News Items Archive - Mathias Botanical Garden

In memoriam: Morton La Kretz, 100, alumnus, environmental champion and lifelong supporter of UCLA

The UCLA Newsroom published a tribute honoring the incredible life and legacy of Morton La Kretz, who served on the Garden's board. La Kretz first visited the Garden as an undergraduate student for a biology class experiment. Later, he would…

Congrats to the California Chapter Recipients of 2026 Audubon in Action and Collaborative Grants

The Bruin Birding Club is dedicated to making birding accessible both on campus and within the wider community. In collaboration with the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden, the club aims to enhance the Garden's free K–12 education programs by…

UCLA student bands shape the campus music scene

In an article for the Daily Bruin, photojournalists Leydi Cris Cobo Cordon and Crystal Tompkins followed several of the campus music scene. One of the student bands highlighted was Fire Safety who rocked the Garden at our Fall Fest in October.…

UCLA’s ‘Moment of Reflection’ marks the one-year anniversary of the LA fires

In an article for the UCLA Newsroom, Madeline Adamo recounts the "Moment of Reflection" event held at Dickson Court South to mark the first anniversary of the fires that impacted countless Angelenos. Bruins and Chancellor Julio Frenk came together…

Tongva Basket Weaving Garden

For Native American Heritage Month, Garden Director Victoria Sork spoke with UCLA to discuss the Tongva Basket Weaving Garden. The garden is the result of a collaboration with the local Tongva-Gabrielino community who selected the plants, planted…

Día de los Muertos event spotlights environmental grief through ofrendas, art show

Reid Sperison of The Daily Bruin wrote an article highlighting a free public event called "Día de los Muertos: Mourning and Remembering Through Ecological Change" which was hosted at the Garden. The event featured ofrendas decorated in tribute…

Fall Fest 2025

On Saturday, October 18, the Garden welcomed its community for a celebration of nature at its second annual Fall Fest. Throughout the day, attendees engaged with their community by visiting booths set up across the Garden, featuring local…

These Record-Breaking Water Lilies Can Hold Nearly 200 Pounds—See the Whimsical Contest That Crowns a Winner

Sophia Beams of Better Homes and Gardens published an article discussing the Denver Botanical Garden's third-annual Waterlily Weigh-Off, a competition where gardens and zoos across the world test how much weight their Victoria waterlilies can…

Botanical garden Clarkia Flower Festival sows stories of history, Indigenous roots

If you missed the Clarkia Flower Festival, not to worry–the Daily Bruin has you covered with their article recapping the event! From the opening ceremony led by Chief Anthony Redblood Morales of the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians to lectures…

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26 awe-inspiring gardens in Southern California you must visit at least once

The UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden was featured in an article by Jeanette Marantos for the L.A. Times Plants about public gardens across Southern California! The article highlighted our unique collection including the porcupine tomato, our towering…