Friends of The Wild Flower Garden Home Page, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

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Friends of the Wild Flower Garden

For 60 years - Dedicated to Protecting, Preserving and Promoting
The interests of The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary

The Friends
Membership
Garden Support
About the Garden
Volunteer
Seasonal Photos
Archive

About the Friends:
Our mission is to protect, preserve, and promote the interests of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary and to educate and inspire people of all ages in relating to the natural world. Membership is open to any interested person or organization that wishes to support the Garden.

Friends - 60 Years

Join the Friends - renew membership
We invite you to join us by becoming a member of the Friends of the Wild Flower Garden, Inc. By becoming a member you will join a diverse group who have recognized the value of this small patch of land and wish to honor the vision of an extraordinary woman, Eloise Butler, who first sought to preserve it over a century ago.

Friends group

Garden Support - Donations and memorials
The work of the Friends is funded primarily via donations, gifts and memorials made to the Friends. Virtually all such funds received go toward fulfilling our stated purposes of advancing, promoting and safeguarding the interest of the garden. Our work has two components: Education and material projects. Donations are tax deductible.

Martha Crone Shelter

About the Garden
The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary is a 15-acre native plant reserve. 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. Learn about Eloise Butler, the plant community, plant photos, Garden location, open dates and visiting hours.

Front Gate to Eloise Butler

Volunteer at Eloise Butler
Volunteer work at the Garden can be very rewarding as a time for contemplation of the surroundings and for a feeling of satisfaction from useful work accomplished.
Learn about becoming:
A Garden Shelter Volunteer
A Legacy Volunteer
An Invasive Plant Patrol Volunteer

Volunteers

Seasonal Photos
Follow the seasons at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. Look at the flowering plants by season, individual plant information sheets, the landscape of the Garden, seasonal thumbnail sheets and historical photos of the Garden.

American Plum

Archive
Visit our web archive of:
Educational Articles
Garden History
Friends History
Newsletter columns
Past Newsletter issues

1935 cabin photo

Friends Projects and Programs	Historical Notes	Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

1. 2012 Woodland Herbaceous Plants & Canopy/understory trees 2. Children's Transportation Grant 3. Cary George Wetland Project 4. Friend's Past Garden Projects	Seasonal History - Spring of 1912, 1937, 1962, 1987, 2002 Martha Crone's Annual Garden Reports	About Eloise Butler Garden history topic list List: Most commonly seen plants Seasonal plants-Early May-Mid June Seasonal scenes - May

		Garden Plant of the Week
Eloise Butler's Words Few are unable to name the Wild Geranium when they observe the form of the leaf, the flower cluster, and the flower. This geranium enlivens large expanses of woodlands with its purplish flowers. The significance of another name - cranesbill - is seen when the blossom goes to seed, forming a birdlike beak, from the base of which uncurl fine little seed-like fruits.. from June 4, 1911 Seasonal Poem Me so oft my fancy drew Here and there, that I ne’er knew Where to place desire before So that range it might no more; But as he that passeth by Where, in all her jollity, Flora’s riches in a row Do in seemly order grow, And a thousand flowers stand Bending as to kiss his hand; Out of which delightful store One he may take and no more; Long he pausing doubteth whether Of those fair ones he should gather. Taken from "The Choice" by George Wither (1588-1667)
May: "Tonight, watching the first fireflies, listening to the lone whippoorwill in the darkness, savoring all the late-May scents carried on the breeze, remembering the bird song and the wild flowers of the day, we have no doubts. These are the best hours. These are the best days. The minutes of the very weeks we are living in, the hours and the days of the fifth month, are merging together into what - it seems to us now - surely must be the finest time of all... " Edwin Way Teale		Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum L. Indigenous to the Garden area and common to the Minnesota woodlands. Fine in dappled shade. The root had medicinal uses by Native Americans.

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This Site

In bloom now at Eloise Butler: Waterleaf, Elderberry, Violets, Blue Phlox, Cranberries, Wild Geraniums, Saxifrage, Buttercup,Blackberry, Dames Rocket & more

The Friends' Garden Party in support of the Student Transportation Grant Fund is on July 22nd. First ticket is $20 & $15 for each extra ticket.
Party details Here!

President's Letter (pdf)

Garden Curator's Notes (pdf)

Current Postings

Links to other sites

Invasives Removal Schedule

© 2012 Friends of the Wild Flower Garden, Inc., P. O. Box 3793, Minneapolis, MN 55403. www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org or www.friendsofeloisebutler.org. All articles and photos are the property of the Friends of the Wild Flower Garden Inc. unless noted otherwise. Pages on this site will view best at screen width resolutions of 800 pixels or higher.

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LAST SITE UPDATE 05/19/12