{"id":90746,"date":"2023-10-02T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/flgcc.com\/?p=90746"},"modified":"2026-01-26T22:59:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T03:59:19","slug":"bok-tower-gardens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flgcc.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/02\/bok-tower-gardens\/florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Bok Tower Gardens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This past week we took a trip over to Lake Wales to visit Bok Tower Gardens. It\u2019s one of our favorite spots to go for hummingbirds. Bok Tower Gardens is a beautiful place built atop one of the tallest areas in all of Florida. It was originally built by Edward and Mary Bok in the early 1920s and was meant to be a bird sanctuary. He was a Pulitzer Prize winning author and the editor of Ladies Home Journal for 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Large Purple Crepe Myrtle Along a Trail<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The gardens are beautiful with many native plants. Because it\u2019s Florida, there\u2019s always something in bloom. The property sits in the middle of huge citrus groves and the views stretch for miles. That also means the air is filled with sweet fragrances in the spring when the trees are full of blossoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Polydamus Swallowtail Butterfly on a Red Jatropha Flower<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The tower was finished in 1929 and contains a 60-bell carillon. It is known as the Singing Tower. The Boks gifted the gardens and tower to the US and the tower was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark by President Calvin Coolidge. The music is played by a carillonneur. There have only been 4 full-time carillonneurs in the history of the tower. The current carillonneur, Geert D\u2019hollander, has been there for 11 years. The bells are played each half hour during the day with short concerts twice daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Singing
Singing Tower at Bok Tower Gardens<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The gardens are a mecca for hummingbirds, butterflies, and many other species of birds. Sometimes there are uncommon visitors during the fall and spring migrations. A few years back a hummingbird native to the western US made an appearance. This year another has returned. It\u2019s called a rufous hummingbird and they are generally found west of the Rocky Mountains. The last time one was spotted in the gardens, it stayed for several weeks. With any luck this one will do the same. But, in case this one decides to continue south, we wanted to capture some shots before it left. Unfortunately, the adage \u201cyou should\u2019ve been here yesterday\u201d held true. We thought we saw a rufous, but we weren\u2019t certain. It can be difficult to correctly identify specific birds when they are juveniles because their adult feathers haven\u2019t filled in. Either way, we didn\u2019t get the shots we hoped for. We\u2019ll keep watching for updates from the park. Hopefully we\u2019ll get another opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For more information about Bok Tower Gardens, check out the link below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n