“Habitat” Opening Day

Join us to celebrate the opening of our newest exhibition, “Habitat,” developed by Smithsonian Gardens and made available by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Experience the Garden as crucial habitat for native wildlife. Participants will have the opportunity to visit with organizations that protect habitat, take home a native tree, design a miniature habitat of their own, and try their hand at nest building. Bird and butterfly walks will be offered each hour, as well. Houston SPCA’s Wildlife Center of Texas will also be on-hand with live birds, including a crested caracara and an American kestrel. This is a great opportunity to spend a day learning how protecting habitats protects life.

“Habitat” opening day festivities are included in the cost of general admission to the Garden, which is $15/adult, $10/child/student on Saturday. Members can use the free general admission benefit(s) associated with their level of membership to attend at no additional charge.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Habitats provide homes for all living things, from the tiniest ant to the tallest tree. Plants, animals, and other organisms have adapted to each other and their habitats over time, creating a delicate ecological balance. This balance faces many threats, including pollution, deforestation, and climate change, but humans can protect habitats for the future by learning to be better stewards of the environment. The “Habitat” exhibit invites visitors to learn more about the importance to habitats to life, and what people can do to help preserve them.

Twelve thematic sections explore the uniqueness and importance of the natural environment, as well as the critical role that many organisms play in creating and sustaining habitats. “Habitat” also explores different ecosystems and how scientists study them, and provides steps everyone can take to best protect them.

Thematic Sections:

• Biomes
• Bug B&B
• Dead Wood is Life
• Foundation of the Sea
• Habitat of Flight
• Homes
• Key to the Forest
• Life Underground
• Monarchs & Prairies
• Nests
• Sheltering Branches
• Sign of the Dragonfly