Native Plant Giveaway

10/07/2026

Had a great time with ABLE participants and Butterfly Pavilion staff out at Fox Run Nature Space!

ABLE participants got to explore the site, collect seed, spread some seed for future growth, and learn more about the habitat around them. They also got to visit some of the plants they previously fostered and see them now growing in their Forever Habitat Home.

They also made sun prints with Butterfly Pavilion staff using materials from the site. Unfortunately, I had to head to work before the final reveal, but it was great getting to spend the morning with everyone and see them reconnect with the habitat they helped support.

A really fun next step in the journey for both the plants and the people who helped care for them. Some highlights of what we got to see!

10/01/2026

We had a great recent site visit at Fox Run Nature Space with Butterfly Pavilion and ABLE to plan for their participants’ visit next week.

The group will get a chance to learn more about the site, help with some seed collection and seed spreading, and spend time exploring the habitat. One of our favorite parts is that they will also be able to visit some of the plants they previously fostered and see them growing in their Forever Habitat Home.

While we were there, we managed to grab a few photos of what is still blooming and some of the visitors making use of it. Even this late in the season, there is still a lot happening out there.

We’re excited to have the ABLE group out at Fox Run next week and give them a chance to see where some of the care they put into those young plants eventually led.

09/18/2026

Was so fun to help with this and we cant wait to continue building on the momentum!

09/14/2026

Last week we joined STEM Launch for a short BioBlitz to see what plants and insects were already present around the school grounds.

A few highlights included goldenrod, asters, a cornworm moth, and a picture wing fly. Even a short walk can reveal a lot once students start looking closely at the plants, insects, and habitat around them.

The BioBlitz is the first step in a larger sequence we’ll be doing with students. Next will be seed collection, followed by seed processing. After processing, students will prepare the seeds and add them to their classroom Native Seed Share Vault.

The sequence will finish with a cold stratification lab, where students will select seeds from the vault to stratify in preparation for germination. The remaining seeds can stay in the vault as an ongoing school resource for future lessons, projects, and planting.

It’s a simple way to connect community science, native plants, and hands on learning while also building a resource the school can continue using.

09/09/2026

Forever Habitat Home update from Thornton 🌱

We were invited to table at a local HOA event this week, which gave us a chance to check in on one of our Forever Habitat Homes too. It was really cool to see how much the bed has filled in and how much is still blooming.

This is exactly what we hope for with Forever Habitat Homes. Plants that were grown and fostered through the community ending up somewhere permanent where they can keep supporting pollinators and other wildlife.

Huge thanks to the volunteers taking care of the bed. We love getting to see where the plants end up and how they are doing!

08/17/2026

Here are some highlights we got during weeding last Saturday. Very weird season for bloom time.

08/13/2026

Exciting updates!

We recently had a great meeting with the teacher helping lead the Adams 12 Five Star Schools Pollinator Pathway project, as well as the district sustainability manager, to talk about possible collaboration between our pollinator pathway work, Foster-a-Sprout, Forever Habitat Homes, and the district’s larger native plant and sustainability goals.

One exciting piece of the conversation was Westview Elementary. The district sustainability manager had recently visited Westview and was very impressed with the courtyard work happening there. We are hoping Westview can help serve as an example of how schools across the district could become Forever Habitat Home sites for native plants grown through Foster-a-Sprout.

Speaking of Westview, we also received new photos of the amazing work Buster and company have done this summer, and we can absolutely see why she was so impressed!

What an amazing job. Thank you again for creating such a perfect Forever Habitat Home for some of our fosters. We are so excited to keep seeing this space grow into a beautiful native plant and pollinator habitat.

08/08/2026

Some neat highlights of the Fox Run BioBlitz from this morning. First time we got pictures of a couple.

07/30/2026

Had another fun weeding event Tuesday (well as fun as weeding can be!) BP created this if you wish to sign up for it. It’s not necessary but does let us know people might show up!

Join City of Northglenn Park Rangers, Community Scientists, and Butterfly Pavilion for a pollinator walk and bioblitz at Fox Run Nature Area. Explore the incredible diversity of pollinators and other wildlife that call this space home.

07/14/2026

Update on the Northglenn Pollinator Pathway / Monarch Flyway proposal:

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board approved moving the proposal into the city’s 90 day review process.

Northglenn currently has a policy for naming or renaming public places, but not a separate process for adding a habitat designation. Since one of the proposed corridors already has an established name, renaming is not a practical solution. During the review, city staff will look into other options and examine how neighboring communities handle pathway, flyway, and habitat designations.

The designation itself has not been approved yet. After the review, the Board can make a recommendation to City Council.

We also have the first public event planned in support of the pathway and flyway idea, a Community Pollinator Walk and BioBlitz at Fox Run Nature Space. See the flyer for full details.

Northglenn residents who support connected pollinator habitat can help by contacting their Ward City Council representatives and sharing their support for the proposal.

Thank you to everyone who has followed and supported the project. Moving into the formal review process is an important next step.