Searching for Pink Muhly: Incheon
Meggie
a day ago
Welcome to autumn in Incheon! Here is how to see as many famous, gorgeous foliage options in one place at one time- for free!
Today, we head to Dream Park. My top priority: seeing the truly unique pink mugly grass in full fuschia. As the species was mostly removed from the greater Seoul area in recent years, this is one of the few places it exists nearby.
I took the bus to get here, using my CheckIN card to pay for transportation, but there are ample parking lots and spaces to drive yourself.
With the many infographic maps and people here for the same reason, it was no trouble at all finding the muhly field. To my delight, there are multiple exhibits of pink muhly across the botanical garden!
Here's the plant's coloring up close, next to my lavender nails and dark coral sweater, for color shade reference. It looks more pink with tinted and polarized sunglasses on, but more magenta and shades of purple up close to my bare eyes.
The environment at this park is one of curiosity, playfulness and joy. Many people brought their dogs, families, friends groups and lovers for photo shoots. There are many urban shots with tall buildings in the background as well as places with nothing but nature in your lens view.
I ended up spending hours here, I didn't want to leave! To my surprise, I somehow caught the pink muhly as well as the yellowing gingko leaves still on the tree, plus the tail end of the chrysanthemum festival!
The most unexpected discovery was the full-size animal statues covered in live flowers. I didn't know I needed a chrysanthemum- adorned dinosaur in my life until I met three, altogether. There were horses, pandas and other critters dressed in daisies and asters throughout the park. You could almost smell the flowers before you saw them on the animals, that's how fragrant the environment was!
I had worn a N94 face mask on the metro and bus to get here, but during a strong wind gust on the street, it blew away. I would highly suggest bringing a face covering of some kind when you come, as the allergens are out in full force, even if it's not a windy day.
Logistics tips: there are several restrooms sprinkled around the property for convenience. While photography is encouraged, drones are strictly prohibited. Some sections of the gardens were roped off, to protect the flowers from us humans stomping on them, but many people didn't adhere to the rules. Dream Park is not 24/7, so check the days and hours of operation before you come.
Fall seems to take forever to get here, but we blink and it's gone. I hope that you get to get outside and admire nature's changing season and colors before it winds down for winter!
