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About the Friends |
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An introduction to the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary |
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A paramount idea is to perpetuate in the garden it's primeval wildness. All artificial appearances are avoided. Eloise Butler |
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The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary is a 15-acre native plant reserve tucked away in the heart of Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, MN. It is the oldest public wildflower garden in the United States. The Wildflower Garden is owned, operated, staffed and maintained by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. The Friends work in conjunction with the Park Board but are an independent private nonprofit organization. The Wildflower Garden consists of three main ecosystems; a wetland complex referred to as the "Woodland Garden," upland hardwood forest and oak savanna, together referred to as the "Upland Garden". With over 500 plant species and more than 140 species of resident and migratory birds found in the Wildflower Garden, this delightful public native plant reserve is a true haven for the flora and fauna of our region, as well as for the many people who visit it. It is maintained in a natural rustic state. In addition to native plants and birds, many other creatures call the Wildflower Garden home: Raccoons, chipmunks, rabbits, red foxes, woodchucks, red and gray squirrels, mice, shrews, voles, moles, bats, frogs, toads, turtles and snakes. Deer, muskrats, opossums, mink and skunk have all been spotted nearby and may be visitors in the Wildflower Garden as well. The Wildflower Garden was founded in 1907 by a visionary botany teacher in the Minneapolis public school system named Eloise Butler. Ms. Butler became the official curator of the Wildflower Garden in 1911 and dedicated herself to the care, management and expansion of the Wildflower Garden until her death in 1933. Four gardener/curators have followed in her footsteps up to the present. It was she who inspired her former student Clinton Odell, one of the early benefactors of the Wildflower Garden, to found the Friends of the Wild Flower Garden, Inc. Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Web Site: |
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Martha E. Crone Visitors Shelter |
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(Click on photo above for larger image) More - Inside Photos - More: Outside Photos. |
The Martha E. Crone Visitors Shelter, built in 1969, was constructed for and donated to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board by the Friends of the Wild Flower Garden. (Details). It was named in honor of Martha E. Crone, who followed Eloise Butler as Curator, and served in that position from 1933 to 1959.
Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Naturalists and Shelter Volunteers staff the Visitors’ Shelter seven days a week. Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board staff and guest instructors conduct public programs several times a week on a variety of natural history-related topics. Programs begin at the Visitors’ Shelter. For more information on program offerings click the link above to the Minneapolis Parks web site. |
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| Additional Garden Information: Use the navigation bar on the left to see additional elements of the Garden: The "Photo Gallery" has seasonal plant photos and special event photos The "Garden Projects" link shows photos of Garden elements for which the Friends provided funding. The "About the Friends" link has links to photos and remembrances of our members. |
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| For a Garden layout plan showing paths, contours and guidebook stations, click this link: |
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| Friends of the Wild Flower Garden, Inc. All photos are the property of the Friends unless noted otherwise. Web site: "www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org" 072210 |
"The Garden experience should be like a walk in the woods in pre-settlement times." Cary George, past Gardener of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden.
Above: The Front Gate to Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden.
Below: Dragonfly on a Liatis stem
Top of page photo:Turk's-cap Lily in the Upland Garden in July.