Franklin Park Conservatory displays 25 exotic-animal topiaries

A bison from Yellowstone National Park, a Royal Bengal tiger from the Sundarbans in (*25*), camels of the Wadi Rum of Jordan — and different unique animals — have invaded the grounds of Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E. Broad St

“Topiary Takeover,” an exhibit of about 25 animal topiaries offered in seven installations, stretches throughout 13 acres of the outside space of the East Broad Street conservatory. The larger-than-life creations — representing animals discovered at UNESCO pure heritage websites — are constructed on metal frames and coated with residing vegetation that stand in for fur, feathers, pores and skin and scales.

The 12-by 6½-foot bison, for instance, has a hump fabricated from lengthy blades of bronze carex, a physique of brown lysimachia leaves, a face with brown reindeer moss and taxidermy eyes. He stands proudly in a discipline of native grasses and black-eyed Susans, replicating his pure habitat. 

The two camels have hair tufts of carex and our bodies coated with bronze ajuga. One stands and one sits in a desert-like setting. Visitors can climb up and sit on the standing camel and have their image taken.

The bison and the camels, like the opposite topiary animals, have plastic tubing inside to occupy area, holding the works from turning into too heavy, and scale back the variety of vegetation required to cowl the frames. Each animal has an inner irrigation system to maintain its vegetation uniformly watered. 

The different animals within the exhibit embrace the Royal Bengal tiger (a favourite of younger guests), an unlimited Sri Lanka peacock (12 by 18 toes), a Galapagos marine iguana, pink flamingos and, within the conservatory’s North Courtyard, a Great Barrier Reef aquarium with greater than a dozen fish, sea horses and jelly fish.