Pollinator Patches

photo © Brian Grant

The Coral Gables Garden Club is excited to fund pollinator patches throughout the city's urban landscape.

These gardens are another testament to the value of partnerships. The Garden Club has collaborated with Miami-Dade County and the City of Coral Gables, beginning with the installation of the Butterfly garden at the library, the pollinator patch at the War Memorial Youth Center, and through the generosity of Louis and Kim Duncanson, the pollinator garden on the corner of Florida and Jefferson Ave in the McFarlane District.

Springtime 2023 in the McFarlane Pollinator Garden

Lots of activity in the garden with new species of insects finding their way to 100 Florida Ave.

Natives, Bahama strongbark, ruella and native salvia.

The Coral Gables High School Garden Club Enhances the Mcfarland Pollinator Patch with Hand-Painted Rain Barrels

In March 2022, the garden club of CGHS came to have a workshop with Barbara Mcadams to learn about rainwater collection and to paint the rain barrels at the Mcfarland patch. The Miami-Dade Extension office donated three rain barrels, and the kids were delighted to paint three different themes.

Weekly maintenance at the Macfarlane garden

It's fun to get together and observe what's happening in the garden. The summer of 2022 was very dry, so watering was very important to get the plants established.

Watering Duty with Maria Teofilo

Lovely monarch under the moringa trees.

The lignum vitae tree

Watering Duty with volunteer Maria Ason

A landscape in the middle of the Macfarlane district.

Maintaining the Macfarlane Garden post-Hurricane Ian

Lots of fun pruning and straightening up some plants that needed a little tender loving care.

Volunteer Grace Carricarte

Louis Duncanson, Susan Rodriguez and Grace

Harvesting moringa leaves for his friends

Florida Thoroughwort a native that bees love.

Bloodberry, a favorite nectar plant for the Atala Butterfly.

Louis and Susan discussing the new locust berry plant , a fond memory of Louis as a child.

Locust berry, larvae host for the Florida Duskywing butterfly and nectar plant for a variety of butterflies. Birds eat the berries.

Firebush, great nectar plant for hummingbirds and butterflys.

Presentation with residents at the Macfarlane Homeowners Association Meeting October 26th.

Talking about planting for wildlife.

Susan Rodriguez introducing residents to the garden at an HOA meeting and inviting them to participate.

Dennis Olle President of the Miami Blue Chapter talking about our native butterflies

Address of the pollinator garden, in the Macfarland district

Families gathering at the Pollinator Palooza

Ribbon Cutting with Commissioners Anderson and Menendez, Mayor Lago, President Susan Rodriguez, and Linda Waldron

Dr. Clayborn lecturing on the differences between butterflies, moths and skippers.

Partners of the event

Club members, Linda Waldron, France Ingraham, Ana Lam, Susan Rodriguez, Deena Bell-Llewelyn, Sharon Trbovich, Marlin Ebbert, Judy Mangasarian and Commissioner Anderson

Families enjoying the day. Planting firebush, ruella, lantana, native milkweed

The Macfarlane District pollinator patch.

The pollinator garden on the corner of Jefferson Street and Florida Avenue is dedicated to the legacy of Dr. Julia Morton a University of Miami, economic botanist. Louis Duncanson the owner of the property, had one condition for our garden, that Julia would be honored. So with that in mind we have gathered the community of the Macfarlane district, Coral Gables High School garden club members, the UF Miami-dade extension office, and the City of Coral Gables to create a pollinator paradise.