Broad Ripple Gardens
Pollinator Pathways

BACKGROUND

Inspired by the community-led Pollinator Pathways initiative in Seattle, this project aims to reintroduce native biological diversity into the Broad Ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis and beyond. Many pollinator species have a foraging range of only a few hundred meters, making it imperative that urban environments be densely planted with flowers. Using two gardens as hubs, the Monon Trail’s Pollinator Pathway would become a haven for pollinators and an immersive educational experience for the community.

Garden Sites

01 Broad Ripple Avenue Garden

Located just north of Broad Ripple Avenue, this garden would be developed on a vacant lot while leaving much of the existing foliage intact. It would serve as a community gathering space offering information about local ecology and “U-Pick” flower purchases.

02 65th Street Garden

Operating as an extension of the Broad Ripple Avenue garden, this space would include family-friendly signage containing educational information about the flowers growing in the garden and the local pollinator species they support.

Pathway Map

Indiana Prairie and Woodland Flowers

Purple Cone Flower

Red Columbine

Black-Eyed Susan

Field Thistle

White Snakeroot

Ohio Spiderwort

Monon Trail

Native plants supporting local pollinators are planted along the Monon Trail, offering visitors the opportunity to spot flowers they may have seen in the Broad Ripple Village gardens.