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Midway Garden
Midway Garden
Juneau Park Friends planted and maintains the Midway pollinator garden, a vibrant home for butterflies and bees and other neighborhood creatures. Located on the west side of the restroom building, just steps away from the Beer Garden, it has been flourishing for more than 15 years.
Feel free to walk the mulch paths and explore the beneficial plants and insects in the garden. Have a seat on one of the boulders to watch nature at work. Remember that one third of the food we eat is pollinated by these little helpers.
In 2025, the Midway Garden was recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. This certification means that the garden is primarily plants native to southeast Wisconsin, employs sustainable practices, and provides wildlife with food, water, cover, and places to raise their young.
Southend Garden
Southend Garden
The Southend Garden, one of Milwaukee County Parks Department's first pollinator gardens, is located at the south end of Juneau Park just off Mason Street. Juneau Park Friends is partnering with the Parks Department to renovate and restore this large garden on the bluff of Lake Michigan. You, too, can be a partner in this project by donating a gift or volunteering your time.
How did your coffee grounds wind up in this garden?
How did your coffee grounds wind up in this garden?
As part of our ongoing sustainability practices, Juneau Park Friends uses fresh composted soil every spring for new plantings. But how did your coffee grounds get into this soil?
In Milwaukee, there is a thriving sustainability practice among many locally owned coffee shops and restaurants. They intentionally divert their food scraps and coffee grounds away from the traditional garbage stream (landfills) and recycle them.
They use special organic waste bins which are picked up by a local, woman-owned company, Compost Crusaders. Compost Crusaders hauls the organic waste to a local family-owned company, Blue Ribbon Organics, which turns it into nutrient-rich living soil. JPF has purchased this soil directly from Blue Ribbon Organics and also via our local co-op Outpost Natural Foods.
More JPF Sustainability Practices
More JPF Sustainability Practices
Juneau Park Friends also practices other sustainability methods. In fall, instead of cutting down our native plants, we tie them into sheaves. This provides habitat for certain beneficial insects throughout the winter, nutritious seeds for birds, as well as visual interest for humans. In the spring, we knock down the sheaves and use them for mulch and weed-prevention creating zero-waste. Likewise, we do not rake leaves; we leave them to compost into the soil.
When we do have weeds, JPF never uses chemical-based weed killers. We either pull them by hand, or use the traditional DIY mixture of vinegar, salt, and liquid soap.
Even the boulders in our garden are native to northern Wisconsin. Various colors of granite were rolled smooth while being carried to southern Wisconsin by the great Wisconsin Glaciation 10,000 to 30,000 years ago.
Join us!
Join us!
Volunteer
Volunteer
Looking for some garden therapy? Join us by sending an email to juneauparkfriendsmke@gmail.com and the garden manager will connect with you. All are welcome!
iNaturalist
iNaturalist
Learn more about the wildlife right here in downtown Milwaukee. Become a citizen scientist with iNaturalist.
Take a photo of any insect, animal, plant or fungi that you find in Juneau Park.
Upload your photo to iNaturalist.org identifiying the Juneau Park location.
Watch as other citizen scientists confirm your observation.
We already have more than 15 research-grade observations. Add to our collection to help other citizen scientists and academic researchers learn more.
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