In the Hortus Botanicus in Alkmaar it is a very special fish that is the star of the show among all the flowers and plants: Kees de carp. Thanks to a miraculous construction, it seems to float above the surface of the pond. Of course North Holland enjoyed the flowers, the kingfisher but above all Kees the carp.
A hortus botanicus is a kind of museum for plants. Hundreds of species have been collected in the Alkmaar Hortus, where collection bearer Sipke Gong Grab holds sway. “The homeopathic medicine manufacturer VSM used to grow medicinal herbs here. Now we show the public special native and exotic plants.”
Natural North Holland in the Hortus in Alkmaar – NH Nieuws
And special fish. Because in addition to Kees de carp, roach and a tench also swim/float above the pond of the Hortus. “And then we also have a kingfisher wall!” We have not even been sitting for a minute before the kingfisher comes to sit less than five meters in front of us. He flies back and forth with fish for the young in his nest. “That nest is in a hole he dug across the ditch,” explains Sipke. And indeed the kingfisher with fish and everything shoots into the hole.”
Tender pitiful, parnassia and stiff eyebright; plants that you have to walk for miles in the dunes can all be found in the hortus. But is also a beautiful collection of sundew. This is a carnivorous plant that also occurs in the peat polders of North Holland. “Look at all the insects that are trapped on the sticky leaves,” Sipke points out. We see a lacewing, bees and a beautiful dragonfly. “They are doomed because the sundew consumes them bit by bit.”
The Hortus Botanicus of Alkmaar is open to the public.