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Plants, Pollinators, & Passion Projects

A look back at the Summer 2025 Public Horticulture Internships at Birmingham Botanical Gardens

With August coming to a close, the Gardens’ interns are harvesting the fruits of a laborious and fulfilling summer. Since May, three exceptionally talented and curious young professionals joined the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens as Public Horticulture Interns. 

They spent the summer learning from different departments; visiting relevant horticultural sites; exploring their own areas of interest; and developing projects that both support the Gardens’ mission and reflect their personal aspirations in public horticulture.

By SEBASTIAN ORTIZ MUÑOZ

Alexander Raffeto | Public Horticulture Intern

Willam and Mary University 2025 
Project: Lycophytes and Bryophytes Exhibit

With a grand interest in Alabama’s native plants, Alexander took the time this summer to study the native lycophytes (clubmosses) and bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts). 

These two groups are often lumped together and overlooked; however, they each represent incredibly diverse groups of organisms and are vital for the understanding of plant evolution.

 “Lycophytes and bryophytes tell the story of how plants conquered the planet and how they developed into the shapes, colors, and forms that are recognizable in plants today,” said Alexander. 

 

Alexander built a terrarium-style display featuring different species of lycophytes and bryophytes with detailed signage to educate visitors on the evolutionary significance, ecological roles, and local biodiversity.

The exhibit includes Conocepholum salebrosum commonly known as snakewort, a type of bryophyte with snake-skin like texture; and Selaginella kraussiana, a type of Lycophyte with a delicate fan structure.

Lycophytes and bryophytes tell the story of how plants conquered the planet and how they developed into the shapes, colors, and forms that are recognizable in plants today,”

Alexander Raffeto

Hunter Fosko | Public Horticulture Intern–Education

Auburn University 2025
Projects: Youth Education, Library Resource Development, and Garden Redesign

Hunter embraced the Gardens’ mission to inspire a love for the natural world through education programming. Over the summer, she played a key role in the children’s summer camps, managing setup, supporting instructors, and ensuring campers had engaging, educational experiences.

While working with the education department, Hunter became involved in Rooted in Community, a newly launched program designed to help community groups take practical steps towards improving and beautifying public spaces. She met with multiple participants, visited their sites, identified common challenges they faced, and created resources to share amongst participants.

 In addition, she curated a beginner gardener book series at the Gardens’ Library geared especially toward Birmingham homeowners. “I love sharing my passion for plants and getting people as excited as I am​,” said Hunter. Her work extended to the Gardens’ marketing team where she contributed various articles including an upcoming piece for the fall issue of The Garden Dirt, Around the Gardens: Native Carnivorous Plants.

Lastly, Hunter began the early stages of the Outdoor Classroom’s sensory garden beds, focusing on improving the variation of plants in the beds to provide sensory appeal for visitors of all ages.

Hannah Womble | Public Horticulture Intern

Sewanee: The University of the South 2025
Project: Pollinator Garden in the Southern Living Garden

Inspired by her childhood memories of raising butterflies, Hannah designed and planted a Monarch Waystation in the Southern Living Garden.

“My love for these pollinators started when I received a butterfly growing kit as a kid. I remember waiting with anticipation as the caterpillars grew up, pupated, and finally emerged as beautiful adult painted lady butterflies,” said Hannah. 

This early childhood memory is one of the first times Hannah remembers having a sense of wonder towards the natural world. “Being able to share that feeling of wonder from observing nature was a key aspect that inspired me in my role this summer as a Public Horticulture Intern,” said Hannah. 

Hannah’s monarch waystation provides critical habitat for monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), whose population has declined by 80% since the 1990s due to habitat loss and reduced availability of the only plant their caterpillars can eat, milkweed.

Her design includes native milkweed, nectar-rich flowers, and shrubs to sustain butterflies from spring through fall.

“The Southern Living Garden turned out to be an ideal location for the waystation because this area receives full sun and there are trees nearby for butterflies to roost in at night during their migratory journey; stone features for basking spots on cool days; and sources of water,” said Hannah. 

After planting, she also developed a long-term maintenance plan for watering, weeding, and replanting to ensure the waystation continues to grow in the years to come. 

Her project extended beyond the Gardens. She planted and registered the butterfly garden with the Homegrown National Park® program, joining a nationwide movement to restore biodiversity with native plants.

“I encourage everyone to make room for monarchs, whether it’s transforming an entire section of your yard into a native habitat or planting some containers on your porch with milkweeds and nectar flowers. A small contribution can make a big impact and help keep the migration going,” said Hannah. 

A great deal of preparation goes into ensuring the summer internship program thrives.

The Friends’ Junior Board raises funds towards the internship program by hosting two annual fundraisers, Rosé in the Roses in May and Flicks Among the Flowers in October. Additionally, we are grateful for the support of the Rotary Club of Shades Valley and their generous sponsorship of the summer internship program.

The interns gained experience in each of the Friends’ departments and explored future career possibilities. Some days, they rotated between gardens, working with our horticulturist team and learning about garden design, plant diversity, and how to solve unique challenges. Other days, they worked with our education, development, and marketing departments. They also attended the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference and visited other botanical gardens.

We are grateful to have shared this summer with Alexander, Hunter, and Hannah, and look forward to celebrating their future career success! 

If you’re interested in participating in next year’s program please subscribe to our e-newsletter at the bottom of the page and keep an eye out for our upcoming internship opportunities.