Arboretum Pollinator & Edible Garden Project

Nature doesn’t waste energy.  A flower’s beauty isn’t just for our enjoyment – it plays a vital role in the plant’s survival and in the broader ecosystem.  Flowers have evolved to catch the eye of pollinators like bees, butterflies and birds, whose visits help spread pollen and ensure the plant’s reproduction and long-term survival.   

Now ask yourself: why are fruits so delicious? You’ll find a similar answer.  Fruits contain seeds, and their sweetness entices animals to eat them.  In doing so, those animals help disperse the seeds to new locations, giving rise to new plants.   

Just as plants have developed features to ensure their own survival, they have developed many of their attributes that help support the ecosystems in which they live – including us.  The benefits that we receive from plants are called ecosystem services.  For example, trees lend us their shade, clean our air and cool the temperature around them on hot days.  Bees share their honey, and berry bushes give us strawberries, blueberries and so much more.   

We invite you to visit one of our growing gardens to find a quiet “sit-spot” and take in the beauty of the flowers alongside the buzzing pollinators.  Savor the taste of fruit, listen to the birdsong, feel the warmth of the sun, the crispness of the air-or perhaps the gentle mist of rain. Take a moment to calm your mind and appreciate the many pleasures we enjoy when we let nature thrive around us.  

While you’re visiting the gardens, please remember; these spaces are also a sanctuary for the many creatures that rely on them-for food, shelter, or simply as a place to pause and rest along a migratory journey.