Phipps
Conservatory is one of Pittsburgh’s most notable
assets. Phipps was
built by Henry Phipps as a gift to the City of Pittsburgh and a
showcase for tropical flowers and trees. The original building was designed
by the New York firm of Lord &
Burnham and cost $100,000! Phipps has been enjoyed by
visitors from all over the world for over 100 years.
The
coordinates for this cache point to the main entry greenhouse, but
solving this puzzle cache will allow you to see some of the unique
features on the Phipps grounds, including some of the more notable
trees. You will have to
use some dendrology skills to identify these trees, but the
specimens are fairly unique and easy to identify. You may want to check out some
dendrology websites before setting out for this cache so you can
get an idea of what you’re looking for. A good place to look is the USDA
plant identification website at www.plants.usda.gov.
You will not
need to enter the fenced outdoor gardens of Phipps, nor go into the
greenhouse. All clues
can be found on the public part of the grounds.
I thought
Phipps would be a great place for a cache, as it is one of my
favorite places to visit and enjoy the beautiful architecture,
grounds and ever-changing flower shows. This cache can be combined with a
visit to Phipps for a fun day! Phipps is open daily 9:30am
– 5pm, until 9pm on Friday. If you are there on the weekend,
you may meet me teaching one of Phipps Public Programs. These programs are free with paid
admission and feature a variety of plant and conservation related
topics. Public Program
times are Saturday and Sunday at 1:30. I teach the Public Programs about
one to two times per month. For more info about Phipps and a
schedule of Public Programs, please see their website at www.phipps.conservatory.org.
This may also be a good resource to find some information for at
least a few of the clues needed to solve the puzzle.
This is my
first cache and is a fairly simple puzzle. In finding clues for the puzzle,
you will have to search for various features around the
Conservatory. Terrain
is rated a 1.5 and should be easy for anyone to do. Most stages and clues can be
accessed by a wheelchair, although some assistance may be needed to
access the final. This
cache was inspired by some nearby caches which feature similar
puzzles to learn about some nearby landmarks. Check out the O.O.P.S. Cache and
Cathedral of Caching.
www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=449d12b3-7a11-41b0-b812-3eed17bc7bdb
www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=c9ded2ae-df01-4d96-ad93-73f0a7b826ce
Unless you
are going into the Conservatory with paid admission, you can not
park in the lot in the middle of Schenley Ave. This lot is patrolled by police
and requires proof of paid admission to Phipps. There is metered parking along
Schenley Drive and along Frew Street
near Carnegie Mellon University. There is also metered parking
along the Carnegie Library on the other side of the Schenley
Bridge. This would be a
good place to park if you also want to do O.O.P.S. and Cathedral of
Caching. Do not park in
the lot behind the Columbus statue – this lot is for Phipps
employees only. Also,
do not drive down the road behind the statue. This is considered a construction
area and not accessible by the public. If there is a large event at
Phipps (such as a wedding), please be cautious of muggles and security muggles patrolling the area and parking
cars.
Once you
solve the puzzle, you will find a small container which includes a
FTF prize of a Phipps Keychain and FTF Geojewels. Second to find prize is a Phipps
Keychain. Also included
are some plant-related items and a Dendro71 geopin. In 2011, the original container went
missing and was replaced with a smaller container containing only a
logbook, so please bring a pen!
N40.26.ABC
W79.56.DEF
Between 2003
and 2006, a major construction project added a new Visitor’s
Center and Tropical Forest Conservatory to Phipps. You can view the sunken
Visitor’s Center from the outside, or you can enter the
center during business hours to find the answer to this
clue. You do not need
to pay admission to enter the Visitor’s Center and visit the
Phipps Gift Shop and restaurant.
A = Square
root of the number of longitudinal sections in the Phipps
Visitor’s Center dome
Phipps
Outdoor Garden is usually open to the public and contains a
variety of garden beds and unique trees. The Outdoor Garden is also a
popular site for beautiful weddings. You do not need to enter the
Outdoor Garden to find the answer to this clue, but pay special
attention to all the floral motifs integrated into the ironwork of
the garden gate.
B = Number of
tulips along the TOP of the gate to the Outdoor Garden gate –
the number of footlights along the front walk to the entrance of
Phipps
Ginkgo biloba trees are native to China and considered
“fossil trees” because they have remained unchanged for
over 12 million years.
Although these trees are deciduous (losing their leaves in the
fall), they are more closely related to conifers like spruces,
pines, and firs. These
trees are either male or female, with flowers of each sex growing
on separate trees. The
female trees produce hard seeds covered by a fleshy coating that
produces a rancid smell with a close resemblance to a dirty
diaper. Ginkgos are
very hardy and make great street trees, but if you decide to plant
one in your yard, make sure you get male trees! For this clue, only consider the
Ginkgo biloba trees on the Phipps side of Schenley
Ave. In preparation for the G20 conference and President Obama's
visit to Phipps in the fall of 2009, some of these trees were
removed, as they were looking kind of sad. To adjust for the tree
removal, add the number of years of a U. S. president's term of
office from your result for this clue.
I am amazed
how things as insignificant as a drinking fountain were designed
years ago. This
drinking fountain can almost be considered a sculpture! Take a rest on a nearby bench to
check it out! By the
way, the drinking fountain is nowhere near
Neptune…you’re on your own to find him frolicking in
the water lilies.
C = Number of
Ginkgo biloba trees along the front of Phipps –
(number of LARGE fish in Alexander Speyer’s drinking fountain
+ number of points in Neptune’s crown)
The Columbus
statue located near Phipps contributes to the many sculptures in
the Schenely Park and Oakland
areas. Check out the
Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria ship motifs
integrated into the sculpture.
D = Number of
rays on sun in Columbus statue
Pseudotsugamenziesii is a tree native to the western United States
and a dominant species in many forests in the Rocky Mountains and
West Coast. This tree
was first discovered in 1792 growing along the Vancouver coast by
Scottish surgeon and naturalist Archibald Menzies. It was also collected in 1806
along the Oregon Coast by Meriweather
Lewis during the famous Lewis and Clark expedition. It is a common
timber and pulp tree, but can also grow to many feet in height and diameter in its native
habitat. In
Pennsylvania, this tree can’t grow to the massive dimensions
of its native habitat, this hardy
species makes a great addition to the landscape and is commonly
used as a Christmas tree.
E = Square
root of A – number of Pseudotsuga menziesii trees outside Outdoor Garden
gate
Edward
Manning Bigelow is known as the father of Pittsburgh parks and was
the Director of Pittsburgh’s Public Works. He was responsible for major
improvements in Pittsburgh’s infrastructure including many
parks in Oakland, including Schenley and Highland
Parks. His statue
watches over the gateway to Schenley Park.
Metasequoiaglyptostroboides was brought back from the verge of extinction
when a Chinese botanist discovered the plant in 1941 growing in the
remote forests of China. These impressive trees are closely
related to Sequioia giganteum, but can be grown in
Pennsylvania. Once
established, trees can quickly reach a height of 70 – 100
feet with a beautiful thick trunk. Although classified as a conifer
and related to evergreen trees such as pines and spruces, this
tree’s needles are deciduous, turning orange-yellow and
falling from the tree in autumn. Two of these trees had to be moved
and replanted during the construction of the new Visitor’s
Center!
F = Number of
Metasequoia glyptostroboides in front of Phipps x (date
Bigelow statue placed – date Phipps Conservatory
founded)