Wellesley College Botanic Gardens serves the campus and public community as an educational garden, with thousands of diverse plant species across 22 acres of outdoor gardens, greenhouses, and a visitor center, within the College campus. From the award-winning Global Flora conservatory, which champions sustainable design, to the innovative Edible Ecosystem teaching garden, an experimental food forest, students and visitors of all ages can find inspiring ways to connect with plants and the environment. We welcome all visitors, with free admission and guided tours.

Wellesley College Botanic Gardens

 The Ephemeral Pool is undergoing a restoration to create a natural vernal pool habitat. Prior to August 2025, a cement liner covered the basin of the depression and was also partially buried underneath a path. The first step in the project happened in early August 2025, in which the concrete liner was removed so that seasonal flooding is no longer inhibited, and the wetland areas was expanded. Grading will introduce some topography and basking areas for wildlife. Many of the plants that were previously here were salvaged and will be reintroduced after the area has time to recover from construction. A seeding and planting program in 2026 will re-establish native wetland vegetation. 

Learn more about the project and discoveries we made during construction through this video created by our partner in wetland restoration, Tom Biebighauser: 

Vernal Pond Wetland Restoration at Wellesley College Botanic Gardens in Massachusetts 

Ephemeral Pool

The Meandering Meadow is currently transitioning to a warm season meadow. It has historically been maintained by mowing, however we are taking a new approach: grazing by sheep. The goal of the project is to diversify the meadow, showcase native New England species, improve habitat for pollinators and wildlife, and enhance the beauty of the area.

Wellesley College Botanic Gardens

Massachusetts

2 chronologs managed by Wellesley College Botanic Gardens

Meandering Meadow

Ephemeral Pool

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