Bees, birds and butterflies fly into focus along new Children’s Discovery Trail

Sun cover 022108. Photo by Ryan Lely

The first stop on the Children’s Discovery Trail has recently been added to the many wonderful offerings at Sonoma Garden Park. The exciting Butterfly Station is where visitors can learn all about the local species of butterflies, including the Painted Lady and the Pipevine Swallowtail. The colorful display was designed to be a bilingual (English-Spanish) and interactive learning tool.

“The Butterfly Station will be a place where real butterflies can be seen because it is surrounded by the native plants that attract them,” said Sonoma Garden Park Coordinator Tiona Gundy. “The existing butterfly garden is getting a nice upgrade, thanks to a generous grant from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust.”

Before summer’s end, the Bird Identification Station and the Honey Bee Station will be installed. All three activity stations were the work of Berkeley-based Gordon Chun Design. The firm has created interpretive exhibits for many institutions, including the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito and The Exploratorium in San Francisco.

The Bird Station will include a bird blind, birdfeeders, birdhouses and an audio system featuring the birdcalls of several native species. Great white egrets, hawks, kestrels and quail are among the many species of birds that frequent or live in the park.

The Honey Bee Station will allow a view of the garden’s three active colonies from a safe distance. It will also provide a wealth of information about bees, including their busy activity in hives, the pollination process and the eco-system’s reliance on pollination.

“This summer we’ll again host a workshop to introduce people to bee-keeping where participants assist in honey extraction,” said Gundy. “We have to two great volunteer beekeepers, William Ackley and Bill Wiebalk, who keep our bees healthy and active.”

This important educational element is a perfect fit for the Sonoma Ecology Center, the non-profit group that operates the park. Last year, more than 3,000 people enjoyed Sonoma Garden Park’s many botanical delights. The park’s dense fig forest, numerous community and market gardens, a native plant nursery and peaceful picnic areas make for a refreshing oasis.

Jeanette and Whitney Evans helped make the Children’s Discovery Trail happen. The couple, who moved to Sonoma from Ohio in 1991, have always been impressed with the Hershey Children’s Garden at Cleveland’s Botanical Garden. Nearly a decade ago, they started to search for a location for a similar garden here in the Valley. They took notice of the Sonoma Garden Center and became involved with the Sonoma Ecology Center. They formed a committee to create a children’s garden.

“The members of the committee visited as many children’s educational gardens around the United States as they possibly could and we brought back many ideas,” said Jeanette Evans, whose Scarlet Oak Foundation provides funding for the Trail. “We are thrilled to be working with the Ecology Center and think the park offers many opportunities.”

In December, the Ecology Center honored those whose contributions helped bring about the creation of the Children’s Discovery Trail. The following were recognized for their donation of $1000 or more: Kimberly and Simon Blattner, Jeanette and Whitney Evans, Marge Evans, Lois Gordon, Holly and Steven Kyle and Hope and Jack Nisson.

In 1973, local schoolteacher Pauline Bond gifted the property that is now the Sonoma Garden Center to the City of Sonoma. It was her wish that the six acres be used as a park and community facility. The Sonoma Ecology Center took over operation of the park and named the community gardens after Bond. The Sonoma Garden Park exists in part to offer Sonoma Valley residents access to land for agriculture use and to encourage community interaction.

“The Sonoma Garden Park serves as a living educational campus and I’d like to think Pauline Bond’s wishes are being honored,” said Gundy. “As an educator and nature lover, I believe she would be proud to see her gift valued and used by so many visitors, young and old alike.”

Sonoma Garden Park,
19990 Seventh St. E.
Sonoma;
707.996.0712;
www.sonomaecologycenter.com.
Hours: Tues. – Sat. 10 a.m. – dusk.
Admission is free.