| From time to time we see wildlife both in and out of its natural environment. Wichita was no different, our hosts had a daily run
to see what local wildlife was to be seen. The squirrels were particularly
bold. This one came to within a couple of feet of us, obviously enquiring
about our business. |  |
| .This fellow was much more miserable. But then wouldn't you be if you
were cooped up in an aquarium tank all day long with a bunch of equally
ugly looking specimens. I'm not sure what this was but there were also
catfish, Gar and turtles in the tank. |
| This burrowing owl was in a glass case. I almost caught it with a
mouse it had just been given but it hid it and came back out to frighten
me off, repeatedly attacking the glass. There were also a couple of snowy
owls but they were more asleep. All of these were in a visitors centre at
a local nature reserve. | 
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| No, this wasn't real, but was a rather impressive life sized picture on
the wall. The detail was exceptional. But the camera lies since the
lighting conditions were quite tricky. |
| There was a major festival in progress with events in many places
including the botanical gardens. These were extremely crowded but it was
still possible to find a tranquil shot like this one across one of the
ponds. | 
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| Wichita must have links with a bronze foundry and a host of sculptors
because there were sculptures everywhere. We particularly liked this collection of
herons. Not particularly lifelike since they tend to be rather solitary,
but they should keep the live ones away from the fish. |
| Gardens are always worth a look at any time of the year and it is
the flowers which are the stars. These iris were almost jet black. There were
several colourful combinations but this was the most striking. |
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