Buxton Bird Marsh & Pollinator Meadow

An Opportunity for Transformation

The expansion and renovation of the Buxton Bird Marsh & Pollinator Meadow is a premiere example of how we strive to create an immersive experience for guests while continually enriching the natural landscape and protecting the wildlife that make the Reserve their home.

From its practical origins in 1975 as an irrigation pond, the story of the Bird Marsh is one of increasing ecological and aesthetic impact. Over time, the marsh, its central pond and the surrounding grounds were showing serious wear and tear. A plan for redesign and renovation was crucial. A team of landscape architects, ecologists, prairie and wetland specialists and community members extensively studied the area in order to create a highly functional garden experience specifically intended to refresh and inspire its guests, in keeping with the central mission of Bloedel Reserve. The renovation plan called for an ecological, habitat-focused landscape design featuring water, open space, light, gentle landforms, and plants, all carefully choreographed to celebrate the uniqueness of this section of the Reserve. Construction began and in late 2019 the majority of the work on the renovation was complete.

New Views, New Vitality

Doubling its size from 5 to 10 acres, the redesigned Buxton Bird Marsh & Meadow includes a new boardwalk to protect the pond at the center of the marsh, rerouted trails, and new viewpoints and seating areas. Come spring the more than 50 varieties of native wildflowers and the 50,000 bulbs planted in the meadow adjacent to the marsh will bloom in colorful succession, attracting pollinator insects so essential to the vigor of the plant life throughout the Reserve.

As you move through the space, you will see ecologically-based collections of aquatic, marginal, meadow, and forest edge plants throughout the marsh and meadow, carefully managed to both sustain the habitat and to engage you whether you are strolling, birdwatching, studying the aquatic plants and animals or simply sitting in quiet contemplation, connecting with nature.

In 2019, Bloedel Reserve was honored to receive an Award for Environmental Excellence from the WA Nursery & Landscape Association for the Buxton Bird Marsh & Meadow redesign and renovation.

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