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Orchestra of Conservation

Our Rare Plant Conservation Program conducts an orchestra of conservation working together in harmony with colleagues and partners to prevent extinction of the rarest and most unique plant species. New partnerships are forged and ongoing connections are strengthened between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Fish and...

Fairchild Challenge: The Art of Teaching...

As a naturalist, I try to get kids both comfortable in and curious about nature. One time I spent a week with 20 students climbing the hills, stomping in a creek and watching the waves. We talked about photosynthesis and witnessed erosion in action but had little tangible evidence of our discoveries. Ready to return to their concrete city, I could see their minds already turning back...

Spark of Life

Fighting fire with fire is vital for the health of ecosystems like ours and other natural areas on the Lake Wales Ridge. Low-intensity prescribed fire is a safe way to apply a natural process, reduce wildfire risk and keep our long-leaf pine, turkey oak sandhill or “high-pine” from turning into a dense canopied forest. On April 12, our crew of eight trained experts conducted a...

Caregiver’s Day Out: Share the Gift Adds...

With contributions received this year to support the Share the Gift Fund, we have added a new community partner, the Alzheimer’s Association, Gulf Coast Chapter. On May 19, we hosted Caregiver’s Day Out to provide much-needed respite from caring for loved ones. The Hawthorne Inn in Winter Haven offered adult daycare time while caregivers attended a morning program, participated in...

Desktop Wallpaper Downloads

Share For PC Users: Click on the link of the wallpaper that is the same size as your screen. The picture should now load in a new window of your browser. Click on the picture with your right mouse button and a menu will appear. Select the “Set as Desktop Background” option. For Mac Users: Click on the link of the wallpaper that is the same size as your screen. The picture...

Free Admission on National Public Garden...

Share For 82 years Bok Tower Gardens has served as a spot of beauty and sanctuary for both humans and birds. This place is one that that so many have come to love throughout the years and was built as a place for withdrawal, contemplation, reflection and spiritual refreshment by connecting with nature. Through the public support of this National Treasure and National Historic Landmark...

Tom Hanks, Dan Brown Tour Bok Tower Gard...

Bok Tower Gardens is hosting Dan Brown, author of The Lost Symbol, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons and other bestselling books, and actor Tom Hanks, who stars as Brown’s fictional protagonist, Robert Langdon, on April 1. The two celebrities plan to scout Lake Wales as the location for the production of a major motion picture for which Hanks will produce. Brown stated that he...

Children & Nature Awareness Month

With the arrival of spring it is time to dust off your shoes and get outside! The Children & Nature Network has designated the month of April as “Children & Nature Awareness” month in a nationwide effort to reconnect children with nature and show the importance of outdoor play in childhood development. The goal of these outdoor events is to bring together...

MayfaireFlorida Coming Soon

Arts organizations around Polk County are proud to announce the creation of a new, nine-day cultural festival, MayfaireFlorida: Festival of the Arts, from April 30 through May 8, 2011. Building on Polk Museum of Art’s 40-year tradition, MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire by-the-Lake, the local groups will offer arts enthusiasts two packed weekends of events as well as plenty to do on the...

Outdoor Fun: Geocaching

Share Part of the fun of visiting Bok Tower Gardens is finding new and creative ways to spend your time exploring the expansive grounds – it seems that no matter how much time you spend here there are always new things hiding around every corner! We’d like to share one of our favorite ways to enjoy the great outdoors when you’re in seek of adventure –...

Guest Carillonneur to Perform March 19

Bok Tower Gardens will premiere carillon selections for the Spanish Liturgical Year in a performance by guest carillonneur Carol Anne Taylor on Saturday, March 19 at 1 & 3 p.m. Named the 2010 Ronald Barnes Memorial Scholar, Taylor serves as director of children’s choirs and carillonneur at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Dallas, Texas. Taylor received a bachelor...

About the Pine Ridge Trail

Share The Pine Ridge Preserve at Bok Tower Gardens is a longleaf pine-turkey oak habitat. This type of habitat once covered millions of acres of the Southeastern United States. The longleaf pine forest is now in danger of disappearing. Fortunately, we have been able to preserve a small portion of this habitat. What makes this habitat so unique? Bok Tower Gardens is located on the Lake...

Birds around the Gardens

A volunteer recently took on the task of cleaning, repairing and reinstalling our Kestrel nest boxes located on the southern side of the Knoll, our 27-acre tract of land currently being restored to its native sandhill forest state through grant funding. We will also being installing more boxes within the next few weeks to invite more wildlife into the developing area. It is important to...

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