2019 Wildlife Sanctuary Tour
Ruby-throated Hummingbird on Indian pink. Photo by National Audubon Society.
Saturday, September 14
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Rain or shine
Don't miss the annual Atlanta Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Tour on Saturday, September 14. This year’s tour will feature seven properties in Intown Atlanta, including four private homes and three public properties, along an 8-mile route stretching from Zonolite Park in DeKalb County to Ormewood Park in Fulton County. Each property has been certified as an Atlanta Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary because it provides four essential criteria for attracting wildlife and birds: food sources (including at least 50% native plants), nesting sites, shelter, and water sources. Visitors will see a wide variety of native plants in a diversity of settings that attract a number of birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Please see property descriptions below.
The tour is self-guided and ticket holders may tour the properties in any order they choose during tour hours. Public restroom facilities are not available at any of the properties so we encourage guests to plan accordingly. There are many public establishments located along the tour route for restroom breaks and food.
To protect the privacy of our homeowners, private property addresses will be provided to ticket purchasers only. Ticket purchasers will receive email with property addresses and directions one week prior to the event. (Please provide us with a valid email address that you check regularly.)
Advance tickets are $20 for Atlanta Audubon members and $25 for non-members. Online ticket sales will end on Wednesday, September 11. After that date, tickets may be purchased for $25 for Atlanta Audubon members and $30 for non-members on the day of the tour at any of the tour sites using cash or check. Credit cards will only be accepted at Zonolite Park.
Questions? Email Dottie Head, Director of Membership and Communications, or call 678.973.2437.
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Rain or shine
Don't miss the annual Atlanta Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Tour on Saturday, September 14. This year’s tour will feature seven properties in Intown Atlanta, including four private homes and three public properties, along an 8-mile route stretching from Zonolite Park in DeKalb County to Ormewood Park in Fulton County. Each property has been certified as an Atlanta Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary because it provides four essential criteria for attracting wildlife and birds: food sources (including at least 50% native plants), nesting sites, shelter, and water sources. Visitors will see a wide variety of native plants in a diversity of settings that attract a number of birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Please see property descriptions below.
The tour is self-guided and ticket holders may tour the properties in any order they choose during tour hours. Public restroom facilities are not available at any of the properties so we encourage guests to plan accordingly. There are many public establishments located along the tour route for restroom breaks and food.
To protect the privacy of our homeowners, private property addresses will be provided to ticket purchasers only. Ticket purchasers will receive email with property addresses and directions one week prior to the event. (Please provide us with a valid email address that you check regularly.)
Advance tickets are $20 for Atlanta Audubon members and $25 for non-members. Online ticket sales will end on Wednesday, September 11. After that date, tickets may be purchased for $25 for Atlanta Audubon members and $30 for non-members on the day of the tour at any of the tour sites using cash or check. Credit cards will only be accepted at Zonolite Park.
Questions? Email Dottie Head, Director of Membership and Communications, or call 678.973.2437.
Special membership Offer for new and lapsed members
Special offer for new and lapsed members: Purchase a family ($50) level membership or higher and receive two complimentary tickets to the 2019 Wildlife Sanctuary Tour.
2019 Wildlife Sanctuary Tour Properties
Zonolite Park will serve as the headquarters during the 2019 Wildlife Sanctuary Tour. Photo by Dottie Head.
Tour Stop #1: Zonolite Park
Zonolite Place (near intersection of Johnson Road and Briarcliff Road)
Atlanta, GA
Zonolite Park will serve as the headquarters for the 2019 Wildlife Sanctuary Tour. Certified as an Atlanta Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in 2019, the park features 1.5 miles of gravel trails through 13 acres that runs along the South Fork of Peachtree Creek. A pollinator garden that is resplendent with bee balm and false indigo welcomes visitors to the park. The park also includes an old- growth forest, a sunny meadow, a community garden, and a beautiful wetlands garden. Formerly a neglected industrial wasteland, Zonolite Park was restored thanks to the efforts of the South Fork Conservancy. Following an extensive waste cleanup, a complex grading and ecological restoration project was undertaken to create a sloping meadow with a pond that cleanses rainwater before it reaches the creek. The sunny meadow features an abundance of native flowers and grasses, including purple coneflower, butterfly weed, Joe Pye weed, black-eyed Susan, and blueberries. Meander down the shaded trail towards the South Fork of Peachtree Creek and you’ll likely spot Ruby-throated Hummingbirds visiting the jewelweed that adorns the trail edges. Large tulip poplars and American Chestnuts provide shade on the trail
Property notes: Parking and the trailhead are located on Zonolite Place, near the intersection of Johnson Road and Briarcliff in Dekalb County. This will serve as the Atlanta Audubon headquarters for the tour. Additional tour tickets, t-shirts, hats, books, shade-grown coffee, and other store items will be available for purchase at this site using cash, check or credit cards. Tickets will be on sale at all tour locations for cash or check, but the Zonolite location is the only place that will accept credit cards.
