GET TO KNOW THE GARDEN’S POLLINATORS

Children's Garden Entrance

Our new exhibit Meet your Polleneighbors is now open in the Children’s Garden. In this exhibit, guests will learn about ten important pollinators—native bees, migrating butterflies, native butterflies, ants, beetles, bats, wasps, flies, moths, and hummingbirds. Each of the featured pollinators have their own themed areas within the Garden where guests can take an educational deep dive by reading all the signage or simply enjoy the space and watch the pollinators in action.

The bee garden is abuzz with cavity-nesting bees in their high-rise apartments where many of the tubes in the six structures are already inhabited. Around them, our horticulture team planted plenty of blue and purple nectar-rich flowers to attract the astounding array of native bees we have here in the Garden. It’s quite magical to watch them navigate their nectar choices. Here they are spoiled for choice. Different species are active at different parts of the day, and each have their own flower preferences as things come into bloom. Take a quiet moment to watch, and you are likely to see many unique species. In fact, in a study done onsite in 2012, researchers found that Red Butte Garden supported and housed a uniquely rich bee fauna compared to other observed areas in the valley and surrounding area. They counted 132 different species representing 34 genera in just one season here. By comparison, that was more than was counted over a 4-year period on 150,000 acres of land near the Utah/Idaho border.

Top L: One of the bee apartments Top R: Beehive display Bottom: Bat pollination plant display In the hummingbird garden, surrounded by red and orange flowers, kids can pretend they are baby hummingbirds and hang out in the bird nest, while the moth garden is particularly active at crepuscular hours with its aromatic white and night bloomers. A few of the plants we are seeing moths visit are our native datura (Datura wrightii) with its big aromatic white trumpet flowers and an annual night phlox called midnight candy (Zaluzianskya capensis ‘Midnight Candy’), aptly named for its marzipan and honeyscented blossoms.

Tucked under the bridge, you will find sculptures and information about three important bat pollinator species as well as pots filled with bat-pollinated plants. Don’t miss the variegated fig near the waterfall to learn about its co-dependent relationship with wasps. With donations from local organization Raising Butterflies and our amazing volunteer butterfly keeper Adrienne Pilmanis, we are also raising butterflies this year. You will find them under the shade of the Children’s Garden Overlook bridge.

There are also a few interpretive signs on important pollinator plant relationships outside of the Children’s Garden, like magnolias (beetles) and arum lily (flies) so keep your eyes out for them as well.

As our beautiful city grows, we recognize the growing importance of providing safe, varied habitat and food sources for our native and migrating pollinators and other insect friends. We invite you to join us in connecting with and celebrating this part of our shared ecology.

Note: The Children’s Garden Overlook is a gift of Janet Q Lawson. For more information about Raising Butterflies, go to raisingbutterflies.org.

Lead horticulturist Lynsey Nielson manages the Children’s Garden, Four Seasons, Orangerie, and Terrace Gardens. She has a BA in environmental studies and social anthropology from Massey University, New Zealand, and a certificate in organic horticulture from SIT, New Zealand.