Wild Beauty: The Botanical Art of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden Florilegium

Experience the beauty of a special place in the Twin Cities! The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden is the oldest public native plant garden in the United States. Located in the heart of Minneapolis, it brings together a diverse collection of plants in woodland, wetland, and meadow habitats in just 18 acres. This unique garden started by Eloise (and others) has been carefully cultivated over 120 years by many hands into the wondrous place it is today.

The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden Florilegium captures the intimate details of the beautiful wild plants of this garden. A florilegium is a compendium of illustrations of the plants in a particular place, as a visual and historical record. Created by artists of the Minnesota School of Botanical Art, the project reclaims a centuries old form to highlight a special, public place that’s important today. It carries on a tradition of botanical illustration that brings together art and science to create accurate, yet expressive, depictions of living plants.

This all-ages exhibition centers on the 111 watercolors of the florilegium. It includes hands-on activities, such as a collaborative garden mural and an opportunity to learn to draw plants, as well as a video projection and collections highlights, including specimens collected by Eloise Butler herself for the University of Minnesota Herbarium. Explore the beauty and wonder of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and its plants with us!