Featuring BCRP’s Horticulture division manages Cylburn Arboretum and H.P. Rawlings Conservatory. Artist-Naturalist Molly O. Hoopes leads guided tours at both locations.
Why should teachers and students be excited about your programming?
Cylburn Mansion was built in 1888 by chromite magnate Jesse Tyson, from whose local mines most of the chromite in the world came from in the 1800s. Chromite recently received designation as the state mineral of Maryland. Cylburn Arboretum also features wooded trails, wetlands, flower gardens, tree collections, a Master Gardeners’ demonstration garden, production greenhouses for the Rawlings Conservatory, the “green” Vollmer Center, and a Nature Education Center. Rawlings Conservatory, second oldest public conservatory in the country, has a Desert House, Tropical Rainforest House, Mediterranean House, Orchid Room, and the original Palm House from 1888. We provide a student worksheet, intro lesson about biomes and adaptations, guided tour, and a plant to take home.
Is there a particular program you’d like to highlight? What makes it special?
At Cylburn, we can explore the Nature Education Center containing taxidermy birds, hands-on exhibits about trees, a puppet theater, and live animals. We can also tour the historic Cylburn Mansion and learn about types of rocks. In the garden, we can paint watercolor pictures of flowers. At the Conservatory, we learn about plant adaptations enabling survival in different biomes. We feed the koi and goldfish, feel and smell fuzzy and fragrant leaves, and draw pictures of plants from around the world. In both cases, students plant a small plant to take home.
Anything else teachers should know about you or your programs?
Second grade teachers can get a free bus and program at the Rawlings Conservatory by contacting Alice Hubbard at alhubat@AOL.com. Schools located near Druid Park are given preference. Title 1 Schools pay only $5/student, while other schools pay $7/student.We do have an accessible wooded trail.
Learn more about Molly O. Hoopes and the BCRP, Horticulture Division’s programming on their website and follow them on social media!
Instagram: @cylburn_arboretum_friends
Facebook: Cylburn Arboretum Naturalist
Twitter: @RecNParks
Rawlings Conservatory website: rawlingsconservatory.org
BCRP website: baltimorecity.gov/bcrp
