Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens
32 University Ave B4P 2R6 Wolfville, NS, Canada

There are less than 1000 wisqoq (black ash) trees left in Nova Scotia. It's important that we treasure the ones left and teach young people about them so they can help with future conservation efforts. Visit the kids corner, read the recovery plan and learn more here: http://wisqoq.ca/

We can all use a little more colour in our lives during the winter months so this amazing native shrub is a great addition to home gardens. Red osier dogwood is well loved by people and wildlife. Known as me'goqomgwejg in Mi'kmaq, the colourful and bendy stalks have been used by indigenous peoples across Canada for basket weaving and medicine.

The Wapane'kati or Acadian Forest Forest represented in the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University gives students wonderful hands-on learning opportunities right on campus. Students from Dr. Allison Walker's Plant Growth and Development class (BIO3243) spent an afternoon outside learning about ecophysiology and winter tree and shrub ID. #getoutside #campuslife #AcadiaU

Starting to feel a little squirrely from being home so much during the pandemic? Looks like the grey squirrels living in the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens are feeling the same!

Welcome back Acadia University students. We know you'll be spending a lot of time in front of your computers this term so don't forget to get outside on our Woodland Trails for mental health breaks and exercise! #walkforwellness #acadiawoodlandtrails #getoutsideandexplore

Have you noticed these tiny bird shaped treasures on the forest floor lately? They are seeds from white birch trees (Masgwi in Mi'kmaq, Betula papyrifera in Latin.) Birch trees distribute their seeds in the winter which is a good strategy as they often get blown far and wide with winter winds and are ready to germinate in their new location once spring arrives.

It's a New Year - time to learn new things! These are both leaves from oak trees. The Mi'kmaq name for oaks is mimgwaqanimusi. Do you know which of these leaves fell from an oak tree that is native to Nova Scotia and which one has been introduced from Europe?

The Gardens are still closed to the public, however we are as always open to wildlife! Anyone recognize who are latest visitors were?

Such a lovely surprise to walk through the woods today and discover that one of the hemlock trees planted by local school kids on the Acadia University Woodland Trails is now large enough to be a living Christmas tree. Thanks to the community elves who brought a little extra cheer to our walk today!

Congratulations to Gary Schneider of Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project. He just won the Canadian Museum of Nature - Musée canadien de la nature Nature Inspiration Award for his great work restoring the Acadian Forest in PEI.

Acadia University students are stepping away from their screens and getting outside at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens for hands-on learning this fall. Read more about it: https://kcirvingcentre.acadiau.ca//acadias-environmental-/ Acadia Environmental and Sustainability Studies Society (ESST)

Even though her friends are all flying to Mexico for the winter, this brave Monarch butterfly decided she felt more comfortable staying in the Atlantic bubble at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University this winter. We found her snuggled into one of our milkweed plants today on November 20th. #monarchmigration

If you are interested by invasive species, this opportunity might be perfect for you! https://canadainvasives.ca/job-opportunity-project-coordin/

Check out this beautiful new education poster all about plants in honour of Mi'kmaq History Month. Sqaliaqnn Tel-nenmumkl aqq Tel-we’wmumkl Plant Knowledge and Use ... Download the full poster from the web: https://mikmaqhistorymonth.ca/

Check out this beautiful new education poster all about plants in honour of Mi'kmaq History Month. Sqaliaqnn Tel-nenmumkl aqq Tel-we’wmumkl Plant Knowledge and Use ... Download the full poster from the web: https://mikmaqhistorymonth.ca/

CanPlant is a great resource for learning about native plants. If you're looking for ideas on what native plants to grow in your home garden and want to learn more about the Acadian Forest Region as a whole, this is a great place to start.

Native plants are starting to show their fall colors; it's leaf peeping season! How are the leaves where you live? Species on the picture is staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina).

Welcome back Acadia University students. We have missed you so much! The first group of humans since March arrived yesterday to the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, we couldn't see their smiles due to their face masks but we're pretty sure they were all happy to be learning about Forest Ecology in their Environmental and Sustainability Studies intersession class. (We're still closed to the public and open to Acadia classes only for now.) Acadia Community Development Program

Normally when a tree dies we feel very sad. Today we have Atlantic Arborists onsite removing a dead Norway Maple which is ok by us as it's an invasive species that outcompetes native plants. For more information check out Tree Canada's Tree Killers website: https://treecanada.ca/resources/tree-killers/norway-maple/

With so much uncertainty in the air don't forget to get outside and get grounded on this long weekend. A great way to centre yourself if you're feeling stressed or anxious is to touch something 'real' like rocks or trees. #naturetherapy

"Just like we don't want to see the piping plover disappear, we don't want to see the Annapolis Valley sand barrens get smaller and smaller, and more and more degraded, and blink out before we even know." Acadia University Biology professor Sherman Boates spoke with the CBC about the Annapolis Valley sand barrens, an extremely rare & declining ecosystem. A new project run by Clean Annapolis River Project aims to identify and address the threats against the sand barrens. The sand barrens are one of 9 habitats that we have at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, which are a great resource to learn more about this unique region. The link to the CBC article can be found here: cbc.ca//nova-scotia-annapolis-valley-sand-barrens-biodiver

Spreading the love of native plants outside of the garden gates! Read the full post to learn about this native pollinator garden on the Acadia University campus.

Need a cold drink on this hot day? The berries from staghorn sumac (rhus typhina) can be soaked in water for several hours to create a refreshing drink similar to lemonade. Berries are ready to be collected when they feel sticky to touch. Soak the berries directly in cold water without rinsing and let it sit. You can add honey to sweeten. If you want to try this and don't want to wild harvest, check out Eos Natural Foods they often carry powdered sumac which is also great for flavouring potatoes!

Our herbaceous bank is filled with beautiful native wildflowers that bloom throughout the season into August! Showing their colours right now are the cutleaf coneflower (rudbeckia laciniata) and great blue lobelia (lobelia siphilitica).

A bee on wild bee balm (monarda fistulosa) What a coincidence!

The latest issue of The Grapevine features an article by our Conservation Horticulturist - check it out and read local!

It’s so great to see the native plants from the Gardens starting to spread on their own! This lovely Blue vervain growing in the cracks outside of our potting shed has blown in from our herbaceous bank or was dropped from the pocket of a gardener while they were collecting seed! #increasingbiodiversity #goodweeds

It's lovely to see diverse colours in the same plant! This patch of yarrow (achillea millefolium) is planted in our food and medicinal garden and is showing all colours of pink and white.