Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Alissa Wolken, Communications A visit to Woodland Park Zoo offers endless opportunities to witness the magnificent, from Malayan tigers taking a quick swim, to a baby porcupine discovering its new world. Photo by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo. But the beauty of nature isn’t just witnessed through the zoo’s animals; it is also experienced through the stunning horticulture on zoo grounds, including the exquisite Rose Garden . Photo by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo. Hitting its color peak now through September, the garden is calling to you. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. Just beyond the South Entrance of the zoo is a field of vibrant color and brilliant architecture that creates a memorable showcase of nature for all visitors and passersby to enjoy. Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. Woodland Park Rose Garden offers a splendid setting for flower lovers to stroll the grass pathways circulating through 2.5 acres of rose displa...

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo One of Woodland Park Zoo’s not-so-secret spaces is actually adjacent to the zoo itself, the WoodlandPark Rose Garden . Established as a civic garden in 1922, the 2.5 acre space is cared for and kept by the zoo’s horticulture staff and our Lead Rose Gardener and rose-master, Matt Manion. The garden hosts nearly 200 varieties of roses, showcasing those that thrive in the Pacific Northwest climate. Showing our appreciation for our dedicated horticulture crew! Since 2006, the Rose Garden has been pesticide free. Pesticides pollute through rain runoff in Seattle, making it all the way to Puget Sound. Plus, we like to treat our animals to roses , and we wouldn't want them ingesting those toxins. Using the natural approach means building healthy soils, practicing smart watering and planting disease-resistant varieties.  Matt says that these sustainable methods will work well in your own gar...

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Kirsten Pisto/Woodland Park Zoo With Valentine’s Day on the way, you might find yourself selecting flowers—perhaps a beautiful orchid—for your partner. But did you know orchids have their own partners? Orchids and certain fungi share a symbiotic relationship. The idea of symbiosis, whose Greek roots mean “living” and “together,” sounds almost romantic. Yet when it comes to symbiosis—the relationship between two species in which one species is dependent on the other—not all is created equally (i.e. “It’s complicated.”) Dendrobium speciosum in our Tropical Rain Forest exhibit. If symbiosis were a box of chocolates (we’re really going hard with this Valentine’s Day theme), it would come in different flavors—some sweet, and some you want to spit out. Mutualism is any relationship between individuals of different species where both individuals benefit. Commensalism describes a relationship between two living orga...

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications As we gear up for the May 4th opening of phase one of our new Bamboo Forest Reserve exhibit, some of the details are starting to blossom! Here is a little sneak peek at the landscape horticulture elements that are part of the new exhibit. It’s all about landscape simulation—the zoo’s horticulture department seeks out plants that will thrive in our Pacific Northwest environment, while mimicking the flora found in the thick forests of Southeast Asia. Shaping a new exhibit’s greenery has three key components: 1.) the comfort and safety of the animals, 2.) allowing visitors to observe our animals in an environment inspired by natural habitats, 3.) and telling clearly the story of the entire biome, its diverse plant and animal species, and its conservation connections. Our horticulture team helps tell the conservation story of sharing the forest; the health of the forest being dependent on all its wildlife, from the fiercest tiger to the tinie...

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications Stepping into the greenhouse at Woodland Park Zoo, I am hit with a hot, humid air that smells of fertilizer, earth and some wildly primal perfumes. In the farthest corner is a table smothered in a muddle of vines, twisting tendrils and mysterious red and pink flanked vessels. Welcome to the land of the endangered old world pitcher plants, Nepenthes .   A dangerous view for a curious insect, the vibrant red lip on this pitcher plant is both tempting and deadly. I tracked down Woodland Park Zoo gardener and pitcher plant enthusiast, Justin Schroeder, who had a lot to say about these endangered carnivores. Old world pitcher plants live in very remote areas, deep in the hillsides of tropical Asia. They prefer sunny ridges and slopes to thick jungles. Rain and high humidity are important elements of their environment as they like a permanently wet soil. Old world pitcher plants can grow epiphytically, atop other plants, trees or ...

Posted by: Kirsten Pisto, Communications with David Selk, Horticulture Don’t you love the early signs of spring? Even though it’s still chilly and spring doesn’t technically start until March 20, some of the tiniest hints of the season are already in full force here at the zoo. With a few clues from our resident horticulture guru, David Selk, I went on a quick hunt for early blooms. Here are a few of the finds… Hello spring! Above is the flowering currant ( Ribes sanguineum ). Below is a fresh green sprout from an Indian Plum ( Oemlaria cerasiformis ), little green slivers of warmer days ahead. This is a view from the side—some pretty intense architecture! This plant is native to the Pacific Northwest, ranging from BC, Canada all the way to Santa Barbara, CA. A sure sign of spring, Indian Plum is among the first plants to leaf out and flower. You can begin to see delicate white flowers emerge from the buds. People used to make tea from the bark, and ch...