A beautiful late-spring day could not have been a better backdrop for the unveiling of the newest project for Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve: Storybook Trail. The weather had broken from some pretty violent storms the previous night, and nothing was going to stop this event from taking place.
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve is truly a gem. A 134-acre native plant habitat and outdoor natural museum, located at 1635 River Road in New Hope. A wooded oasis ranging from forest to meadow tucked away in a grove of flowers and serenity. A warm, welcoming staff greeted us, as did beautiful meadows, trails, and over 700 of Pennsylvania's approximately 2,000 native plants that call the preserve home.
Conservationists founded the Preserve in 1934. The Preserve has continued to uphold this tradition as faithful stewards of the land. The Preserve is the only fully accredited botanical museum in the US that is dedicated solely to native plants. Continuing in the tradition of this environmental stewardship the current staff of the Preserve are constantly striving to find a way for children and families to connect with nature.
As the Preserve enters its 91st year, the Preserve continues to evolve by expanding educational outreach, enhancing visitor experiences, and serving as a model for native plant restoration. It remains a vibrant living museum where people connect deeply with the region’s natural heritage and leave feeling inspired to protect it. The Preserve is a wonderful place to visit. It is also a space to grow, learn, and act for future generations of environmental stewards.
“The idea for Storybook Trail began late in 2023, inspired by an installation at Tyler State Park.” said Sarah Norris, Director of Donor and Partner Relations at the Preserve. “But also in witnessing more and more families accessing the Preserve as a resource– a refuge post-pandemic and a place where their children can connect and explore. They hoped to bring a version of the Storybook trail to life.” Sarah continued. It is hoped that this idea will more meaningfully connect the Preserve with families and children of the local community and beyond. Families have continued to engage with the Preserve even during the pandemic, and in the years since, the number of families accessing the Preserve has been steadily increasing.
“In turn, the Preserve is also working to create enhanced and new opportunities for our children, for our families and their caregivers to learn to grow and to explore.” said Peter Couchman, Executive Director. “The Preserves' new Storybook Trail is a permanent, new exhibit dedicated to our youngest changemakers and to their families.” The new Storybook Trail is located near the visitor center, the welcome and educational hub, and is easily accessible by one of the Preserve’s most popular walking trails. The trail starts at the Preserve's historic American Chestnut log cabin; built in 1935 and in 2022, thanks to a grant from The Robert F. Schumann Foundation; the cabin took a step closer to becoming an outdoor classroom that will ultimately host special events and community gatherings.
The Storybook Trail winds down Bucks County trail to Sycamore Hollow, another one of the Preserve’s wonderful children's exhibits. “Storybook trail contains sixteen beautifully appointed panels that tell a lovely story. This exhibit will offer a rotating feature of children's storybooks, to be curated by the Preserves education department.” Peter said. The plan is to rotate the books seasonally, approximately 4-5 times per year.
Nicole Tell, Executive Director of BLBB Charitable, which is a giving arm of a financial advising firm called BLBB Advisors. That provided the grant to fund this project in its entirety. “This project in particular was of interest to the board and to BLBB.” Said Nicole, “because we focus a lot on literacy and it’s very rare to find the combination of environmental education and literacy foundational skills, and that combination was unique, was exciting and I knew that you guys [Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve] could really pull it off very well.”
“It is my great honor to share our inaugural book dedication and selection ‘A Poem Grows Inside You,’ a story by Katey Howes and illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee.” said Sarah Norris. “Katey Howes was a long-time member to the Preserve who was deeply passionate about nurturing a love of reading and children. Inspiring them to see themselves as makers, inventors, and creators. We lost Katey last year, and we have the distinct honor of remembering her authentic and abundant legacy. We dedicate today to Katey's Husband Michael and her children who were not able to be in attendance.” Sarah continued- “Katey Howes teaches us that we are all poets, and that each of us has a poem that grows inside of us that simply needs to be planted to bloom.”
Peter Couchman said, in the words of former President Barrack Obama, “reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.”
Peter continued “Nature play and exploration, can also open the doors to learning. Both reading and nature exploration stoke curiosity. And with natural curiosity comes learning and with learning comes idea sharing, project shaping, confidence building, and dream making. May this Storybook Trail and the books that we feature inspire our youngest changemakers now, and in the years to come until they become our community builders, our lawmakers and our game changers."
Visit the Preserve at 1635 River Road in New Hope, or visit bhwp.org to learn more about the Preserve and all it has to offer. Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve isn't just a place to visit—it's a space to grow, learn, and act for the future of native ecosystems.
