Welcome to our Native Plant Garden

Our garden shows the remarkable diversity of plants that thrive in central California. First established in 1900 to preserve local flora, our Native Plant Garden has grown into a vital habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Come and explore!

Plants & Pollinators

Why a native plant garden? California is a global biodiversity hotspot, with many plants and animals seen nowhere else on Earth. By creating a habitat with plants naturally found on the Central Coast, we make a healthy home for pollinators, birds, and other important wildlife.

In our garden, listen for songbirds and see if you can spot a bumble bee, butterfly, or hummingbird. You may even find a damselfly or Western Scrub Jay. These are just a few of the beneficial animals that call our garden home.

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- Learn about monarch biology, stewardship, and volunteer opportunities with the Monterey Regional Monarch Alliance
  L‍ink here ‍
- Find native plants near you and design your own pollinator-friendly garden with the California Native Plant Society’s CalScape.
  Link here
- Download your own free Museum pollinator brochure!
  Link here‍

Ethnobotany & Culture

Our Native Plant Garden contains many plants traditionally used by the Ohlone peoples. Ohlone refers to a broad group of culturally distinct Indigenous people in Central California with their own unique languages and cultures. They were forcefully displaced and dispersed by European colonizers. Today, Ohlone communities are working toward cultural revitalization, land rematriation, and federal recognition.

Historically and into the present, the uses of these plants included clothing, food, medicine, tools, and ceremonial components. As you wander through the garden, look for plants labeled with their traditional ethnobotanical use.

For thousands of years, the Rumsen-speaking Ohlone people have actively stewarded Monterey County’s habitats through practices such as selective plant harvesting, controlled burns, and seed propagation. In partnership with Carla Marie Munoz, Desiree Munoz, Violet Smith, and Tinker Gomez, we created visual representation of historic stewardship practices with a new Seasonal Wheel and a Traditional Ruk. We are deeply grateful for their support in creating a garden that everyone can enjoy. Thank you and shururu!

Download your own free guide and scavenger hunt to the garden’s Ohlone Seasonal Wheel here!
Link here
- Rumsen Ohlone Tribal Community
- Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe
- OCEN: Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation

Geology & Fossils

From the ground up, Monterey Bay is rich in biodiversity! Our region’s varied geology and microclimates create diversity in soils which allows for many habitats to be in close proximity.

In our garden, you can explore Monterey Bay’s unique fossil formation layers in our Fossil Pit. You can also check out an Explorer’s Vest to dig through the soil and make discoveries for yourself.

Did you find a fossil in the Fossil Pit? Show your fossil to a Museum Docent to discover what kind of fossil it is.
- Download our free brochure to the most common fossils in the Museum’s Fossil Pit with a fun rock scavenger hunt!
  Link here
- Introduction to Local Geology by the Point Lobos Foundation
  Link Here
- Monterey Formation Fossils by UC Berkely
  Link Here