When you want inspiration and ideas for what will work best in your Ecosystem Garden, one of the best ways I’ve found to do that is to visit other wildlife gardens.
I have found that other wildlife gardeners are so friendly and eager to share their knowledge about what works (and what doesn’t) to create welcoming habitat for wildlife in your garden.
Plus, I have made some lifelong friends in my visits to the wildlife gardens in my area. Meeting kindred spirits who share your passion for attracting birds, butterflies, pollinators, and other wildlife into your garden is a wonderful gift.
You’ll get ideas for plant combinations you may not have thought of. You’ll see a beautiful butterfly you may be unfamiliar with and learn what plant it needs as its host plant.
You’ll get to see what plants work in that dry shady spot you’ve been trying to fill. You’ll see spectacular gardens filled with swirling butterflies. And you’ll go home inspired and filled with excitement to try all of these new ideas.
If you’re in the South Jersey area there is a series of tours of private wildlife gardens led by Pat Sutton, who has been taking participants on these tours for twenty years now.
For three days each in July, August, and September you’ll have the opportunity to visit some of the most amazing wildlife gardens around.
Some of these private wildlife gardens have also been on these tours for twenty years, and some are brand new gardens for wildlife inspired when these gardeners attended one of Pat’s tours in the past.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet other wildlife gardens and explore the amazing habitats they have created to welcome birds, butterflies, frogs, toads, and pollinators into their gardens.
I’ve attended these tours many times over the years, and I’ve got to say I come home inspired every time. These tours fill up quite quickly, so make sure you register early.
The US has some pretty amazing wildlife gardens that you can visit to get up close and personal with some furry and feathered friends. Here are a few of the more popular ones:
National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas – This place is like a tropical paradise for butterflies! It’s home to hundreds of species of the fluttery creatures and you can walk right through their habitat to see them up close.
Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois – This place has got it all! From giant pandas to flamingos to reptiles, you’re sure to spot some amazing animals here. Plus, they’ve got great habitats for the animals, so you’ll feel like you’re right in the jungle.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, California – This is another great zoo that has got animals from all over the world. You can take a safari tour to see the animals in their habitats, or just wander around and see what you can spot.
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, California – This place is all about the desert animals. You’ll see everything from camels to mountain lions to rattlesnakes, and you’ll learn all about how they survive in the harsh desert environment.
Denver Botanic Gardens in Denver, Colorado – This place is not just about the plants, it’s also got a pretty awesome bird habitat too! You can see all sorts of different birds flitting around and singing their hearts out.
These are just a few of the many wildlife gardens in the US, but they’re definitely some of the most popular and well-known.
What have you learned from visiting other wildlife gardens?
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