Friends of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

06/15/2026

A great opportunity!

Did you know that the Garden is home to at least 9 bumblebee species, including the endangered rusty patch bumblebee?

Join entomologists from the University of MN Bee Lab at the Garden this summer to be a part of important bumblebee survey work, all while learning about bees and having a great time!

The first community bee survey is scheduled for Saturday, June 27 from 1-3pm.

Meet at the Garden's front gate for this free drop-in program for people of all ages.

We hope to see you out with the bees!

06/10/2026

More wetland survivors are benefiting from all the new light after we high-cut the buckthorn thickets over the winter:

06/09/2026

Common cow parsnip in an area of the North Meadow newly cleared of buckthorn. Not to be confused with invasive lookalikes like wild parsnip, this native plant supports many moth species as well as various swallowtail butterflies. While its sap can cause skin blisters when exposed to sunlight, its location deep within the wetland means it contributes greatly to the food chain with no risk to people.

06/04/2026

It's wonderful to see Garden Curator Susan Wilkins sharing her 22 years of knowledge and experience with the local design and horticulture community. By highlighting what makes the Garden, and the Greater Eloise Stewardship Area surrounding it, thrive, including the invaluable contributions of volunteers, Susan is helping others learn from and be inspired by this special place.
This kind of community engagement is yet another example of how the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and extends its impact beyond park boundaries, influencing our region and inspiring best practices in gardens and public spaces everywhere.

ASLA MN Education Symposium Speaker highlight:

Session 5 – How the Garden Grows: Nurturing Nature, Nourishing Community at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden by Susan Wilkens, Garden Curator, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

When you step into a space, like a garden, and experience a felt shift within you, do you wonder what is influencing that change? Join a thoughtful conversation about how we tend to the multi-faceted experience that is the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. Its sensory richness, intentional simplicity, and community-centered focus invite visitors to engage with plants, nature, and each other, fostering deep and nourishing connections within this beloved and biodiverse space. From plant collections curation and visitor care to new initiatives and amenities, explore the perceptive and dynamic processes that shape this public sanctuary, holding both people and plants in community at the nation’s oldest public wildflower garden.

Susan Wilkins is Garden Curator of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, a historic 18-acre native plant botanic garden. For more than 22 years, she has led the stewardship of its diverse plant collections. In addition to overseeing horticultural operations, she directs the Garden’s education programs, visitor services, and volunteer initiatives while cultivating partnerships and community engagement efforts that extend the Garden’s impact.

Wilkins also serves ex officio on the Friends of the Wildflower Garden board. With a background in restoration ecology and landscape design, including previous work as a garden designer, she brings a thoughtful, place-based approach to public garden management.

06/03/2026

Join fellow vertebrates in seeking out our spineless friends😀:

Visit the Garden later today and join in the learning fun on an Invertebrate Discovery Walk with a knowledgeable Garden Naturalist! There are an abundance of interesting insects just waiting for you to notice them 🐛🪲🐝🐜.

This free, drop-in program is for all ages and runs from 4-5pm. It starts in front of the Visitor Shelter and is scheduled weekly on Wednesdays through the month of June.

Stop on out and discover a whole new fascinating world of wooly bears, weevils, white admirals, woodworms and more!

05/25/2026

Some wetland survivors are benefiting from all the new light after we high-cut the buckthorn thickets over the winter: marsh marigolds, sensitive fern, paper birch, swamp saxifrage, spring cress, black currants.

The buckthorn stumps will need to be stripped of their new growth this summer, but in the meantime, we’re enjoying the new feeling of freedom here.

05/20/2026

05/18/2026

There are still active groundwater seeps along the margins of the wetlands between the Wildflower Garden and Glenwood Avenue. While the park’s powerful historic springs no longer flow, the groundwater system is still alive — which means the peatlands Eloise Butler called the “North Meadow” and “Gentian Meadow” are restorable.

Restoring these wetlands will help hold more water on the landscape and slow the accelerated, erosive outflow of groundwater, protecting these seeps in what will likely be a hotter, drier future.

And because the Garden’s wetland sits just upstream within the same aquifer system (only a few feet higher in elevation), restoration could also protect — and possibly even restore — some of the lost “bog-like” characteristics of that beautiful pothole wetland Eloise chose as the centerpiece of her native plant reserve.

05/18/2026

Let's step up our game when it comes to wetlands. This is a timely webinar--don't miss it!

Wetlands are Minnesota’s unsung heroes - filtering our water, storing carbon, buffering floods, sheltering wildlife, and quietly providing the backdrop for some of our most cherished outdoor experiences. Right now, they need our protection. This is Minnesota’s chance to step up and protect our w...

05/14/2026

Join us this season for crafting in community at the Garden! Staff welcome you to bring a portable project to work on at the Garden in the company of others during these drop-in Knitting in Nature sessions.

Led by a Garden Naturalist who crafts, you will also have opportunities to hear highlights about the plants, birds, and other animals of the Garden during each session.

Meet outside of the Visitor Shelter within the Garden in the circle gathering area. Come out to connect with other community members while taking in the beauty of the Garden and working on your project.

We have benches and camp chairs here available to use.

See you there!