• VISITthe Preserve
    • Guide to Preserve Reopening
      • Purchase Tickets
    • Plan Your Visit
      • Hours and Admission
      • Directions
      • Map
      • Visitor Center
      • Tips for Visitors
    • What’s in Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Things to See and Do
      • Calendar
      • Follow the Trails
      • For Kids & Families
      • For Birders
  • EXPLOREthe Grounds
    • A Sense of Place
      • Virtual Tour
      • Geology
      • Historic Land Use
      • History of the Preserve
    • Special Habitat Areas
      • Meadow
      • Aquetong Meadow
      • Penn’s Woods
      • Heritage Forest
      • Limestone Habitat
      • Founders’ Pond
      • Pond
      • Pidcock Creek, Dam & Mill Race
      • Green Labyrinth
    • Historic Elements
      • Stone Arch Bridge
      • Log Cabin
      • The Captain James Moore Pavilion
    • News
      • Twinleaf Newsletter
      • In the News
      • Accreditations & Affiliations
  • GROWNative Plants
    • About Native Plants
      • What is a Native Plant?
      • What is a Plant Community?
      • Why are Native Plants and Plant Communities Important?
      • Plant Stewardship at the Preserve
    • Native Plant Nursery
      • Buying Native Plants
      • Native Plant Catalog
      • Grow Houses
      • Plant Grants
    • Garden with Natives
      • Why Native Plants Matter
      • Native Plant Benefits
      • Understanding Plant Communities in Your Garden
      • Attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies
      • Transitioning Your Garden
      • Get Started
      • Native Plant Profiles from A to Z
      • Right Plant, Right Place
      • Maintaining Your Garden
      • Invasive Species
      • What Threats Do Invasives Pose to Our Native Plant Communities?
    • Living Museum Collection of Native Plants
      • Curation & Acquisitions
      • Partnering with the Community
      • Contributing to Our Plant Collection
  • LEARN& Discover
    • Calendar
    • Tour the Preserve
      • Guided Wildflower Walks
      • Self-Guided Walks
      • Group Tours
    • Talks, Walks, & Lectures
      • Exploring Nature
      • Thursday Night Nature
      • Winter Lecture Series
      • Knowing Native Plants
      • Growing Native Plants
      • Specialty Walks
      • Workshops & Events
        • Ecology & Conservation
        • Art, Health & Nature
        • Birding Programs
        • Penn State Extension Programs
    • Kids & Family Programs
      • Children’s Summer Reading
      • Nature Buddies
      • Nature Explorations
      • Schools & Scouts
        • School Group Tours
        • Off-Site Programs
        • Scout Tour and Badge
    • Become a Naturalist
      • What is a Naturalist?
      • Ask a Naturalist
      • Naturalist Training Overviews
      • Core Training
      • Advanced Training
      • Supplemental Learning
      • Naturalist Fulfillment
    • Conferences & Symposia
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Land Ethics Award
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference at Millersville
    • Videos
  • PEOPLEof the Preserve
    • Our Story
      • Our Mission
      • What Makes Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Unique
    • Our Board & Advisors
      • Board of Trustees
      • Advisory Council
    • Our Staff
    • Our Volunteers
    • Voices of Our Volunteers
  • SPECIALEvents
    • Spring Wildflower Gala
      • About the Gala
      • Gala Sponsors & Sponsorship
      • Gala Auction
    • Your Event at the Preserve
      • Wedding & Event Venues
      • Policies & Fees
  • JOIN US& Support
    • Become a Member
      • Levels of Membership
      • Join Now!
      • Library Pass Program
    • Become a Volunteer
      • Opportunities for Everyone
      • Opportunities for Teens
      • Naturalist
      • Corporate Groups/Service Groups
      • Special Projects
      • Volunteer Application
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Give a Gift
      • Annual Fund
      • Endowment Fund
      • Memorial & Tribute Gifts
      • Bequests
      • Form 990
    • Become a Sponsor
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference Millersville
      • Spring Wildflower Gala
    • Additional Sponsorship Opportunities
      • Pocket Habitats in the Community
      • Become a Business Partner
        • Become a Partner
BUY NATIVE PLANTS
GIVE A GIFT TODAY
Contact Us
Bowman's Hill Wildflower PreserveBowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve
  • VISITthe Preserve
    • Guide to Preserve Reopening
      • Purchase Tickets
    • Plan Your Visit
      • Hours and Admission
      • Directions
      • Map
      • Visitor Center
      • Tips for Visitors
    • What’s in Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Things to See and Do
      • Calendar
      • Follow the Trails
      • For Kids & Families
      • For Birders
  • EXPLOREthe Grounds
    • A Sense of Place
      • Virtual Tour
      • Geology
      • Historic Land Use
      • History of the Preserve
    • Special Habitat Areas
      • Meadow
      • Aquetong Meadow
      • Penn’s Woods
      • Heritage Forest
      • Limestone Habitat
      • Founders’ Pond
      • Pond
      • Pidcock Creek, Dam & Mill Race
      • Green Labyrinth
    • Historic Elements
      • Stone Arch Bridge
      • Log Cabin
      • The Captain James Moore Pavilion
    • News
      • Twinleaf Newsletter
      • In the News
      • Accreditations & Affiliations
  • GROWNative Plants
    • About Native Plants
      • What is a Native Plant?
      • What is a Plant Community?
      • Why are Native Plants and Plant Communities Important?
      • Plant Stewardship at the Preserve
    • Native Plant Nursery
      • Buying Native Plants
      • Native Plant Catalog
      • Grow Houses
      • Plant Grants
    • Garden with Natives
      • Why Native Plants Matter
      • Native Plant Benefits
      • Understanding Plant Communities in Your Garden
      • Attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies
      • Transitioning Your Garden
      • Get Started
      • Native Plant Profiles from A to Z
      • Right Plant, Right Place
      • Maintaining Your Garden
      • Invasive Species
      • What Threats Do Invasives Pose to Our Native Plant Communities?
    • Living Museum Collection of Native Plants
      • Curation & Acquisitions
      • Partnering with the Community
      • Contributing to Our Plant Collection
  • LEARN& Discover
    • Calendar
    • Tour the Preserve
      • Guided Wildflower Walks
      • Self-Guided Walks
      • Group Tours
    • Talks, Walks, & Lectures
      • Exploring Nature
      • Thursday Night Nature
      • Winter Lecture Series
      • Knowing Native Plants
      • Growing Native Plants
      • Specialty Walks
      • Workshops & Events
        • Ecology & Conservation
        • Art, Health & Nature
        • Birding Programs
        • Penn State Extension Programs
    • Kids & Family Programs
      • Children’s Summer Reading
      • Nature Buddies
      • Nature Explorations
      • Schools & Scouts
        • School Group Tours
        • Off-Site Programs
        • Scout Tour and Badge
    • Become a Naturalist
      • What is a Naturalist?
      • Ask a Naturalist
      • Naturalist Training Overviews
      • Core Training
      • Advanced Training
      • Supplemental Learning
      • Naturalist Fulfillment
    • Conferences & Symposia
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Land Ethics Award
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference at Millersville
    • Videos
  • PEOPLEof the Preserve
    • Our Story
      • Our Mission
      • What Makes Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Unique
    • Our Board & Advisors
      • Board of Trustees
      • Advisory Council
    • Our Staff
    • Our Volunteers
    • Voices of Our Volunteers
  • SPECIALEvents
    • Spring Wildflower Gala
      • About the Gala
      • Gala Sponsors & Sponsorship
      • Gala Auction
    • Your Event at the Preserve
      • Wedding & Event Venues
      • Policies & Fees
  • JOIN US& Support
    • Become a Member
      • Levels of Membership
      • Join Now!
      • Library Pass Program
    • Become a Volunteer
      • Opportunities for Everyone
      • Opportunities for Teens
      • Naturalist
      • Corporate Groups/Service Groups
      • Special Projects
      • Volunteer Application
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Give a Gift
      • Annual Fund
      • Endowment Fund
      • Memorial & Tribute Gifts
      • Bequests
      • Form 990
    • Become a Sponsor
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference Millersville
      • Spring Wildflower Gala
    • Additional Sponsorship Opportunities
      • Pocket Habitats in the Community
      • Become a Business Partner
        • Become a Partner

