Museum Of Nature

From one museum series to another. I thought of paying a visit to the Canada Science And Technology Museum, checked their website, and found that they have an exhibit starting up on May 2nd about Leonardo da Vinci, running through until September 2nd, so I'll be visiting at some point between those dates and will have a series down the line, perhaps after the event is done. We'll have to see how busy the summer gets. So I decided to take in a special exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Nature that will be closing on April 28th, a reminder to those of you who are in the area. Survival Of The Slowest is the name of the exhibit, and we'll start getting a look at it tomorrow. 

And so it was that early this month I came to the Museum, first photographing around the grounds. A mother and baby pair of dinosaur sculptures, of the chasmosaurus irvinensis species, stands out on the east lawn for the Museum.

The Canadian Museum of Nature is another one of the national museums in the national capital region, around a fifteen minute walk directly south from Parliament Hill. Its origins go back to the founding of the Geological Survey Of Canada in the mid-19th century, and the current building, erected between 1905-1912, mixes together Gothic Revival and Scottish Baronial architecture. In 2010, work was complete on some major renovations, including the addition of a glass lantern that replaces a stone tower that once stood where it stands- before issues with the soil below that point required its removal. This is the view from the east side.

Here we have the main entrance. Victoria Memorial Museum is still carved above the three doors, as the Museum was established in memory of the Queen. The building has housed more than one collection down through the years, with the nature collection sharing quarters with what is today the Canadian Museum of History. This building even housed Parliament for several years after the 1916 fire that destroyed Centre Block. 

Some years ago, the west lawn was transformed into the Landscapes Of Canada Gardens. This features four zones of Canadian topography. I walk through here and feature the Gardens each season, and will be doing so for spring before I start up with the Tulip Festival in May. The Mammoth Steppe features three mammoths of the Ice Age, with plants that the animals would have been familiar with placed around them. Zones for the Prairies, Arctic Tundra, and Boreal Forest complete the set, which the visitor can walk through.

This view from the west includes an iceberg sculpture which the pathway crosses through.

A historical plaque is found along the path, honouring naturalist and botanist John Macoun.

I returned to the main entrance.

Inside, stained glass windows are positioned above the doors.

This set is between the entrance area and the museum interior. Tomorrow we step inside.