Mission Statement: Gardens and programs that inspire, educate, and enrich our lives and our community.
Purpose Statement: To educate and encourage citizens on the importance of developing, restoring, maintaining and conserving wildlife habitat, and the native plants that comprise that habitat.
Membership:
Welcome new members!! We hope to see you at our monthly classes and upcoming events.
Renewal Information:
Thanks to those who have renewed and have done so continuously and generously. Memberships/Renewals help support our organization to maintain the gardens!
Note:
Though you may still choose to mail in payments, we can now accept memberships and renewals online with this link: Membership/Renewals. (Note: It is possible to use credit/debit cards in lieu of a PayPal account. If it asks you to log in with a one time code, choose the option of “try another way” and then you can choose credit/debit card and go from there.)
Separate donations can also be transacted online!
Donations/Memorials.
April Class
Garden Work Parties
Our 2nd inaugural Garden Walk ’n Talk speaker on Wednesday April 22nd at 9:00am will be Hannah Schrager, owner of Good Year Farms, to learn about our revered and bountiful local plants. The flora species that pre-date western settlement evolved with the soils, climate, indigenous people and wildlife of our region. This walk will cover some basic ecology (interactions between the living and non), local ethnobotany (relationships between humans and plants), and highlight the abundant edible plants we have surrounding us at all times!
**Note: See story (and pic) below regarding our first Garden Ambassador Walk ‘n Talk.
Potted Plant Sale
Shopping
Early and exclusive access for the first hour of the sale on Saturday morning is reserved for current members (up-to-date with their dues) and people who become members from now until the sale. We will be using SignUpGenius to schedule people to shop at 9:00-10am in 20 minute increments. The sale will be open to the public starting at 10:00am for the remainder of the sale ending at 3:00pm.
It would be helpful to bring your own wagon/cart for shopping.
Important!! In an attempt at fairness we are giving this advance notification to everyone ahead of an email which will be sent to members only, with details including the sign-up link and time when it will go live for shopping the sale.
On Saturday March 7th Meredith represented NatureScaping and the WA Bee Atlas at the Venersborg Seed Swap. Lots of interest in the Wildlife Botanical Gardens from people who didn’t know of our nonprofit and the Gardens. She gave a half hour presentation on native bees. She fielded some good questions around threats to bees, pesticides, parasites in nests etc. Comments received after… I didn’t know anything about native bees other than Mason bees, I learned a lot, thank you for the information on the WA Bee Atlas and the excellent handouts.We had a tour and information session on March 28th at the gardens for Master Gardener initiates that are interested in volunteering at Naturescaping. Hope to get some great help at the gardens from the group.
Speaking of volunteers so far this season we are off to a good start! One of our garden work party coordinators said: “the volunteers were awesome and hard workers. Several will sign up again. We pulled lots of weeds, spread gravel, wood chips and cleaned up the area along the roadway. The volunteers continued the removal of shrubs around the entrance sign. A successful day!”
Spotted….by one of our garden coordinators….”this was the first butterfly I’ve seen in the gardens this year–it was on the weeping cherry in the Water Wise Garden.” What was it?The gardens are listed in the “Hardy Plant Society Open Gardens” for April 25th from 10:00AM – 6:00PM with a nice write-up about the garden’s unique offerings and the demonstration of gardening concepts to provide habitat for wildlife which are maintained by volunteers.
We launched our very first Garden Ambassador Walk ’n Talk in the Wildlife Botanical Gardens with Steven Clark, and what a beginning it was.
The audience was truly captivated by Steven’s tour through the trees and shrubs of the Gardens. Drawing from his background as an esteemed biology professor, he wove together science, story, and observation in a way that was both deeply informative and wonderfully engaging. What made the experience truly memorable, however, was his delivery. With a natural comedic style, Steven had the group smiling, giggling, and at times laughing out loud as we moved through the landscape.
Along the way, we were treated to fascinating insights that invited us to look more closely at the natural world around us.
Did you know that bumblebees can regulate their body temperature by vibrating their wing muscles, allowing them to be active in cooler conditions?
Did you know that the Douglas fir is not a true fir, and that its cones fall intact rather than breaking apart when falling from a true fir tree?
Moments like these are what make a walk through the Gardens come alive, turning familiar plants into sources of curiosity and discovery.
We are grateful to Steven for sharing his knowledge, humor, and time with us, and we look forward to many more Walk ’n Talk experiences ahead. 
Future Garden Ambassador Walk ’n Talk tours are open to volunteers and will be held from 9:00–10:00 am on scheduled work party days. Participation in the tour is part of the volunteer work party, and volunteers are expected to remain and complete the full shift, which runs until 12:00 noon.
This provides an opportunity to begin the morning with guided learning and then carry those ideas with them as they work in the Gardens.
Sharing……
We have created a free 52-page booklet as an educational tool that includes dozens of high-quality photos, descriptions and other information regarding native plants found at The Wildlife Botanical Gardens and reasons to incorporate them in your landscape. Here is the link to finding it on our website:
From Socrates: “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.”
Enjoy!