Richard Evans Schultes was a 20th century biologist who studied medicinal and toxic plants used by Indigenous peoples in the Americas. Throughout his career, he advocated for conservation of the Amazon rainforest to protect both the plants living there and the traditional ecological knowledge held by the Indigenous communities that used them.

Chrissy Moore, curator of the National Arboretum's National Herb Garden, reflected on Schultes' career and ethnobotanical contributions in a recent blog from The Herb Society of America.

We've grown a ton of food! Our garden team has already harvested 2,226 pounds of fresh produce from our gardens this year!

93% of this produce was grown at Washington Youth Garden's 1-acre garden at the National Arboretum, and the rest was grown at our four partner schools.

This year, we have distributed fresh food to students and families at:

Come volunteer with the Washington Youth Garden! We need some extra hands at our main garden at the National Arboretum to help weed, mulch, plant, harvest, and more. Volunteers work in shifts on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Fill out our interest form to receive more information about our next virtual garden orientation on August 4th.

After exploring the National Arboretum, head across the Anacostia River and discover the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. With more than 40 ponds, the Aquatic Gardens shine throughout July when lotus and water lilies are in full bloom.

Read about our neighbors at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in a recent article from the Washington Post.

Help more people in DC learn about the National Arboretum and FONA by nominating us for this year's "Best of DC" awards, published by the Washington City Paper.

Nominations close August 1st — voting commences in the fall. Please nominate us and the Arboretum for the following categories:

Join the French Embassy on Wednesday, August 4th at 8:45 PM for a screening of Microcosmos, a stunning documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds. This event is part of the French Embassy's Films on the Green DC summer film festival, and is made possible in partnership with FONA, the National Gallery of Art, and TV5MONDE. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance.

Suzanne "Sukie" Kuser, who served on FONA's board for many years, passed away on July 13, 2021. We are saddened to hear of her passing, but are extremely grateful for Sukie's service to FONA and for her sharing her passion for gardening and nature with us.