Honey Bee Hive Park
Honey Bee Hive Park is the largest community garden in the Butterfly Garden Neighborhood District. It's in the very desirable location overlooking the Federation Building and sandwiched between Brightin and Marigold Beaches. It's such a large garden that one could spend all afternoon wandering lazily along its manicured pathways. The fashionable set of Butterfly Garden will spend their Sunday afternoons doing just this, purchasing picnics from one of the nearby stalls. It's very popular with children to spend their days on the beaches, going back and forth between them and the playground in the northern end of the park. Their laughter is a constant sound in the air on weekends, much to the chagrin of the popular set, who prefer behavior, especially of children, to be much more modest, contained, and quiet. One would think that the playground, which was pushed for by Councilman Mishin Skavina of Northern Pine Ranch, was built just to annoy the members of the council from Butterfly Park that were not quite pro-children.
There are two main fountains at the north and south sides of the park. They are almost identical in their romantic-era, multi-level, grand statue design, except for their opposing motifs of the gods of folly and wisdom. The goddess Geranium is poised in play at the northern fountain, frolicking among the many vertical jumping waterspouts. Since this fountain is so close to the playground, a matching splash pad was built that abuts the fountain, making it the more popular of the two in the park. If one tosses a coin in Geranium's Fountain it is said they are wishing for all of their problems to evaporate and be replaced by laughter (so in one sense, it's only suiting that Mishin insisted a playground be built on the site). The goddess Iris is poised reading a thick tome in the middle of the southernmost fountain. The vertical jumping fountains orderly disperse their water in the most predictable of patterns. It is one of the most serene spots in the garden, but not nearly as visited as the north fountain. If one throws a coin in Iris's fountain it is said they are wishing for the knowledge to deal with their problems. Once a month these fountains are both cleared of their coins, which are then donated to the temple for the upkeep of all the city's gardens (equally - another of the few Mishin victory against Winnie).
The true prize of Honey Bee Hive Park is, of course, its beehives. They are watched over with the fastidious eye of Councilwoman Winnie Morrow, one of Butterfly Park's most prominent and powerful residents. She has held a position on the town council for over 40 years (perhaps not to lose her control over this particular garden). Councilwoman Winnie can be seen tending the beehives a couple of hours each day, in the hottest part of the day, without fail. She knows the beehives like the back of her hand. One would never be able to, or even think they could get away with, sneaking in and taking honey without the Councilwoman knowing about it. Councilmembers Winnie and Mishin might be in the middle of a 40-year feud, but even he would never think to cross her in regards to the beehive farm.
The garden holds a practical monopoly on honey in the city, and the wildflower honey that comes out of this garden is supposedly the best honey around. The only other place to get honey in Gardinya Lyra are the black markets of Sugar Pine Row. No other legitimate trader would even think to bring honey into the city for trade. The is only so much one is willing to cross Councilwoman Winnie Morrow.
Type
Garden
Parent Location
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