See what’s abuzz on the Washington State Capitol Campus during National Pollinator Week

Without pollinators like birds, bees and butterflies, many plants, flowers and trees wouldn’t exist. In fact, 85% of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollinators to reproduce! DES and its partners have been working hard to create a welcoming environment for pollinators on the state’s Capitol Campus in Olympia.

National Pollinator Week (June 19–25) is the perfect time to see what’s abuzz on the Capitol Campus and explore the natural beauty of Washington state.

About pollinators on the Capitol Campus

To support pollinator habitats in Washington state, public works projects that include landscaping must allocate at least 25 percent of the planted area for the feeding, nesting and reproduction of all pollinators, including honeybees.

Here are a few ways we’re supporting our local pollinators:

• Leaving fallen leaves in less visible areas of the campus to provide places for pollinators to nest.
• Planting different varieties of plants across the campus that bloom throughout the year and provide pollen and nectar sources. These plants include many native species to attract and support native pollinators.
• Adjusting our approach to spraying herbicides, only spraying in specific places when needed, and coordinating spray schedules to reduce potential impacts to pollinators.

Ready to start exploring?

Step through the Sunken Garden

The Sunken Garden was originally designed by the Olmsted Brothers company, a landscape architectural firm, as a part of the overall landscape plan for the West Capitol Campus. For many decades, the garden contained roses. Now, the garden contains perennials, which are more resistant to deer grazing and more sustainable since they require less frequent planting. The perennials also bloom longer and draw a greater diversity of pollinators to the garden.

After two years of renovation, the Sunken Garden reopened to the public in September 2021 with updated features including ADA access. Four new educational signs on pollinators will be installed in the Sunken Garden this summer.

A ladybug, a pollinator native to Washington state, crawls along a leaf in the new Capitol Campus Pollinator Garden.

Tour the Pollinator Garden

The garden features pollinator-attracting plants to provide pollinators food, water and shelter. Interpretive signs inform visitors about the critical role of pollinators and how to attract and protect them. It covers a combined space of roughly 1,000 square feet in the heart of the east Capitol Campus over the 14th Ave. tunnel. The garden provides a peaceful and quiet spot for legislators, state employees and visitors at the otherwise bustling Capitol Campus. To request a formal tour of the Pollinator Garden, email brent.chapman@des.wa.gov.

In spring 2023, DES installed a mason bee house nearby the east campus Pollinator Garden to draw pollinators.

An education coordinator from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife gives a tour of the new east campus Pollinator Garden.

Take a guided tour of the Executive Residence grounds

The Executive Residence, also known as the Governor’s Mansion, is situated on a wooded hillock and stands on 12 acres of beautiful grounds. Beautiful views of Capitol Lake, the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains can be seen from its upper stories. DES has partnered with Garden Raised Bounty to install and manage two honeybee hives on the grounds. These honeybees can pollinate plants for up to a six-mile radius. While tours of the Governor’s Mansion are closed for the summer, you can spot these bustling hives from Pleasant Lane on the West Capitol Campus.

A beekeeper from Garden Raised Bounty inspects the honeybee hives at the Executive Residence.

Many thanks to DES’ partners who make this work possible, including the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Woodland Park Zoo.

Get excited for what’s coming!

Later this year, another pollinator garden will be installed east of the Legislative Building. In addition, four more interpretive signs will be added to the Sunken Garden to educate visitors on the importance of pollinators for our habitat.