Zonolite Place (near intersection of Johnson Road and Briarcliff Road)
Atlanta, GA
Zonolite Park will serve as the headquarters for the 2019 Wildlife Sanctuary Tour. Certified as an Atlanta Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in 2019, the park features 1.5 miles of gravel trails through 13 acres that runs along the South Fork of Peachtree Creek. A pollinator garden that is resplendent with bee balm and false indigo welcomes visitors to the park. The park also includes an old- growth forest, a sunny meadow, a community garden, and a beautiful wetlands garden. Formerly a neglected industrial wasteland, Zonolite Park was restored thanks to the efforts of the South Fork Conservancy. Following an extensive waste cleanup, a complex grading and ecological restoration project was undertaken to create a sloping meadow with a pond that cleanses rainwater before it reaches the creek. The sunny meadow features an abundance of native flowers and grasses, including purple coneflower, butterfly weed, Joe Pye weed, black-eyed Susan, and blueberries. Meander down the shaded trail towards the South Fork of Peachtree Creek and you’ll likely spot Ruby-throated Hummingbirds visiting the jewelweed that adorns the trail edges. Large tulip poplars and American Chestnuts provide shade on the trail
Property notes: Parking and the trailhead are located on Zonolite Place, near the intersection of Johnson Road and Briarcliff in Dekalb County. This will serve as the Atlanta Audubon headquarters for the tour. Additional tour tickets, t-shirts, hats, books, shade-grown coffee, and other store items will be available for purchase at this site using cash, check or credit cards. Tickets will be on sale at all tour locations for cash or check, but the Zonolite location is the only place that will accept credit cards.
Photo by Dottie Head.
Tour Stop #2: Private Home
(Addresses of our private homes will be provided to ticket purchasers one week prior to the event)
Atlanta, GA
One of Atlanta Audubon’s more recently certified properties, this garden is a true gem in Atlanta Audubon’s Wildlife Sanctuary Program. Walk along the sidewalk in front of the property and marvel and the number of pollinators on the coneflowers, obedient plant, and other native flowers lining the path. The entire yard is an explosion of native plants with only a small grassy areas in back for the family pet, and the homeowner has plans for that to become a native lawn in time. Over their 14 years in the house, the homeowners have removed the original plantings and replaced them with natives purchased at plant sales and shared by friends. They are constantly moving, dividing, and expanding the native offerings to find just the right spot and then sharing their extras with friends and neighbors. As an added bonus, the homeowners have labeled many of the plants with common name and Latin name to help them keep up with what they have planted and where—sheer heaven for those still working on plant ID. The garden has a nice mix of sun and shaded areas, and they are adding a transitional rain garden to help filter water flowing off the neighbor’s drive. Among the extensive list of native plants are different types of mountain mint, sunflower, aster, bee balm, goldenrod, milkweed, sedge, fern, and so much more.
(Addresses of our private homes will be provided to ticket purchasers one week prior to the event)
Atlanta, GA
One of Atlanta Audubon’s more recently certified properties, this garden is a true gem in Atlanta Audubon’s Wildlife Sanctuary Program. Walk along the sidewalk in front of the property and marvel and the number of pollinators on the coneflowers, obedient plant, and other native flowers lining the path. The entire yard is an explosion of native plants with only a small grassy areas in back for the family pet, and the homeowner has plans for that to become a native lawn in time. Over their 14 years in the house, the homeowners have removed the original plantings and replaced them with natives purchased at plant sales and shared by friends. They are constantly moving, dividing, and expanding the native offerings to find just the right spot and then sharing their extras with friends and neighbors. As an added bonus, the homeowners have labeled many of the plants with common name and Latin name to help them keep up with what they have planted and where—sheer heaven for those still working on plant ID. The garden has a nice mix of sun and shaded areas, and they are adding a transitional rain garden to help filter water flowing off the neighbor’s drive. Among the extensive list of native plants are different types of mountain mint, sunflower, aster, bee balm, goldenrod, milkweed, sedge, fern, and so much more.
Photo by Dottie Head
Tour Stop #3: Private Home
(Addresses of our private homes will be provided to ticket purchasers one week prior to the event)
Atlanta, GA
A delightful example of a mature wildlife sanctuary, this property was certified in 2007 and includes a wide array of native species that the homeowners have been incorporating into their garden since they purchased the home in 1978. A beautiful Eastern redbud tree adorns the front yard along with a sloped garden to help hold the hillside in place. Look for wild ginger and mountain mint on the bank, Virginia sweetspire and fothergilla by the house. Venture around back and you’ll enter an enchanting garden filled with a variety of natives, including serviceberry, Florida leucothoe, American beautyberry, bee balm, Indian paint brush, purple coneflower, columbine, asters, Solomon’s seal, blue-eyed grass, foam flower, penstemon, wild indigo, and coral honeysuckle. There are also a few family heirlooms, including sentimental rhododendrons that were given to the homeowner by her father, who was also an avid gardener and rhododendron hybridizer. Keep your eyes open for a variety of whimsical statues and a small water feature scattered throughout the garden.
