Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve

09/14/2026

Last week, we welcomed a group of Andrews University gymnastics team members, faculty, and students as part of the university’s annual Change Day!

The crew spent the day clearing underbrush, dead wood, and non-native plants along our trails—and they brought plenty of energy with them.

For senior and gymnastics team captain Evan Keyes, volunteering at Fernwood was especially meaningful. He grew up visiting Fernwood and wanted to give back to a place he loves.

“I chose to come here because this is somewhere where I grew up coming to,” Evan shared. “I love nature. I love the wildlife that this area has. We’re here to do our part.”

Thank you for helping us keep Fernwood beautiful for years to come!

If you’re interested in volunteering at the garden, please visit https://www.fernwoodbotanical.org/volunteer

09/12/2026

Good morning from Big Pond 😍

We hope you’re able to take advantage of the beautiful blue skies this weekend and join us at Fernwood!

09/11/2026

Tracy Dippo’s vision, enthusiasm, kindness, and collaborative spirit were inspiring. She faithfully served as Chair of the Board of Directors from June 2023 to August 2026, providing thoughtful leadership, guidance, and unwavering support. Tracy passed away on August 23, 2026.

Tracy and her family have been dedicated members of Fernwood since 1993. Over the years, the Dippos actively supported Fernwood. After retiring in 2022, Tracy and her husband, Dave, gave countless hours volunteering in a variety of roles at Fernwood every week.

During that time, Tracy supported numerous initiatives, including educational programming, Garden Party planning, the development and success of LIGHTS at Fernwood, leading the 2025 master planning process, archive management, and many other key projects that enriched the visitor experience and strengthened the organization.

Tracy was deeply committed to Fernwood’s mission and worked tirelessly to advance its growth, strengthen its community impact, and ensure its long-term success.

While Tracy contributed so much to the Buchanan area community, we are especially grateful that she chose to share her time, talents, and expertise with Fernwood.

On behalf of the Fernwood staff, board of directors, and volunteers, we recognize and honor the legacy Tracy leaves at Fernwood through her outstanding service, leadership, and devotion. She has left a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of working alongside her. She is deeply missed.

09/11/2026

𝘈𝘴 𝘍𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘌𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 10-𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳-𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱:

Hi, this is Ruby. I love that my mom gets to work at Fernwood! She loves her job. She has worked there since before I was born!

EVERYONE SHOULD COME TO FERNWOOD !!! I think if you come visit, you will not regret it! Support my mom aka Elaine for her hard work ❤️ and don’t forget to visit.

If you see my mom you can wave and say that Ruby sent you. She would love that too. Thank you.

09/09/2026

A rare occurrence was captured in Fernwood's conservatory last night! Just after sunset, 12 glorious blooms began to open on our Night-Blooming Cacti (Epiphyllum oxypetalum).

Without their flowers, these vine-like cacti are not much to look at, and it often takes several years for blooms to develop. But it's well worth the wait for the plant to mature and put on its spectacular show! And because of our ideal conditions inside the conservatory, at Fernwood it may happen a few times between spring and autumn.

With dazzling narrow white petals surrounding tall stamens and a swirling star-shaped stigma at the center, fully opened blossoms can spread up to 6 inches across. In their tropical native habitat of Central America, their sweet citrus smell and bright white glow lure in bats and nocturnal insects. These creatures feed on nectar and pollen while inadvertently assisting with the plant's pollination.

You can get a glimpse of Epiphyllum oxypetalum and its newly closed flowers by visiting Fernwood's conservatory during our regular open hours. Look for the plant atop the tallest area of tufa rock on the north side.

08/29/2026

FALL FLORA BOTANY WALK

SEPTEMBER 12, 10 AM-12 PM

Experience Fernwood’s nature preserve through the eyes of a botanist! During this immersive hike, Scott Wagner, of Michigan Natural Features Inventory, will provide an in-depth look at the flora of our diverse forest communities, discussing ferns, woody plants, and wildflowers of late summer/early fall.

Learn more and register today: https://www.fernwoodbotanical.org/list-of-events-programs/fall-flora-botany-walk

08/29/2026

THANK YOU to everyone who joined us for last night’s concert featuring Emmie Taylor & The Great Host! It was pretty hard to beat the combination of great music, a beautiful evening, and good company on the Green. 💚

We’ve got one more concert left in the season, and you won’t want to miss it!

Join us on Sept 26 as The Happy Campers take over Fernwood with tunes by The Grateful Dead and beyond.

It has been a wonderful season of music in the garden, we appreciate you spending your summer with us!

For more info, visit: https://www.fernwoodbotanical.org/summer-concert-series

08/29/2026

08/28/2026

We hope your Friday is going as well as it is for our froggy friend here!

Chilling in the sunshine
Staying hydrated
Completely unbothered by the world around them.

Honestly? Sounds like a pretty great way to spend a Friday!

Here’s to hopping into the weekend, Fernwood style!

Don't forget about the concert tonight featuring Emmie Taylor & The Great Host starting at 6pm.

For more info on events this weekend, visit:
https://www.fernwoodbotanical.org/list-of-events-programs

08/27/2026

🌿 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝟭𝟬𝟱-𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁. 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗵 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿… 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲.

One minute you're wandering through a carefully tended garden.

The next you're surrounded by towering trees, wildflowers and ferns.

Then suddenly you're standing beside a quiet pond or looking out over the St. Joseph River. ❤️

Welcome to 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 & 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 near Niles.

And this place packs a surprising amount into 105 acres.

Fernwood protects 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀, meaning a single visit can take you through remarkably different landscapes.

🌾 A reconstructed prairie filled with native plants.

🌳 Woodlands carpeted with seasonal wildflowers.

🌿 An arboretum.

💧 Springs and ponds.

🌊 And trails leading toward beautiful views of the St. Joseph River.

But Fernwood isn't only about wild spaces.

There are cultivated gardens tucked throughout the property, including a 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻, herb garden, rain garden, perennial displays and collections of hardy ferns.

And then there's one you might not expect…

🚂 𝗔 𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗡.

Yep. Tiny trains and gardening apparently belong together, and we're here for it. 😂

Families have another reason to put this place on the list.

The 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 is designed specifically to let kids experience nature in a more hands-on way, while the preserve offers opportunities to spot birds, frogs and other wildlife.

Fernwood is also home to something a little more serious.

Its natural areas support 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀, making this more than a pretty place for an afternoon stroll.

And maybe that's what makes Fernwood special.

You don't really come here to rush from attraction to attraction.

You wander.

You take the trail you weren't planning to take.

You stop by the water.

You watch the birds.

You sit somewhere for five minutes longer than you intended.

𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝟭𝟬𝟱 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 “𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁.” 🌿❤️

📍 Fernwood Botanical Garden & Nature Preserve — Niles, Michigan