Wing Haven Gardens: A Tranquil Retreat
“…she liked still more the feeling that when its beautiful old walls shut her in no one knew where she was. It seemed almost like being shut out of the world in some fairy place..” –Frances Hodgson Burnett The Secret Garden
Recent Rocky Mountain transplants, our family of four is in constant pursuit of nearby areas that help us reconnect with nature — places that feel far away but don’t require an entire tank of gas. We loved our visit to Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary, a 4-acre feast for the senses nestled in the backyard of a Myers Park home. If you weren’t looking for it, chances are you’d pass right by the walled-in oasis — although it’s open to the public. The anonymity, however, lends to the feeling that you’ve stumbled upon a treasured secret.
My two and four-year-old boys were instantly taken with its maze-like brick pathways, birdbaths, fishponds and especially the children’s garden (also home to the garden’s resident bunny, “Skipper”). Their boundless energy gave me a momentary anxiety attack when I picked up a copy of the visitor’s guide and learned of the garden’s many prized tree, shrub and flower species. Instead of feeling museum-like, however, the vibe was tranquil, laid-back and welcoming, with many ideas and materials for channeling my kids’ liveliness and engaging their interest.
Each Wednesday through July and August, Wing Haven hosts hands-on activities in the children’s garden. Kids can choose from a list of “to-dos” posted near the garden beds, where vegetables planted during June day-camps lie ready to be tended. Dia Steiger, Executive Director for the sanctuary, says children love watering, tying up tomato plants, weeding, and especially harvesting the vegetables each summer. Not only is it amusing, but it teaches valuable lessons about gardening and environmental responsibility.
Most importantly, however, Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary is dedicated to providing a hospitable and tranquil home for feathered friends and other critters. If your family visits with young children, like we did, go with a game-plan. Check out some Web sites on common birds in the area and print out an identifier checklist, bring your own bird-book or purchase a $1 activity book in the office by the children’s garden. Since I came unprepared myself, we purchased the activity book and jumped into our new role as wildlife detectives with vigor searching out cardinals, bullfrogs, wrens and chipmunks. There were plenty of shaded benches to stop and take in the surroundings, as well as color and turn pages in our activity books.
Since the garden regularly hosts school field trips, Steiger has many other ideas she often shares with teachers who are planning a visit. My favorite idea was to make “binoculars” before-hand out of two toilet paper rolls and some heavy tape, which kids can decorate and attach a string to either end. When they look through their works of art in the garden, it helps them remember why they’re at the garden and what they’re looking for. After visiting, my four-year-old wanted to make his own bird feeder to hang on a tree. We looked at the garden’s web site for ideas on creating a bird sanctuary in our backyard.
A visit to Wing Haven can be magical. If you take the garden as an opportunity to explore and interact with your child, you’ll be rewarded with smiles, giggles and covert teaching (and personal learning!) moments. In a world where the disconnect between children and the natural world is widening, visiting Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary is not only fun, but it feels good, too.
Where: 248 Ridgewood Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28209
Visitors Welcome: Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Tuesday 3 pm – 5 pm, Wednesday 10 am- noon.
Price: $5 donation suggested per adult
For more information: call 704/331-0664 or www.winghavengardens.com
Want to grow your own bird feeders? Tubular flowers like bee-balm, trumpet honeysuckle and trumpet creeper feed hummingbirds. Seed-producing plants like coneflower, black-eyed susan and sunflower are favorites of a variety of other feathered friends.
Websites and Books for the Bird-Minded:
National Autobon Society (www.audubon.org)
Mecklenburg County Audubon Society (www.meckbirds.org)
Cornell Lab of Ornitholigy (www.birds.cornell.edu)
Peterson First Guides Birds by Roger Tory Peterson
The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess
National Audubon Society Regional Guide to the Southeastern States by Peter Alden
Join Mar Currie, Wing Haven’s children’s educator in the Children’s garden on Wednesday mornings through Aug. 13. There’ll be plants to water, weeds to pull, compost to turn, tomatoes to stake…who knows, you might even find something to harvest! Bring an adult and stop by the garden on Wednesday mornings anytime between 10 and noon – free, no reservations necessary.
Want to grow your own bird feeders? Tubular flowers like bee-balm, trumpet honeysuckle and trumpet creeper feed hummingbirds. Seed-producing plants like coneflower, black-eyed susan and sunflower are favorites of a variety of other feathered friends.
Heather Hayes is a freelance writer and mother in Charlotte.