(Addresses of our private homes will be provided to ticket purchasers one week prior to the event)
Atlanta, GA
A delightful example of a mature wildlife sanctuary, this property was certified in 2007 and includes a wide array of native species that the homeowners have been incorporating into their garden since they purchased the home in 1978. A beautiful Eastern redbud tree adorns the front yard along with a sloped garden to help hold the hillside in place. Look for wild ginger and mountain mint on the bank, Virginia sweetspire and fothergilla by the house. Venture around back and you’ll enter an enchanting garden filled with a variety of natives, including serviceberry, Florida leucothoe, American beautyberry, bee balm, Indian paint brush, purple coneflower, columbine, asters, Solomon’s seal, blue-eyed grass, foam flower, penstemon, wild indigo, and coral honeysuckle. There are also a few family heirlooms, including sentimental rhododendrons that were given to the homeowner by her father, who was also an avid gardener and rhododendron hybridizer. Keep your eyes open for a variety of whimsical statues and a small water feature scattered throughout the garden.
American beautyberry, by Melanie Furr.
Tour Stop #4: Freedom Park Bird and Butterfly Garden
Atlanta, GA
At 210+ acres, Freedom Park is one of the largest green spaces within the Atlanta area. A hidden gem located in the park at the corner of North Avenue and Candler Park Drive is the Freedom Park Bird and Butterfly Garden, a site for the reintroduction of native plants and shrubs for bird and pollinator habitat. Regular volunteer days organized by Freedom Park Conservancy and Beech Hollow Wildflower Farms have helped to enhance the site by removing invasive species and replacing them with native species. such as native Baptisia, purple coneflower, Georgia aster, and black-eyed Susan. The garden was certified in January 2019, and it is really coming into its full beauty this summer. Among the many native plant species you’ll find are goldenrod, cardinal flower, crossvine, American beautyberry, butterfly weed, milkweed, and passion flower. Be sure to make a quick stop and check out this delightful addition to Freedom Park.
Atlanta, GA
At 210+ acres, Freedom Park is one of the largest green spaces within the Atlanta area. A hidden gem located in the park at the corner of North Avenue and Candler Park Drive is the Freedom Park Bird and Butterfly Garden, a site for the reintroduction of native plants and shrubs for bird and pollinator habitat. Regular volunteer days organized by Freedom Park Conservancy and Beech Hollow Wildflower Farms have helped to enhance the site by removing invasive species and replacing them with native species. such as native Baptisia, purple coneflower, Georgia aster, and black-eyed Susan. The garden was certified in January 2019, and it is really coming into its full beauty this summer. Among the many native plant species you’ll find are goldenrod, cardinal flower, crossvine, American beautyberry, butterfly weed, milkweed, and passion flower. Be sure to make a quick stop and check out this delightful addition to Freedom Park.
Photo by Dottie Head.
Tour Stop #5: Private Home
(Addresses of our private homes will be provided to ticket purchasers one week prior to the event)
Atlanta, GA
This recently certified, 1/3 acre property in Ormewood Park is an adorable home and a delightful addition to the Atlanta Audubon network of Wildlife Sanctuaries. The homeowners have invested countless hours removing non-native plants and replacing them with native species. The plant list for this property is extensive and includes St. John’s Wort, Georgia calamint, Appalachian indigo, sweetspire, sparkleberry, bee balm, Oconee azalea, Barbara’s buttons, muscadine grapes, and many more. The backyard contains the family vegetable plot as well as a delightful rain garden to help channel water runoff. Great blue lobelia, pawpaw, green and gold, fox sage, chokeberry, cardinal flower and many other native species may be found out back around a covered pool area. As the certifier said on her evaluation form, “this is a home that Doug Tallamy would be proud of!”
(Addresses of our private homes will be provided to ticket purchasers one week prior to the event)
Atlanta, GA
This recently certified, 1/3 acre property in Ormewood Park is an adorable home and a delightful addition to the Atlanta Audubon network of Wildlife Sanctuaries. The homeowners have invested countless hours removing non-native plants and replacing them with native species. The plant list for this property is extensive and includes St. John’s Wort, Georgia calamint, Appalachian indigo, sweetspire, sparkleberry, bee balm, Oconee azalea, Barbara’s buttons, muscadine grapes, and many more. The backyard contains the family vegetable plot as well as a delightful rain garden to help channel water runoff. Great blue lobelia, pawpaw, green and gold, fox sage, chokeberry, cardinal flower and many other native species may be found out back around a covered pool area. As the certifier said on her evaluation form, “this is a home that Doug Tallamy would be proud of!”
