This pollinator garden was created in 2016 and is located at the far end of the parking lot from the brand-new visitor center at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. This garden educates ANWR visitors about how the varieties of plants and habitats in the refuge support different populations of pollinators, without whose work there would be no plants, fruits, vegetables, or berries to support both human life and wildlife.
In 2022 the garden has been cleared is in the process of being restored and redesigned after an unseasonably cold winter killed many of the plants. The day Blasterz visited, we saw several containers of pollinator friendly plants lined up to be planted, and many flags placed in the garden where new plants had just been planted. We look forward to coming back next year to see how the garden has grown.
The sign in the pollinator garden reads as follows:
Pollinators Keep Aransas Flowering
Hummingbirds, bees, beetles, butterflies, and flies help pollinate over 75 percent of our flowering plants and nearly 75 percent of our crops. The other 25 percent of plants are pollinated through a combination of self-pollination, human pollination by hand, or pollination by wind and water.
In recent years the population of pollinators, especially bees, has been declining due to increased pesticide use, loss of habitat, and parasites or disease. Places like art Aransas NWR, which restore and protect natural habitat, play an important part in preserving and protecting these crucial participants in the global food web.
Did you know?
The bats at Aransas NWR or insect-eaters, not pollinators. They eat hundreds of insects, including mosquitoes, and many can consume almost their body weight in insects every day. At dusk, you might see them swooping low to the ground, on the hunt for a meal.
[photo of a Mexican Free-Tailed Bat]"
From the Firends of Aransas website: (
visit link)
"Refuge Celebration Day & Pollinator Garden Grand Opening
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge celebrated National Wildlife Refuge Week with Refuge Celebration Day October 15th. Over 350 people came out to enjoy tours of the refuge, kayaking, archery, face painting, and much, much more.
We also held our Pollinator Garden "Grand Opening". It was perfect timing, and the garden was full of butterflies. Guided tours of the garden were given, and other people visited it on their own. We saw people enjoying the garden in various ways, such as sketching, photographing, studying the plants and their labels, and watching butterflies.
We've gotten wonderful comments on the garden. If you're in the area, come and check it out!"