The Banneker Rain Garden

The Banneker Rain Garden. . , Rain falls onto the Museum roof, parking lot and other hard surfaces where it cannot soak into the ground. Instead, rain runs off these hard surfaces quickly, picking up pollution and eroding away soil. Gullies form, trails wash out and valuable soil from Banneker’s property washes into Cooper’s Branch, the Patapsco River and finally the Chesapeake Bay. Plants and animals living in and along these waterways suffer from the excess soil and pollution after rain storms., The Park and Museum installed this rain garden to reduce storm water runoff and cereate valuable habitat. Two downspouts carry rainwater, falling on the Museum's roof, to the garden where it slowly soaks into the ground. Beautiful, easy-to-maintain native plants grow in our garden providing habitat for important wildlife like butterfiles, birds and bees., [Sidebars:] ,

Rain Gardens = , . less water pollution , . less soil erosion , . clean groundwater , . native habitat

, Did you know? Family stories tell how Benjamin Banneker's mother was a local herbalist who used native plants to treat her family and neighbors when they were sick. Look for some of these native medicinal plants in our rain garden. , Swamp Milkweed . Great Blue Lobelia . White Turtlehead, How can you create native habitat and control storm water damage in your yard to protect local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay?