Untamed Wild Or Manicured Garden?

I admit a propensity for convenience. I was once among those who trudged the untamed wild, but I now rarely venture out beyond well travelled trails. This is partly a function of time, of age, of shfting priorities and of the troubled results of polio. But it is also out of respect for the wild. Nature has its double edge: boundless beauty mixed with untold dangers that may come from a simple prick of a plant or the sting of mosquito as well as the predators that lurk in the shadows. The allure of the woods is in its danger as well as its delight, in its capacity to harm and to heal.

A great deal of human effort goes into managing the wild, to offering a taste of the untamed with less risk to human limb and life. One method is the making of botanical gardens, which provide manicured resemblance to the exotic worlds that once covered more of the planet.  Recently, I enjoyed a morning walk through the Botanic Garden of Singapore, which certainly qualifies as one of the best. Here are a few pictures...

How often do you venture out into the untamed wild?