The final Flower Show of the year celebrates the warmth of autumn

A long-running design trend in fashion, hair, and homewares, the ombre pattern is now making its horticultural debut in the Sunken Garden, where waves of yellow, gold, pink, and purple chrysanthemums ripple against the room’s reflecting pool.

“The theme we were going for was ‘sunset on the water,’” says Willow Stephens, the Right Track horticultural apprentice who co-designed the show along with Como horticulturist Rylee Werden. “The white mums at the end of the pool represent the bright sun, and then you see the colors around it fade away, yellow to orange, pink to purple.”

And now through November 16, Como’s Fall Flower Show is taking its inspiration from the color palette of Como Zoo’s lions, Mumford and Maji. Sunken Garden flower shows are free to the public, and made possible, in part, by your support for Como Friends. Thank you!

An autumn tradition for more than a century, designing the Fall Flower Show at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is a cool project for any young horticulturist to have on their resume. But this season’s display is extra special—it will be the last shot of color in the Sunken Garden before it closes for renovations that will make the historic room more accessible to visitors with strollers, wheelchairs, and other mobility challenges. While it’s under construction, Como’s horticulturists, and an event and display company are planning a poinsettia display for the Visitor Center porch.

“There’s never a great time to close any corner of Como, particularly a garden that visitors love as much as the Sunken Garden,” says Como Campus Director Michelle Furrer. “While we won’t be able to experience the Holiday Flower Show, we are planning a special exhibition, Winter’s Blooming Wonderland, that includes the traditional poinsettias on the Visitor Center Porch.”

That’s why horticulturists came up with a particularly colorful plan for this season’s two-part flower show. Following the sunset theme, which runs through October 27, the second half takes its inspiration from the color palette of Como Zoo’s lions, Mumford and Maji, and will run from November 1 through 16. 

In addition to traditional mums, Werden says visitors will see her favorite plant, the viola “antique shades,” and many other vibrant supporting players. “The cooler temperatures and shorter days do restrict the types of plants that we can select, but we’ve chosen some that give the room a nice fall feel—chard and kale, marigolds, millet, and grasses all look great with these mums.” 

“We’re really excited about having a room that’s more accessible, and that more people can appreciate,” says Werden. “And one thing we really like is that these changes will even create a little more space for garden beds.”

Symbolizing joy, luck, friendship, and rebirth, chrysanthemums have been the centerpiece of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’s fall flower shows since 1915. This year’s show highlights the versatility of mums by featuring the same plant side by side—one in the traditional shape, the other pruned back to create a show-stopping central bloom. 

To keep all of these plants healthy, Werden recently released hundreds of lacewings into the Sunken Garden. These tiny but mighty beneficial bugs can help protect chrysanthemums from pests known as “thrips,” and the potentially deadly viruses they carry. The Integrated Pest Management program was funded in 2024 by your support to Como Friends. Thank you!

Each year Nature Walk volunteers engage with an estimated 250,000 visitors, most of them younger children, role modeling the idea that caring about conservation is cool

Wally Hlavac, a conservation biology major at the University of Minnesota, spent his summer traipsing across Madagascar, doing field surveys of the island’s birds, butterflies, and lemurs. He credits his time as a Como Nature Walk volunteer with helping him take the first step. 

Hlavac was a summer camper at Como several years ago when he encountered his first Nature Walk volunteer, one of 50-some teens recruited each spring and summer to help bring Como’s animal and plant collections a little closer to Como’s nearly two million annual visitors. “I think he came in to show us a rabbit, and I decided that was something I really wanted to do, too,” says Hlavac, who applied and was accepted into the selective program when he was in ninth grade. 

Through Nature Walk, teens are provided training on a variety of Como’s conservation themes, from the rainforest and reptiles, to beneficial bugs and plants, that they go on to share with Como visitors at interpretive stations arrayed around Como’s grounds. “It was the first time in my life that I got to teach people about conservation and concepts that I’m really passionate about,” Hlavac says.

The program, which includes professional development training, also pushed him to develop greater confidence and public speaking skills. “I was a really awkward kid, but being able to go to Como and talk to people, and answer their questions was really great for me,” he says. “It motivated me to try hard, and get Como visitors engaged, because those encounters felt really good.” Each year, in fact, Nature Walk volunteers engage with an estimated 250,000 visitors, most of them younger children, role modeling the idea that caring about conservation is cool.

After a pause during the pandemic, Como’s Nature Walk program was back at full power this summer, with a full complement of teen volunteers on campus sharing their insights on the smallest insects and the tallest giraffes. While not every teen will go on to pursue careers in conservation, Hlavac says there’s no doubt the experience helped him recognize that protecting the natural world could be his calling. 

