The Wild Visions Habitat Creation Challenge is in full swing, with dozens of students planting over 5,000 square feet of pollinator habitat across the DMV area this Earth Week!
We’ll post more pictures of the planting days soon - but first, we need your help choosing your favorite garden design! Check out the designs below and be sure to vote by commenting your favorite garden on our either our Instagram or Facebook posts! Read more on How to Vote at the end.
The garden with the most votes will receive a PLANTY award in the form of a hand-sculpted bird bath to place in their garden - AND we’ll certify their habitat!
1. Brenda Keller Memorial Garden by Gallaudet Student Leaders
Gallaudet students used their GFW plant donation to breathe life back into an on-campus garden that had been abandoned due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
2. Bird-Friendly Habitat by UMD Audubon & 17 for Peace and Justice
For their Wild Vision, Audubon Club and 17 for Peace and Justice teamed up to transform an underutilized space on campus into a lively, educational walkway through their pollinator and bird-friendly garden!
3. Pollination Revitalization by the UMD Community Learning Garden
The UMD Community Learning Garden chose to incorporate their Wild Visions native plant donation into their existing garden to help to pollinate their flowering fruits, vegetables, and trees! The plants will be scattered throughout the garden: by the generator, the recently constructed bee wall, and in front of a row of fig trees. They’ve also incorporated the aster and goldenrod into their tea garden, as both plants can be made into delicious and medicinal brews.
4. The Rising Sun by the UMD Wildlife Society
The UMD Wildlife Society let their creativity shine through their Wild Vision by designing a sun-shaped pollinator garden on campus, with students at the center!
5. EJAN’s Urban Garden by GWU Environmental Justice Action Network
The Environmental Justice Action Network at George Washington University transformed a piece of turf lawn in the center of downtown DC into a vibrant pollinator garden. It is especially important - for pollinators and people - to create native habitat in highly concrete areas!
6. Wawpaney by GWU Students for Indigenous and Native American Rights (SINAR)
SINAR’s garden takes the shape of a turtle to honor the Piscataway people, the original and ongoing stewards of the land currently know as Washington DC. The garden will be located at Piscataway Park and was created in partnership with the Accokeek Foundation.
7. Pollination Revitalization by the Georgetown GREEN Garden
Students of the Georgetown Renewable Energy and Environmental Network plants their 150 native plants throughout their campus community garden, additionally designing an Aldo Leopold bench and meditative area for students to enjoy amidst the scents and sights of their inter-species space.
8. Pollination Revitalization by the AU Community Garden
Student leaders at the American University Community Garden similarly incorporated their Wild Visions native plants in and around their existing garden, which is primarily devoted to food production - but they also designed an all-new pollinator pit specifically to promote human-nature connection.
9. Santuario de Sueños by AU Latinos en Acción
The Latinos en Acción group at American University, a student chapter of United We Dream, chose to design a Wild Visions garden in order to create local habitat for monarch butterflies, a powerful symbol of solidarity with immigrant populations in the US. Their garden is being planted in a public park in Columbia Heights, a largely Latinx neighborhood in DC, and will include signage about monarchs and migrant justice.
10. Resilient Roots Garden by Howard Revolt
Howard’s Revolt, Inc, a femme-identifying service organization, planted a patch of 150 pollinator plants at the Marvin Gay Park and Greening Center in partnership with Washington Parks and People. They hope to continue their collaboration by hosting ongoing service days and community events at the park.
HOW TO VOTE
- Navigate to our Wild Visions Popular Vote Post on Facebook and/or Instagram.
- Comment the name of your favorite garden!
You can comment on both our instagram and facebook posts! Make your voice heard now through Saturday April 27th!