People of the Preserve

  • Home
  • PEOPLE of the Preserve
  • Our Story
  • Our Mission

Our Story

Our Mission


Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve inspires the appreciation and use of native plants by serving as a sanctuary and an educational resource for conservation and stewardship.

What Makes Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Unique?

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve is the only accredited botanical museum in the country dedicated to native plants. That’s just one of the many assets that make the Preserve such a special place:

Documented, living native plant collection

The 134-acre Preserve hosts a documented living native plant collection that features over 700 of Pennsylvania’s 2,000 native plant species growing in situ (“in place”) within a matrix of sustainable, recognized plant communities. Unlike the many fine arboretums in our region that feature plants from around the world, the Preserve nurtures only plants native to our region. Accessioned species—plants that have been added to the Preserve over the course of many years—are inventoried, catalogued, tracked and interpreted for the visiting public. Among the Preserve’s plants are approximately 60 species that are classified as either rare, threatened or endangered, and are held by the Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Association in the public trust.

Unique, special geology

So many native plants are able to grow in their natural habitats in such a relatively compact area thanks to a unique and special geology that has shaped the land, determined the soil types, and defined a number of special microhabitats on the property. Examples include: the north-facing diabase ridge of Bowman’s Hill; a swale laid over top of hornfels rock (shale baked and transformed by volcanic magma) featuring a vale of wildflowers traversed by our Parry Trail and a vernal stream and pool along the Marshmarigold trail; and the Pidcock Creek riparian corridor which winds through the Preserve.

More than 80 years of active management

For more than 80 years the Preserve’s landscape has been actively managed to promote native plant diversity. To support meadow species and to keep the meadow from reverting back to forest over time, each year we mow in late winter. We also work hard to remove invasive species in order to minimize competition with our native plants. In addition, we actively manage our new pond to promote plant diversity and maximize educational opportunities.

For more than 25 years, we have also excluded deer from most of the Preserve, except for our meadow. Over the course of time, minimizing the impact of browsing deer has led to a healthy and diverse understory that includes wildflowers, herbs, shrubs, understory trees and juvenile canopy trees. Migrating and nesting birds depend on this species-rich, intact forest ecosystem—particularly the insects it provides—for food and to raise their young.

Native Plant Nursery

In addition to safeguarding our living collection of native plants, our mission includes fostering the spread of native plants throughout our region. Critical to that mission is our Native Plant Nursery, which—in offering scores of plants found throughout the preserve—enables visitors to acquire plants that will enhance their own natural landscapes.

Education and discovery

We inspire lifelong learning and stewardship of native plants and the environment, not just at the Preserve itself, but in backyards and other sites such as school properties throughout the region. Our strong educational programs creatively interpret our living native plant collection in an engaging and meaningful way for everyone from preschoolers to professionals.

A strong community dedicated to native plants

The Preserve is blessed with:

  • A dedicated knowledgeable staff committed to the long-term sustainability of the Preserve and its mission
  • A friendly, educated and enthusiastic corps of volunteers who are eager to share the Preserve with the visiting public, and
  • A caring group of members and donors who generously support conservation and stewardship.

Our Story

  • Our Mission
  • What Makes Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Unique?

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