You’d be hard pressed to find two more different places in the United States than Miami Beach and, say, Riverton, Wyoming, or Salida, Colorado. Well, or just about any place in the Rocky Mountains. You won't find Carharts or North Face on this Florida beach. Too hot. Temps in the low 90s the first week of October, and humid. Beachgoers move slow in light cotton clothes. Bikinis and thong suits standard.

One day while attending a trade show at the Miami Beach Convention Center, I spied a sign across the street, over a narrow entryway in the Vine Collection border that said: Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Naturally curious, I grabbed my camera and took a break from the show.

Within its 4.5 acres are a number of discrete areas: The Palm Grove, Bromeliad Garden, Heliconia Garden, South Florida Native Garden, a Japanese Garden with pond, Butterfly Garden, and the Great Lawn, now host to a 10' x 15' sculpture made from 18 pieces of Guadua bamboo, fanned skyward. But my favorite was the mighty Banyan Tree. There are a variety of pretty palms, too, but they are common throughout South Florida.

Well-concealed buildings include an auditorium for programs, offices and meeting rooms, an orchid nursery, and a small shop that sells plants.

In bloom this day were more than a half-dozen flowers, including Firebush (Hamelia patens), Silver vase (Aechmea fasciata), Dwarf pomegranate (Punica granatum), and Red ginger (Alpinia purpurea).Well-concealed buildings include an auditorium for programs, offices and meeting rooms, an orchid nursery, and a small shop that sells plants.

Admission is free. Learn more at www.mbgarden.org