Outdoor Gardens,
Lobby + Gift Shop
April - September
10 am – 6 pm daily
October - March
10 am – 4 pm daily
Bolz Conservatory
Closed March 11 - June 14 for Planned Maintenance
Schumacher Library
Permanently Closed
Garden & Nature Community Reading Group
Join other garden and wildlife enthusiasts to discuss books and ideas about gardening, plants, nature, and the environment in the Garden & Nature Community Reading Group. This group is a partnership between Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Steenbock Library, and the UW Arboretum.
The theme for our 2024 winter series is No Place Like Home. We will be reading and discussing three books that encourage us to consider how our words and actions create hope for the environment we call home. All discussions are free and open to the public, and participants are encouraged to read the selected book prior to participating in the discussion. Books are not supplied but are available at Schumacher Library, partner libraries, and the Madison Public Library system.
Discussions are free but registration is required.
Wed, May 15, 2024 6:30 PM
The Simplicity of Cider
Time to get into summer beach read mode with the charming novel, The Simplicity of Cider. This story features a prickly cider-maker whose routine is disrupted by the arrival of a handsome farm hand and his young son at her family’s orchard. Set in Door County, this book will have you ready to celebrate being home in Wisconsin.
Past Reads:
Tue, Sep 27, 2022 6:30 PM
Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration
In Bicycling with Butterflies, Dykman recounts her incredible journey becoming the first person to bicycle alongside monarch butterflies on their annual migration - a round-trip adventure that included three countries and more than 10,000 miles alone on a bicycle made of recycled parts.
Winner of the 2021 National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature
Tue, Nov 1, 2022 6:30 PM
Diary of a Young Naturalist
Diary of a Young Naturalist chronicles a year in the life of sixteen-year-old climate activist Dara McAnulty. He shares all the joys and challenges of a life filled with family, friendships, a passion for nature, and the complexities of living with autism.
Winner of the 2020 Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing
Wed, Sep 27, 2023 6:30 PM
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
In An Immense World, Ed Yong takes readers on an astounding voyage into the world of animal sensory perception by introducing a complex ecosystem of touch, scent, sound, sight, and even the magnetic fields that surround us. With humor and joy, this book reveals an entire universe of animal experience that will invite you to reconsider the world around you.
Winner of the American Library Associations 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction.
Wed, Oct 25, 2023 6:30 PM
Dinner on Mars: The Technologies That Will Feed the Red Planet and Transform Agriculture on Earth
Join us for a fun and enlightening discussion about one of agricultures greatest challenges how do you feed a community on Mars? The future of sustainable food production for earth and beyond is the topic of this entertaining and eye-opening book. We will discuss how issues such as gravity and radiation impact how food is generated and consumed and what solutions on earth may enable human life on other planets.
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