Bee balm peeks through a fence at this private home. Photo by Dottie Head.
our Stop #6: Private Home
(Addresses of our private homes will be provided to ticket purchasers one week prior to the event)
Atlanta, GA
Another gem in Ormwood Park, this home was only certified last year, but it represents a 30+ year labor of love for these homeowners, one of whom is an Atlanta Audubon certifier! Over the years, they have tweaked this and added that, and the result is an amazing array of natives and an envy-worthy vegetable garden. The garden surrounds all four sides of the house and includes two small ponds planted with arum, lizard’s tail, and other native water plants. Wax myrtle, St. John’s Wort, Georgia Aster, Carolina silverbell, witch hazel, a beautiful fringe tree (also called Grancy Greybeard), buckeye, swamp mallow, and so much more can be found as you meander the path around this yard. A coral honeysuckle covered trellis marks the entrance to the extensive, enclosed vegetable garden that keeps the squirrels and chipmunks at bay and keeps the homeowners in blueberries, tomatoes, and other veggies. Don’t worry, there are several blueberry bushes outside the enclosure expressly for the birds!
(Addresses of our private homes will be provided to ticket purchasers one week prior to the event)
Atlanta, GA
Another gem in Ormwood Park, this home was only certified last year, but it represents a 30+ year labor of love for these homeowners, one of whom is an Atlanta Audubon certifier! Over the years, they have tweaked this and added that, and the result is an amazing array of natives and an envy-worthy vegetable garden. The garden surrounds all four sides of the house and includes two small ponds planted with arum, lizard’s tail, and other native water plants. Wax myrtle, St. John’s Wort, Georgia Aster, Carolina silverbell, witch hazel, a beautiful fringe tree (also called Grancy Greybeard), buckeye, swamp mallow, and so much more can be found as you meander the path around this yard. A coral honeysuckle covered trellis marks the entrance to the extensive, enclosed vegetable garden that keeps the squirrels and chipmunks at bay and keeps the homeowners in blueberries, tomatoes, and other veggies. Don’t worry, there are several blueberry bushes outside the enclosure expressly for the birds!
View from the Meadow Path at Tapestry Community. Photo by Dottie Head.
Tour Stop #7
Tapestry Community
Atlanta, GA
You won’t want to miss this stop on the 2019 tour. This 7+ acre piece of land is owned by the Tapestry Homeowners Association and runs along Stockade Creek, part of the headwaters of Intrenchment Creek. The habitat restoration project began in early 1990s with the present goal being to plant and preserve native Piedmont species. In 2014, the riparian buffer and meadow were restored through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant with partners including the Tapestry Community, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Fulton County Master Gardeners, Atlanta Audubon, Trees Atlanta, City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, Fulton County Adopt-A-Stream, and Elements of Land Design. The property features an amazing diversity of native plants and wildlife and includes three trails—Stream Path, Meadow Path, and Woodlands Path. The Atlanta Community Food Bank also operates an extensive garden on this site that provides fresh produce for the food bank. The Tapestry Community lives in harmony with a family of beavers that resides in the creek. The property includes a certified wetland, a dry bed pollinator garden, and a wet bed pollinator garden. A huge American elm, white oaks, alders, hickories, persimmons, and sassafras trees make up the over story and the understory contains jewel weed, native azaleas, multiple varieties of milkweed, elderberry, beauty berry, blueberries, goldenrod, and a huge number of other native plants provide food resources for the wide array of birds that visit this property.
Tapestry Community
Atlanta, GA
You won’t want to miss this stop on the 2019 tour. This 7+ acre piece of land is owned by the Tapestry Homeowners Association and runs along Stockade Creek, part of the headwaters of Intrenchment Creek. The habitat restoration project began in early 1990s with the present goal being to plant and preserve native Piedmont species. In 2014, the riparian buffer and meadow were restored through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant with partners including the Tapestry Community, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Fulton County Master Gardeners, Atlanta Audubon, Trees Atlanta, City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, Fulton County Adopt-A-Stream, and Elements of Land Design. The property features an amazing diversity of native plants and wildlife and includes three trails—Stream Path, Meadow Path, and Woodlands Path. The Atlanta Community Food Bank also operates an extensive garden on this site that provides fresh produce for the food bank. The Tapestry Community lives in harmony with a family of beavers that resides in the creek. The property includes a certified wetland, a dry bed pollinator garden, and a wet bed pollinator garden. A huge American elm, white oaks, alders, hickories, persimmons, and sassafras trees make up the over story and the understory contains jewel weed, native azaleas, multiple varieties of milkweed, elderberry, beauty berry, blueberries, goldenrod, and a huge number of other native plants provide food resources for the wide array of birds that visit this property.