“I think the overall curriculum of Nature Walk really does inspire a love for natural science in any capacity, and learning more about animals and plants and being able to share that with people was really exciting,” he says. “I know it really cemented conservation in my mind as something I want to continue doing.”

This year, your support for Como Friends made it possible to invest in Como’s Nature Walk program with the hiring of Maddie Becker to fill a new assistant role.“Working with Nature Walk has been a fantastic experience. The kids have worked hard this summer, and it’s been so uplifting to help foster an environment where they’ve not only been so welcoming and enthusiastic with the guests that visit their carts, but also in their relationships with each other. Each day they express so much joy for life and the natural world that I am left with nothing but immense hope for our future.”

The following story appeared in the Summer 2024 Edition of the Como Friends Insider, the quarterly newsletter for Como Friends supporters. Give today to stay up to date on all things Como, with behind-the-scenes conversations with zookeepers, horticulturists and educators who carry out Como’s conservation mission.

Experts from the Tiger Species Survival Plan think Como Zoo’s male tiger, Tsar, and Bernadette, a female who recently came to Como from the Oregon Zoo, would make a great match. But after a few months of behind-the-scenes meet and greets, the two tigers are still taking things slow. 

In fact, that’s the strategy that large cat keepers Hans Jorgensen and Caitlin Allessi have been sticking to since Bernadette made the move to Como Zoo a few months ago. Since tigers can be ferocious with each other—even their mates—keepers have been keeping their encounters as short and positive as possible. Solitary by nature, tigers are the rare breed of animal that depends on induced ovulation, which means that females don’t release their eggs until after successful breeding behavior has taken place. 

While Bernadette showed signs of being in estrus earlier this spring, and the pair have successfully copulated on multiple days, keepers continue to keep a close eye on their interactions. “Even a few months after being introduced, there’s still risk involved, so we monitor their behaviors closely both when they’re together and when they’re separated,” says Allessi. While there’s no predicting if the pair will have success, tiger gestation typically takes just 100 days. “Will there be cubs? We can’t say at this point,” says Jorgensen. “But they both appear to be receptive to the possibility.” 

(Photos of tiger cubs and Bernadette in their den taken by Senior Keeper Jill Erzar, and Zookeepers Hans and Caitlin.)

The tallest mammal on earth, giraffes also have the longest legs in the animal world, with an average “inseam” of 72 inches. As young giraffes grow, healthy limb development is a critical step in supporting their full adult weight of more than 2,000 pounds.

That’s why Como Zoo keepers and veterinary staff have been keeping a close eye on Ivy, a reticulated giraffe calf born in November to mother Zinnia. Like all young giraffes, Ivy was up and walking within minutes of her birth, but as she’s grown, keepers have noticed an unusual bend in the bones of her ankles.

“Over time, we started noticing that her legs were growing inward a little bit, and they were bumping into each other when she walked, which is why we started getting concerned,” says Wes Sims, director of animal care and health at Como Zoo. Equine surgeons from the University of Minnesota’s veterinary school diagnosed Angular Limb Deformation or ALD, a limb condition that’s common in horse foals as well. 

Recently, hoofstock and veterinary staff took the extra step of anesthetizing the young giraffe to take x-rays to help inform her treatment plan. “After studying those x-rays, it was determined that she was not a good candidate for some of the typical surgeries that equine surgeons would want to perform in these cases,” says Sims. “Instead, she’ll be on stall rest for an extended period of time. Joint inflammation is something we want her to avoid for a while, so we don’t want her to risk going up inclines and declines or running around too much.”

While the young giraffe remains in the Hoofstock Building’s behind-the-scenes habitat, Ivy has been getting plenty of attention from zookeepers, who provide daily enrichment to keep her engaged and curious. She also enjoys the companionship of her mother Zinnia, age 8, and her “aunt” Clover, age 23, who often choose to stay indoors with the young giraffe. 

Though many Como Zoo visitors have shared how eager they are to see the young giraffe in her outdoor habitat, Sims says keeper talks that include updates about Ivy’s health conditions have helped convey how important stall rest is during this critical time in her development. “We’re doing everything we can to keep things calm and low key for her while we wait to see some progress,” says Sims.

Your support for Como Friends helped Mutambi the gray crowned crane recover quickly after a wing injury, and rejoin breeding partner, Houdini

Earlier this spring, Mutambi the gray crowned crane had an unexpected run-in with one of the Grant’s zebras as they raced through the African Hoofstock habitat in what may have been a mating pursuit. While zookeepers didn’t see the collision, they were on the spot with Como’s veterinary team within minutes, using a new portable x-ray machine—funded by Como Friends supporters—to get a better understanding of her injury. 

