Notes From The Gardens
February 2023
Summer Camp in the Gardens: Friendships and Flowers Grow Here
Registration opened for Summer Camp in the Gardens this month, and we couldn’t be more excited for our fourth summer of camp fun! We are offering three different camp themes (Aquapalooza, Plantapalooza, and Yuckapalooza) for all three elementary age groups, as well as Sprouts Summer Session for our preschool-aged campers. [...]
January 2023
Join Us at the Wisconsin Garden Expo!
Big news! Monk Botanical Gardens will be attending the PBS Wisconsin- Garden & Landscape Expo February 10th-12th at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, WI. The staff have a busy schedule of events, including two seminars and setting up a booth in the Exhibition Hall. We are excited to introduce [...]
Reducing Waste Through Composting at 2023 Events
In the summer of 2022, you may have noticed that a yellow Hsu's compost bin appeared next to a tree near the Gardens' parking lot. This compost bin is available for anyone to use and drop their home compost into, and Hsu's picks it up weekly, adding it to their [...]
December 2022
Learning to Love My Least Favorite Season
"If you cannot find joy in the snow, you’ll have less joy and the same amount of snow” - Anonymous As an environmental educator, part of my job is to teach others to see the beauty and learning opportunities in all seasons. However, I have to admit that I have [...]
See the Beauty in Nature
As the seasons change, the Gardens can be seen in a whole different light. On brisk late Fall days, you can still hear bustling around the Gardens. We have been diligently preparing for Winter and the workshops that we offer to coincide with the season change. Hands-On Plants workshops are [...]
November 2022
Winter Wonderland for All Ages
Throughout November the Gardens has been busy with field trips of Wausau Schools’ 4K classes. Even though November isn't usually considered the most beautiful time in the Gardens, it has its hidden treasures, especially in a 4-year-old's eyes. These field trips are extra special because students' parents are able to [...]
August 2022
The Rulers of Microscopy
I am here today to talk about my very favorite animal: the water bear (aka moss piglet or tardigrade). To start, what is a water bear? Well, they comprise a phylum of eight-legged, segmented, tiny (naked to the human eye), multicellular superheroes (animals really, but superheroes to me). These little [...]
Perplexing Pollinator Party
Over the past week or so at the Gardens, I have noticed quite the increase in pollinators buzzing around the Kitchen Garden as well as all around the grounds. Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds… these hard workers can easily be overlooked, but they play a vital role in the health of Monk [...]
July 2022
Protect the Pollinators
In the last couple of years, a dramatic decline in the number of native pollinators has been recorded. The standout organisms suffering are bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and bats. This is almost completely a result of careless and environmentally damaging human activities such as the use of herbicides/pesticides, industrialization, air/light pollution, [...]
Interrupted Ferns
If you walk through the enchanting development known as the “memory plaza” you may spot a wide variety of vascular plants that lack seeds and flowers. These little plants are known as ferns, and come in many shapes and sizes! Not only do ferns lack seeds and flowers - but [...]
