Join our resident caterpillar lady Sal Levinson and butterfly guy Sarab Seth for our monthly Zoom presentation, this month featuring an illustrated slideshow about butterflies rarely seen in the UC Botanical Garden. Our fun Zoom event is suitable for all ages.

Spring is a lovely time to dive into botanical illustration using all the brightly colored flowers that surround us. This class will focus on tulips. Catherine Watters is an exceptional instructor who enjoys sharing her passion of botanical art. She will guide you over Zoom through the steps of observing, drawing and painting your tulips to capture their form, rich colors and texture.

Join us for this afternoon program as we explore the beautiful and fascinating world of flowers--a plant part specially designed for its pollinator friends. We'll look at flowers from around the world, dive into the different flower parts, and discover a myriad of pollinating animals, from bees and butterflies to honey possums and bats. Enjoy this free program in honor of Earth Day week.

Free, donations welcome

In honor of Earth Day, Garden Curator Holly Forbes will shine a light on the various ways the Garden is involved in native California flora conservation efforts. The Garden holds a significant collection of California native plant species, including over 200 taxa on rare or endangered species lists. Learn about a recovery project of the large-flowered fiddleneck (Amsinckia grandiflora) pictured above, and saving the Baker’s Larkspur (Delphinium bakeri) from extinction.

Putting pencil or pen to paper while examining local spring flowers is a great way to hone our observation skills. In a non-judgmental experience--through guided exercises--we find numerous aspects of flowers to record. Whether we are looking at roses, irises, dahlias, nasturtiums, dogwoods or whatever you can find blooming, we’ll find we understand a little more about the energy, shapes, proportions, shadows, and other details through this workshop.

Book Talk: Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change

Climate change and other human impacts on the environment are threatening wildflowers and the life that depends on them. In this special and timely work, conservation photographers Rob Badger and Nita Winter give us a spectacular view of California’s extraordinary wildflowers as both a cause for celebration and protection. Enjoy this stunning visual tour of California’s wildflowers and renew your resolve to care for this precious place we call California!

Purchase a copy of this book through the Garden's online shop HERE.

Now, more than ever, humans are exploring the possibility of growing plants outside of Earth's atmosphere. Come learn about the fascinating field of astrobotany from UC Botanical Garden's own Director, Dr. Lew Feldman. Before taking on the directorship of the Garden, Professor Feldman spent 40 years on the Berkeley faculty, first as a member of the Botany Department and later in its successor, the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology. During the course of his career Lew has spent time working with NASA, contributing to an understanding of how to grow plants in space.