The Meandering Meadow is a gently sloping meadow ecosystem located next to Paramecium Pond. For the first several decades of the Alexandra Botanic Garden, this area served as a lawn for events such as maypole dances. More recently the area was maintained as a cool season grass meadow via biannual mowing. WCBG Senior Gardens Horticulturist Anne Beckley saw greater potential for this meadow and initiated its transformation towards a warm season grassland and wildflower meadow. The goals of the project are to diversify the meadow, showcase New England plant species, improve habitat for pollinators and wildlife, and enhance the beauty of the area.

The Kettle is an area in the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens named for the geological term that describes this type of landform. At the lowest point in The Kettle lies Ephemeral Pool, a type of wetland known as a vernal pool that has seasonal cycles of flooding and drying. Vernal pools are breeding ground for amphibians and insects that rely on the fish-free water for survival. Pre-dating the Botanic Gardens records, a concrete liner was installed in this area. Botanic Gardens worked with wetlands specialist Tom Biebighauser and contractor Tim Ward to remove the concrete liner and restore the area to a natural wetland habitat. 

Botany & Empire is an ongoing multimedia project tracing the cultural, scientific, and historical significance of plants in the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. Since 2022, students have integrated diverse sources of knowledge to construct projects exploring the interaction of plants and colonial histories. The content of this exhibition to date represents the efforts of the students of ES 244: Botany, Ecology, and Empire (Spring 2022, Dr. Ashanti Shih) and ES/WGST 328: Naturecultures (Fall 2024 & 2025, Prof. Banu Subramaniam).