“It was basically a dislocated elbow that vets were able to pop back into place and bandage up for a couple of weeks,” says Como Zoo hoofstock keeper Aaron Nelson. “She just wasn’t able to get out of the way in time, and may have even spread her wings to make herself look bigger, which was probably not the right move for her to make in that situation.”

Fortunately, Mutambi has made a full recovery, as Como visitors will see this summer. Together with her breeding partner Houdini, the pair have begun demonstrating a few of the moves in the elaborate mating dance this ancient and endangered crane species is known for. 

“They’re a visually striking animal to look at, but they’re also very charismatic, especially this time of year,” says Nelson. “Not only do they do these really intricate courtship dances with each other, they’re also accompanied by these kind of booming and rhythmic-sounding vocalizations that are very unique.”

Como Zoo’s gray crowned cranes were selected as a breeding pair for the Species Survival Plan, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums program designed to ensure the survival of selected species in zoos that are endangered or threatened in the wild. While the young pair have yet to show signs of breeding behavior, keepers are encouraged by their mutual interest in each other. 

“Like most crane species, gray crowned cranes are monogamous and they will bond with one mate for pretty much their entire life,” says Nelson. “The courtship dancing is a really good sign, because it means they’re pair bonded at the very least. The fact that they are vocalizing at each other and doing these dances is a really good sign that they’re at least interested in each other.” 

With support from Como Friends, horticulturists at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory are designing a more sustainable gardening plan for Como’s exterior spaces

Making Como’s extensive exterior gardens look good is hard work, but Marjorie McNeely Conservatory horticulturist Marie Day gets lots of encouragement to keep at it. 

“One of my favorite things about this job is just how much positive feedback you get from the public,” she says. “I can be out there, working in a garden, maybe even feeling stressed out that something isn’t looking the way I want it to, and then I’ll have 10 people walk by telling me how beautiful it is. I don’t think that’s something most people get to experience in their jobs, and it really lifts you up and makes you feel you’re doing something that matters.”

Day’s latest horticultural project is Gates Ajar, the traditional mosaiculture feature Como gardeners have created for more than a century. Located across Lexington Parkway near Como Lake, this year’s design features Minnesota’s new state flag and seal rendered in a mix of colorful alternanthera and echeveria, a fast-growing succulent. Installing this year’s display of more than 5,000 annuals and 300 bedding plants required more than 100 gardener hours, while maintaining it typically requires 45 minutes or more of watering every day. “It’s a big project and an important tradition,” says Day. “Every year, our goal is to make it a little more creative, and a little more surprising.”

Another project visitors may notice this season is a shift toward more perennials and native plants in garden beds around Como’s campus, as horticulturists replace more traditional tropical annuals. For instance, the Minnesota Garden that greets visitors at Como’s front door will be even more Minnesotan this season with the phased planting of a host of new native plants like rattlesnake master, prairie dropseed, false indigo and prairie alumroot.  

“There are two big reasons for making this shift,” says Day. “One is that we just have a really huge amount of garden space to take care of, and having those perennials established means that we’ll  have more time to bring a higher standard of care to all of our exterior gardens.

“The other reason is, as we think about climate change, having areas that are filled with nothing but tropical plants that need a lot of tending is just not sustainable,” she says. 

“Perennials are more drought tolerant, more tolerant to heat, and are also really good for pollinators.”  

Feeling the pinch on your family budget this summer? Then come to Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, where you can spend the perfect summer day, all without spending a penny. With free public programs every day, and accessible events throughout the season, Como is the family destination where fun is always free. Check out some of our insider tips for making the most of your next visit.

Como Zoo keeper Caitlin Allessi recently noticed that Mumford the lion seemed to be suffering from an increasing number of nosebleeds. “While he’s always had occasional problems with that, we noticed that they were getting more intense over time, and we wanted to investigate to rule out any big concerns about his health,” she says.

Getting a nearly 400-pound cat to the doctor is not easy, but the process has been made a little more convenient at Como Zoo over the last year thanks to the new on-site veterinary team. Supported in part by your contributions to Como Friends, this new approach to animal care helps to minimize stress for animals by eliminating the need to travel to the vet. It also allows veterinarians and keepers to collaborate more closely, managing multiple procedures to make the most of the time animals may have to be under anesthesia. 

“Knowing that we would be scoping his nose, we realized it would also be a great time to coordinate with the veterinary dentist, which is a big undertaking with a lion,” says large cat keeper Hans Jorgensen. “The veterinary dental team told us that with a house cat, it usually takes 10 x-ray plates to view the cat’s whole mouth, but with Mumford, it took 50!” 

