Greetings From SeaWorld’s Garden of Discovery

January 2003

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What’s Happening in SeaWorld’s Gardens This Month?

Palms are a group of plants in the SeaWorld tree collection worthy of praise. With their height, graceful silhouette and exotic appearance the palms are prized members of the park landscape.

Lady palm

Worldwide there are over 2,800 known species of palms in about 200 genera. They are found primarily in tropical and subtropical regions between latitudes 40° south and 40° north. Palms are of major economic importance as sources of food, oil and building materials.

The west side of the park has some of the tallest Mexican fan palms.

Visitors to the SeaWorld landscape find palms everywhere ranging from the lady palm (Rhapis excelsa) used in decorative pots to the 75 foot Mexican fan palms (Washingtonia robusta) that dot the skyline. Beyond the commonly used Mexican fan palms, queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffianum) and king palms (Archonthophoenix cunninghamiana) are planted throughout the park. Perhaps the most noteworthy park palm specimen is the magnificent Senegal date palm (Phoenix reclinata) growing on the east side of Cirque de la Mer stadium. This clustering palm was transplanted into the SeaWorld landscape prior to the park opening in 1964. A solitary palm worthy of recognition is the Guadalupe palm (Brahea edulis) growing on the east side of Sea Lion and Otter stadium. It’s native to Guadalupe Island off the west coast of Mexico and is considered to be endangered with less than 1,000 remaining on the island.

As a group the palms are the most common members of the SeaWorld tree collection. With their durability and beauty they have earned the right to play such a prominent role.

Senegal date palm

Recent entries from our Wildlife Spotters log include:

Gulf Fritillary and Monarch Caterpillars

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Take time to stop and smell the roses! AHHH, the peace one feels when we are in tune with nature. Have you ever considered gardening with your children? Does your child’s school have a garden? With some encouragement from parents, willing teachers and administrators, a few feet of empty space and some local sponsors, your children may be well on their way to an exciting and fun adventure in learning.

In a time when so much teaching is done with computers, it can be refreshing to take a step back into simplicity. This is where gardening comes in. There may well be as many opportunities that facilitate learning through gardening, as there are learning with computers. A number of children need to learn in a kinesthetic way and gardening provides just that. It can also be a more cost effective way of learning. Math & Science, Language & Art are just some of the areas where specific skills and knowledge can be acquired through gardening. With proper planning and guidance children can really blossom.

• School Garden Information
• Way to Grow Awards Program

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Weather Report

SeaWorld San Diego January weather could easily be confused with May in many parts of the country. High temperatures average in the mid to upper 60°’s. Overnight lows about 50°. Our percentage of possible sunshine is a stunning 72%. Normal rainfall for the month is 1.80 inches.

• Live weather from SeaWorld

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Garden of Discovery Partners