The Pollinator Garden in front of the Venice Audubon Center hosts over 40 native and Florida-friendly plant species, attracting pollinators of all kinds. Bees, wasps, and butterflies are the most visible insects, but many of other insect species and small reptiles also use the garden for food and shelter throughout the year.

In 2023, VAAS received a Plants for Birds Program grant funded by Florida Power and Light and administered by Audubon Florida. The grant offered VAAS the opportunity to engage in four activities to enhance the Rookery Park landscape:

• Survey plants currently in place to create a plant inventory at the Rookery Park
• Hold a Native Plant Sale and Education event, selling over 300 native plants to the public
• Install 65 native plants representing 22 distinct species in the Rookery Park
• Provide interpretive signs to offer continuing education about native plants to park visitors.

There are additional areas around the Audubon Center and the Rookery Park that are lightly maintained or are “no mow” areas. Brush piles offer protection, food, and homes for birds, insects, reptiles, and small mammals. Plant-filled bioswales slow down rainwater and allow the plant material to filter out road pollutants in the runoff. The natural ecosystem under some of the oak trees provides an environment for several species of native plants and many pollinators to thrive.

Take it in, join us

Enjoy a walk through the garden and stroll the path around the Rookery Pond to look closely at the plants and trees that make the Venice Area Audubon Rookery Park a welcoming home to many species of resident, seasonal nesting, and migratory birds along with other wildlife.

Volunteers tend the garden and native plants regularly, weeding, watering and adding mulch and additional plants as needed. If you’re a gardener or you would like to learn more about plants that support pollinators and birds, please join us as a volunteer.