Though Mumford has been a resident of Como Zoo since 2019, this was the first time keepers were able to do a full physical exam of the 8-year-old male, taking blood samples, a urine sample and radiographs can give veterinarians a more thorough understanding of the lion’s overall health. During the brief procedure, veterinarians got to the root of the nosebleed problem—a cluster of vascular tissue near the tip of his right nostril that gets irritated, particularly when he bumps it against the mesh of the exhibit. 

“He has had a few more nosebleeds since this procedure, so for right now, we’ll just keep monitoring him,” says Allessi. “It’s a big deal to anesthetize a lion, so if we don’t have to do it, we don’t want to. But it’s so much more convenient to have veterinarians come to us—it’s been a nice improvement for the animals.”

Mumford’s paw print is a featured auction item at this year’s Sunset Affair: Our Wild World Silent Auction!

Visitors to the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’s historic Palm Dome may notice something different this season—a lot more sunlight.

The brighter feel of the room is the result of an extensive pruning project to remove several older palms that had grown so tall they were crowding into the glass cupola. Unlike species that can be trimmed to grow outward, “the growing point of a palm is at the top of the plant, so the pressure of pushing into the glass would eventually kill the plant,” explains Karen Kleber Diggs, horticultural supervisor. 

The strength of these tropical palms can also put the Conservatory’s historic dome at risk. 

“A couple of years ago, we had one of the palms on the side actually grow up with a very stiff frond that punched its way into the grout” between the cupola’s glass panes, she says. “These are very powerful plants.”

Typically, the  Marjorie McNeely Conservatory works with the city’s forestry department to provide pruning help, but with the spread of emerald ash borer, trimming Como’s tropical trees wasn’t possible this year. That’s where Como Friends stepped in, providing $70,000 in grant funding to help Como’s campus move ahead with tree maintenance in the Palm Dome, the North Garden and a few other locations around campus.

“Grants like this are one of the important ways that Como Friends helps the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory achieve its mission,” says Jackie Sticha, president of Como Friends. “If city funding or park resources are pulled in different directions, community support helps to ensure that Como can move ahead on urgent or emerging maintenance issues.”

New palms—also provided with funding from Como Friends—will take their place as part of a phased succession plan visitors will see in the coming months. While gardeners are always sorry to see 20-year-old palms go away, the extra space has allowed horticulturist Alejandro Balderas to redesign the understory of the palm room. “He’s been utilizing a lot of our bromeliad and orchid collection to create these colorful accent points he calls vignettes that bring a new focal point to the ground cover space,” says Kleber Diggs. “He’s seeing things in that room with fresh eyes, which is something our visitors may notice this season, too.”

Como’s education programs are back in full force, with a growing emphasis on discoveries that foster new connections with nature.

“What do you think this plant would taste like?” a second grader from St. Paul’s Capitol Hill Magnet School wonders aloud.

“Yucky,” says her classmate, as she contemplates a table full of mint, cacao and other plant specimens from the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory.

“But maybe not,” says a third student, leaning in for a sniff. “This one kind of smells nice…”

Using all five senses to explore the world of plants is the power of Plant Detectives, a popular school partnership that brings second graders from the St. Paul public schools to Como with free tuition provided by Como Friends. In a classroom in Como’s Visitor Center, small teams of students work their way from station to station, smelling, touching and observing all they can about plants, and comparing their notes in a high-energy setting guided by Como’s education specialists.

During the pandemic, when school programs like this were put on pause, virtual programs like Como Connections helped classrooms around the state learn about conservation through fun and interactive videos. But as education coordinator Tim Buer says, there’s nothing like being back in person again for getting kids fired up about learning. “It’s been great to re-establish the connection that we’ve had with schools for so many years,” he says. “We don’t even have any space left in this program, it’s been so popular with teachers.”

Como field trips are a familiar tradition for many schools, but this year, the conservation curriculum is taking a new shape thanks to a new education strategic plan supported by Como Friends.  

“As our school partners were coming out of COVID, we took the opportunity to think really intentionally about all of our education programs, making sure that they’re all aligned with our conservation mission,” says Bekah Hanes, Como’s education and conservation curator.

Through Como’s growing partnership with Advancing Conservation Through Empathy (ACE) for Wildlife, a nationwide learning network, Como’s education programs have also been updated to reflect the growing body of research that shows that fostering empathy with animals and plants is a powerful tool in building life-long conservation behaviors.

Como visitors will notice the new conservation-focused vibe all across campus, from the full roster of summer camp programs relaunching this summer, to the new field trip enrichment stations you’ll see near the Visitor Center during the busy spring months. “It’s wonderful to hear the noise and energy of kids being in classroom spaces that we haven’t used for awhile,” says Hanes. “Seeing those school buses come back, and knowing the next field trip is on its way here brings us all a lot of joy.”