squirrel, lizards, multi colored dragonflies, butterflies and a variety of birds.