Kick off National Pollinator Week at the San Diego Natural History Museum with its third annual free Garden Fair, held on June 20 inside and outside The Nat building in Balboa Park.
The all-ages event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will center on California native plants and celebrate San Diego’s biodiversity, with advice on the tools needed to plant native. No museum admission is required, but visitors are welcome to explore inside afterward to dive deeper into local ecosystems. A discounted admission offer will be available Saturday only.
Highlights include:
• Native milkweed giveaway: Stop by The Nat membership table outside to grab a free native narrowleaf milkweed to plant in your garden at home.
• California native plant sale: The Nat is partnering with a local nursery to host a sale of native plants.
The Nat’s Garden Fair hosts are “Here for Nature” at the free annual event in Balboa Park. In addition to a plant sale and giveaway, guests can sip “pollinator” cocktails and do hands-on activities with museum scientists. The event includes a day-of discount for museum admission. (San Diego Natural History Museum)
• Browse more than 20 tables from local organizations with hands-on educational activities and giveaways inside and outside the museum:
– Make a compostable pot and plant a native bladderpod seed to take home.
– Help sort native plant seeds.
– Create paperclip butterflies or get artistic with pollinator coloring pages.
– Match the native bee with its nesting habitat.
– Look at flowers and pollinators under a microscope.
– Quiz yourself on your native plant knowledge.
Also happening inside:
• Discounted museum admission: Get $5 off the museum ticket if you stop by The Nat table outside; or those who attend the “Nat at Night” outing the night before, Jan. 19, will get half-off admission to the museum. Both offers are only valid on June 20.
• Specialty “pollinator” cocktails and special bites available for purchase from Craft Taco.
• Hands-on activities with museum scientists.
The San Diego Natural History Museum is at 1788 El Prado in Balboa Park. For more information, visit sdnhm.org.