08/12/2026
At our Native Garden Tour we recognize that year to year gardens evolve. We have one returning garden from last year. Stop by on Sunday to see what has changed in one year.
Creation of the Moleās End:
Originally hailing from the Northside of Chicago, Robin, her son and partner, Brian spent many of their days and evenings exploring the beautiful native prairie of Winnemac Park in Ravenswood. With ironw**d standing ten feet high, butterflies dancing on the petals of wild bergamot, and dive-bombing red winged blackbirds protecting their prized nests, they fell in love with the beauty of such a wild landscape in their own backyard! After some fun and intense rabbit hole diving on the internet, Robin found her passion in native gardening, and their search for a yard to pursue that passion began.
The year was 2021, and Robin, her son and Brian saw a charming house with an even more captivating shed and decided that it must be theirs! Thus, the creation of Moleās End was born! With trials, errors, tears, and triumphs, after five years, Robin and famās garden has begun to take shape into a wildlife wonderland. Though she started with the basic garden shape that had been previously established, Robin has hand pulled almost every undesirable plant, using very limited herbicides, and replaced a mostly invasive yard with over 100 species of native ferns, forbs, and shrubs. The clan love to keep track of all the bees, beetles, butterflies, and moths that abound! Almost every plant is a host for some sawfly, butterfly, or moth. They have recorded 28 different species of butterfly and moth, 15 different species of bee, and so many house sparrows, haha! Itās still a work in progress, but they joyfully invite you to peruse their happy place, and if youāre so inclined, grab a scavenger hunt and be on the lookout for a few woodland animals the family has placed throughout the garden!
