Garden Gang at Rowe Sanctuary

At the end of May 2025, we received 2,000+ native plant plugs from Prairie Plains for the landscaping at the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary. We had Rowe volunteers, along with Rowe staff, Prairie Plains staff and Prairie Plains volunteers who aided in helping us plant all these beautiful native plants.  From there, we started the Garden Gang. This group meets every Thursday morning from 8am-10am. The Garden Gang supports the upkeep of the garden beds around the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center. It takes a lot of work and some wonderful volunteers to maintain these beautiful plant beds; improving not only the Sanctuary's look but also increasing plant diversity for our birds, bugs, and people alike to enjoy.

Every week, these awesome volunteers tackle the weeding (and boy there is a LOT of weeding) and at times rescue some of our young plugs throughout the growing season. Week after week their hard work helps us to maintain all the beds, and we are so grateful!

The landscape was carefully chosen by our conservation team to look and feel like a natural prairie; they carefully selected these plants that naturally mimic the prairie; encouraging and supporting vital habitat for certain bird species. You can look these species up in Audubon’s Native Plant Database and in our Plants for Birds program here at Rowe Sanctuary. These databases provide all the information you need to select the best plants for the birds in your area. Growing bird-friendly plants will attract and protect the birds you love while making your space beautiful, easy to care for and better for the environment. Explore all our native plant resources here, including our fact sheets on creating a native plant garden and how it can save you money. Attracting birds using native plants will ensure that your space is bird-friendly in every way. Visit our Reducing Collisions page to learn more about protecting birds from collisions with glass as well.

The fun thing about getting involved with our Garden Gang is meeting and interacting with other volunteers at Rowe. In addition, you get to learn more about prairie plant species and identify them, possibly for use in your home landscaping. We always have a good time digging in the dirt! Come and join us!  

If you are interested in volunteering at Rowe Sanctuary, please contact Katie Moore, our volunteer coordinator at katie.moore@audubon.org.