Dambo Trolls at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

We have a principal who loves finding Dambo trolls throughout the US. She and her family have visited numerous locales that host these masterful pieces of art. The larger-than-life sculptures have been fashioned using reclaimed materials that create giant wooden trolls “hiding” in natural environments. Their worldwide popularity has increased, and millions of people search for them yearly. FYI…20 countries and 5 continents support Dambo’s work, so if you live outside of the United States, you could start your own troll hunt.

I’d never participated in a troll hunt before. Oddly enough, my phone began showing me ads for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens—highlighting the Dambo trolls—after an innocuous conversation with my principal. They looked fun, so I texted the ladies before our trip. No one really replied to my text, but lo and behold, the trolls made the cut!

The Acady Ladies awoke, gathered lunch items, and sojourned to the Botanical Gardens. Once we arrived, Reba Rates Restrooms (see previous post—9 out of 10) took over, so the ladies purchased the tickets and waited for me.

I love maps, and the joy I felt with a map in hand was just a small start for this amazing day. We knew the acreage would be too much to cover in one visit, but our list of “Must See” items was manageable.

Minimizing the natural beauty would be a crime. As busy as this place was, little spots of solitude were everywhere. At times there were “secret paths” that took you through the forested areas, spilling out onto a main thoroughfare. Our trolls must have felt right at home.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens provided experiences for all patrons. There was a sensory garden, and it provided experiences for patrons with limited sight as well as patrons with autism. Shuttle buses transported everyone to further locations.

The Fairy House Garden provided areas for construction. Little fairy homes dotted the landscape, and people of all ages enjoyed the hands-on area. The Children’s Garden enlightened enthusiastic learners with life cycle descriptions and physical activities.

We enjoyed the paths that led to and from the trolls, and we loved sharing conversations with those around us. Armed with interest, a map, and binoculars, we began the quest.

Guardians of the Seeds

The legend of the Guardians of the Seeds can be read in its entirety here. These trolls protect 10 golden seeds: chestnut, cherry, elm, spruce, hazel, oak, ash, beech, birch, and maple. With “Little people” coming in and destroying the trees, the trolls have committed to protecting the forest, so we will never see a time without trees.

Gro

Gro represents the leaves. Trees eat sunlight through their leaves. Leaves, in turn, feed many animals thus making animal life possible. While Gro wanders in fall, she returns in the spring to catch some sun and raindrops. Through this, she feeds the forest.

Soren

Soren sticks up for the branches. He knows many branches provide homes for the animals. Soren’s curiosity takes his dreams to higher heights as he longs to live among the clouds.

Lilja

Lilja holds the scent of the flowers. As a baby, Lilja finds joy in the beauty of the flowers that provide nectar for the insects and butterflies. She also realizes that as these animals take food from the flowers, they also give back by spreading seeds in other places.

Birk

Birk holds the roots of the trees. As the wisest, he knows the roots spread deep and far, listening to see which trees need food and which ones are suffering from pests and disease. Birk listens to the soil.

Roskva

Roskva stands for the trunk of the tree. She is the strongest, hardest, and heaviest of the trolls. She also knows the trunk transforms at different phases of life: to support and move food through the tree, to provide a habitat for animals and fungi to live, and to return to the soil to nourish the future trees.

We loved this place. In fact, we each purchased a Guardian of the Seeds shirt, so this day would linger with us a while longer.