About the VLSB Pollinator Garden

Student-led restoration, research, and education — building habitat and community at UC Berkeley.

Our Mission

The VLSB Pollinator Garden is a student-led ecological restoration project at UC Berkeley. Through hands-on work and research, we’re transforming neglected campus spaces into vibrant habitats that support native plants, pollinators, and community education. Open to all students through URAP, the project blends environmental action with scientific inquiry.

Students working in the Pollinator Garden

Where we grow

Located on the south side of the Valley Life Sciences Building, the garden serves as a living classroom for restoration, conservation, and outreach — a place where students shape a healthier urban ecosystem, one plant and one pollinator at a time.

History

  • 2019 — Garden established

    Launched under the supervision of entomologist Peter Oboyski (ESPM) as a student-run garden to support campus pollinators.

  • 2020–2022 — Pandemic pause

    Remote instruction and funding constraints led to disrepair; maintenance and research were suspended.

  • 2023 — Restoration restarts

    With a TGIF grant application led by former project lead Tanmayi and support from Professor Cynthia Looy (Integrative Biology), restoration resumed as a URAP project open each semester.

  • 2024–present — Growth & research

    Weeding, replanting, inventory and mapping, plus pollinator surveys — with activity and diversity rising as habitat improves.

Goals

Restore native habitat

Replace invasive species with locally adapted shrubs, forbs, and grasses to support pollinators and other wildlife. See the original plan (PDF).

Educate & engage

Use the garden as a visible, hands-on learning space for conservation, natural history, and design — in and outside classrooms.

Monitor & learn

Track plant performance and pollinator activity to inform best practices for campus urban-ecology.

Build community

Involve students across disciplines; maintain a welcoming space for collaboration and stewardship.

Progress

Garden mapping and planting

2023–2024: Assessment & replanting

We created an inventory of pre-existing plants and pandemic-era weeds, described habitats and pollinators, and built a species wishlist. We mapped the garden, weeded extensively, selected new species, and started re-planting and path layout.

2024–2025: Surveying & team growth

With weeding and planting ongoing, we began pollinator surveys and observed a clear increase in activity. We added Landscape and Website teams to the original Project and Survey teams to expand planting design, sourcing, mapping, content, and outreach.

Looking ahead, we aim to maintain teams, expand plantings, and explore new academic opportunities (e.g., a Pollinator Garden DeCal).

Students conducting pollinator observations

Research & Funding

The Pollinator Garden is a URAP project funded by The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) at UC Berkeley.

“TGIF provides grants for projects that advance campus sustainability — including habitat restoration, energy and water efficiency, sustainable transportation, waste reduction, and education. Projects are selected by a committee of students, faculty, and staff.”

Our research focuses on interactions between California native flowering plants and campus pollinators. By combining gardening field work, planting design, and observation, we’re refining practices that help the garden function as a refuge for wildlife within UC Berkeley’s urban matrix.

Learn about URAP Contact the team