Last weekend, after a nice brunch at Meet in Paris (or is it The Paris?) in Culver City, we drove over to UCLA to visit the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden. I hadn’t been there since I was an undergraduate at UCLA and I believe I only went there once. It is really a treat.

Located at the south east corner of campus, the garden is very well maintained. The plants are plentiful and healthy, the paths are clean, and there is a bit of wildlife in the pools along a little creek. Parking on the weekend is easy either along the street or in parking lot #2.

It was a pleasant day, with the high overcast providing a pretty backdrop to the trees overhead.

There is a tremendous variety of plants. After all it is a botanical garden.

The garden is organized around different types of plants, with categories like bromeliads, palms, Mediterranean ecosystems, and many others. A nice stream runs through the middle of the garden. It is well stocked with koi and turtles.

It really is a pleasant place to spend time quiet time.

The rodent population is friendly.

Stop by sometime. You won’t regret it.