Bay Farm Island is becoming a pollinator haven, featuring two native plant gardens in public spaces—Bay Farm School and Bay Farm Island Library. These gardens are part of a larger initiative to restore biodiversity by reintroducing California native plants, which are vital sources of food and shelter for bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife.
By supporting pollinators, we help maintain the delicate balance of our local ecosystem while providing a beautiful and educational space for our community to enjoy.
Habitat Garden at Bay Farm School
The Habitat Garden at Bay Farm School is in its third year of growth and continues to flourish thanks to the dedication of volunteers. This project is led by teacher Mike Nettles and is maintained through monthly work parties, where community members come together to care for this special space on the first Saturday of every month from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. to help tend the garden and learn more about the plants that call it home. Join us!
The Habitat Garden is designed to provide essential resources for local wildlife. There is a focus on growing a diverse mix of native bulbs, grasses, annual and perennial wildflowers, shrubs, and trees, which were all carefully selected for their ability to thrive in Bay Farm’s sandy soil with little to no water. Many of these plants once grew naturally along the dunes that once ringed the San Francisco Bay, including Robert Crown Beach. You might encounter some of the other species, like native on a hike in the East Bay Regional Parks.
Now in its third year, the Habitat Garden is coming into its own. Annual plants are self-seeding, perennials are expanding, and shrubs are growing larger, creating a dynamic and ever-changing landscape. While spring brings an explosion of colorful blooms, many plants flower throughout the year, ensuring that pollinators have access to nectar and pollen in every season.
More than just a garden, this space offers an opportunity for education, inspiration, and hands-on experience with California’s unique plant life. Students, teachers, and parents are working on a phenology project for the native plants in the garden to help recognize California native plants in all stages of life—from seed to flower, and back again.
Native Plant Garden at Bay Farm Island Library
The Native Plant Garden at Bay Farm Island Library, planted in March 2025, will also play a vital role in the effort to restore biodiversity. Supported by Friends of the Alameda Free Library for their 50th anniversary and guided by native plant expert Matt Hagedorn and Senior Librarian Rosemary Van Lare, this garden expands wildlife habitat, offering more space for bees, butterflies, and birds to thrive. As the plants grow, informational signs about each plant will serve as an educational and teaching opportunity for the public.
Together, these two gardens form a growing network of native plant environments that connect to the broader Bay Area ecosystem.
How you can participate
There are many ways to help restore biodiversity and support pollinators here in our community. Volunteer to help care for a habitat garden, learn more about native plants, or add native plants to your own garden at home. You can even get free seeds at an Alameda Backyard Growers seed library.
- Volunteer at the Habitat Garden at Bay Farm School: Join work parties at the garden, 200 Aughinbaugh Way, on the first Saturday of every month, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., to help care for the garden.
- Learn about native plants: Visit Calscape online to search for native plants that thrive in your own neighborhood. The search feature includes a description of the plant, its uses (stabilization, container, groundcover, etc.), water usage, wildlife attractants, and more. There are also many books available about California native plants at the Alameda Free Library, 1550 Oak Street.
- Get free native plant seeds for your own garden: Stop by one of Alameda Backyard Growers’ five Seed Libraries to pick up free native plant seeds and start your own pollinator-friendly garden at home. Offerings are seasonal.
- Buy native plants: Visit one of Alameda’s nurseries to invest in native plants for your garden. Ploughshares Nursery, at 2701 Main Street, and Encinal Nursery, at 2057 Encinal Avenue, both carry a great selection of native plants.
Kristen Smeal is the co-coordinator of the Alameda Backyard Growers’ Free Seed Library project and teaches Garden Science at St. Philip Neri in Alameda. Mike Nettles is a first grade teacher at Bay Farm Elementary School, a native plant expert, and volunteer at Skyline Gardens Alliance Project.
