Critters Corner: Montana’s Garden

Riverview Park & Zoo

Here at the Riverview Park and Zoo we have several beautiful gardens and naturalized areas which help promote natural ecosystems and biodiversity in our park and zoo. Among these is Montana’s Garden, located right beside the North American River Otter exhibit.

In Montana’s Garden, beautiful flowers, vegetables, and fruits are grown that help feed our very own animals here at the zoo! The Garden is maintained by our wonderful Horticulture team through a system known as permaculture. Permaculture uses the natural ecosystem to ensure the garden is sustainable and eco-friendly. Some ways Montana’s Garden is maintained in a sustainable way include:

• Attracting birds to the garden through birdhouses to eat any plant-harming insects. This prevents the need to use harmful pesticides that can negatively affect other organisms.

• Planting flowers around the garden which help attract bees and other pollinators who are crucial to the growth of plants and production of crops.

• Cutting off plants at soil level during harvest time and leaving the roots in deeper soil untouched. The roots will decompose and supply nutrients to earthworms, helping to increase their population and thus increasing overall soil quality.

Our environment benefits greatly from the abundance of plants and flowers grown not only in Montana’s Garden, but all over the park and zoo. We are proud to be able to provide such wonderful areas where biodiversity and ecosystems can flourish. Make sure to check out Montana’s Garden on your next visit to the Riverview Park and Zoo!

Find out more about the species that live at the only free-admission accredited zoo in Canada by visiting our website  www.riverviewparkandzoo.ca