Behind the NM building on the Clearwater campus, you'll find a small botanical garden utilized by students in Biology and Physical Science classes.
The garden is divided into different sections, featuring native plants with ethnobotanical uses, dye plants, medicinal plants, and a butterfly garden. Informational kiosks are included to provide visitors with an opportunity to study plant diversity. The garden also serves as an opportunity to observe animal habitats, particularly birds and insects, as well as environmental issues and conservation, with the inclusion of a rain barrel for water collection and a mesic area fed by meltwater overflow from a laboratory ice machine.
Another main feature of the garden is the side walk, which was converted into a geologic timeline. It consists of the four main Geologic Eras, each labeled and distinguished with a different color. Artwork is still being added to the timeline to represent different geological and biological events.
Goals for the garden include the addition of a shade structure, bird and bat houses, examples of different rock types, weather gauges to collect environmental data, new plant specimens, and expanded labeling and kiosks.