The Botanic Garden Newsletter February 2026

THE BOTANIC GARDEN NEWSLETTER
February 2026

Wayne Roderick Lectures
Lichen Walk: Sunday, February 8
Park District Trails Challenge in the Garden
Volunteer as a Garden Greeter
Spanish Language Botanic Garden Brochure
February Plant Sales
Weekend and Holiday Tours
Above: Red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum). Photo by Sandy Steinman.

Wayne Roderick Lectures

The Wayne Roderick Lecture Series continues on Saturday mornings through February, at 10:30 a.m. in the Botanic Garden Visitor Center auditorium. All lectures are free and open to the public. See the full list on the Garden website..

February 7: Freaky and Fabulous Fungi. Debbie Viess, cofounder of the Bay Area Mycological Society, will introduce attendees to North American mushrooms.
February 14: To be announced soon.
February 21: Succulents and Bulbs of South Africa. Marcus Tamura, gardener at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden (RPBG), will cover the flora he viewed on a recent spring trip to South Africa’s Namaqualand.

February 28: Botanizing Mount Williamson and Environs. Michael Uhler, gardener at the RPBG, will talk about his backpacking vacation to explore California’s second tallest mountain as well as an alpine black hole in the Sierra Nevada.

Above: Redhead russula (Russula rhodocephala). Photo by Sandy Steinman.

Lichen Walk: Sunday, February 8, 1:00 p.m.

Join Jepson Herbarium Curator of Lichenology, Klara Scharnagl, as she leads a walk through the Regional Parks Botanic Garden. She will point out where lichens can be found and introduce visitors to the incredible forms and diversity of lichens in the Garden. Space is very limited and you must register for the walk.

Please sign up here. Meet at the Garden Visitor Center. If the walk is full, you can join the waitlist and check back for cancellations.

Photo: Lichens in the Botanic Garden by Sandy Steinman.

Park District Trails Challenge in the Garden

The Park District lists the Garden’s half-mile outer ring loop in this year’s Trails Challenge Guidebook. See pages 26–27.

Enjoy all the Garden’s features. The paths in the Botanic Garden are numerous and meandering, and you may stray from the intended route. Don’t worry about that and enjoy the adventure!

Directions to the Garden.

Volunteer as a Garden Greeter

It is great fun to welcome our visitors as a Garden greeter. Most of our visitors are new to the Garden and welcome a friendly face and a brief introduction. The kids love the ISpy and Treasure Hunt games we offer them. We invite you to volunteer at the Botanic Garden on weekends.

Our next Garden greeter training will take place on two Saturdays, March 28 and April 4, (both dates required), from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. each day. If you would like to know more, contact the greeter coordinator, Holly Haugh, at greeter_coordinator@nativeplants.org

Come join our enthusiastic crew of volunteers!

Spanish Language Botanic Garden Brochure

Folleto del Jardín Botánico de los Parques Regionales

Available online, and soon to be available in the display rack outside the Garden Visitor Center.

Disponible el línea y ya pronto disponible en el expositor situado fuera del Centro de Visitantes del Jardin.

February Plant Sales

Plant sales are held Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon, and the first Saturday of every month, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Current plant inventory is available on the Garden website.

Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is featured this month with a sale price of $5.00 for a 3” pot. This ground-cover plant needs little to no summer water and can bloom for months.

It mostly spreads by underground stems and can eventually cover a large area, making it a possible lawn substitute. The fragrant white flowers attract many insect pollinators, so it can be an important plant for a pollinator garden. Yarrow can grow in full sun or in full shade and in a wide variety of soil types.

Photo: Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) by Sandy Steinman.

Weekend and Holiday Tours

You’re invited to our free, docent-guided tours every weekend and on Park District holidays. Explore the Garden sights with us on Saturdays and Park District holidays at 2:00 p.m., and Sundays at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. There will be a 2:00 p.m. tour on Lincoln’s Birthday, Thursday, February 12, and Washington’s Birthday, Monday, February 16. Meet at the Visitor Center, no need to sign up. Please remember, if it’s raining, we’ll have to cancel.

Also, you can request a free, docent-led tour for your group. Request form is here.

Below are recent features in the Botanic Garden. Photos by Sandy Steinman.