The health and diversity of native plant populations impact our food, water and wellbeing. Healthy ecosystems provide the fundamental basis for all life on earth; this includes forming soil and cycling nutrients. Plants are the critical base of food chains in most ecosystems and native plants most efficiently support other native plant and animal species.
Pollinators provide critical ecosystem services. Pollinator research is important to better understand the relationships between pollinators and plants and to improve conservation and management of both plants and pollinators. Here at the Gardens we work with roughly 70 of Colorado’s most rare and imperiled plants through surveys, monitoring, and seed collection.
With the beautiful, warm weather recently I have spent a lot more time outside and have enjoyed watching the first signs of spring every where I look. My chives are coming up in the garden and my lilacs are leafing out. Here at the Gardens there are so many plants starting to bloom, from the daffodils to the magnolias. Observations like these make up the science of phenology.