This month GVST is having a field trip to the North American Friendship Garden located at Confluence Park. SARA personnel will give a presentation about the garden in the Estela Avery Classroom and then lead the group through the garden.
NOTE: Advance registration is required due to classroom capacity. (A waitlist is available to notify applicants if a space opens.) Attendees should bring a bag lunch; drinks provided.
The importance of the North American Friendship Garden goes well beyond a symbolic gesture of tri-lateral good will. This 2,500 square foot pollinator garden enhances the existing ecosystem restoration benefits found nearby on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River Walk by adding native grasses, wildflowers, trees, and shrubs that provide year-round opportunities for Monarch Butterflies and other pollinators, as well as resident and migratory birds.
Pollinators, such as Monarch Butterflies, bees, and bats, are important to healthy ecosystems and they play a critical role in supporting food supplies relied on by humans. In addition to the plantings in this pollinator garden, artistic features, including art benches and a bug hotel, add locations for thoughtful contemplation and environmental education.
The North American Friendship Garden is located within important migratory flyways, including the Texas Funnel, which supports Monarch Butterflies as they travel through this area each year using San Antonio as a rest stop while heading north towards Canada in the spring and south towards Mexico in the fall.