We Love Native Plants
Native Plants For Pollinators
Established in 1962, Friends of the Arboretum (FOA) is a nonprofit organization that supports the UW–Madison Arboretum’s work and mission. FOA organizes lectures and annual native plant sales, the proceeds of which support Arboretum activities. FOA has held a Native Plant Sale for over 30 years under a bright yellow tent located on Arboretum grounds in Madison, Wisconsin. In three decades, FOA only missed one tent sale due to the pandemic. FOA is committed to bringing native species into neighborhood gardens.
Last year, and again this year, FOA collaborated with Journey North, a citizen science program of the UW–Madison Arboretum, to create two citizen science kits. These citizen science kits included native plants for hungry monarchs and hummingbirds and information about how to monitor the migration of these pollinator species with Journey North.
Because native plants are adapted to specific climates, soils and environments, they tend to be very resilient. These plants thrive and are sources of nectar, seeds, pollen, and all sorts of food for native fauna and pollinators, like hummingbirds and monarchs! By planting these native species we all can support monarch butterfly and hummingbird populations. These pollinator plants are extremely important to the survival of pollinators. After all, a world without these beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds is not one we’d like to imagine.
Happy National Pollinator Week!
Madison, WI
