In contrast to the more formal gardens in the area, like Asticou Azalea and Thuya, the Wild Gardens of Acadia are… well, wild. Meaning that they include only those plants indigenous (native) to Mount Desert Island. That leaves out clover, daisies, lupines, rugosa roses, and yarrow, but opens the way for bearberry, bog asters, columbine, jack in the pulpit, pitcher plants, shadbush, and white baneberry, among many others.

Just under an acre of mostly blackberry bushes was cleared for the gardens back in 1961, and the Bar Harbor Garden Club in conjunction with Acadia National Park has operated them since then. As a living field guide that offers a condensed sampling of the island’s natural habitats, the gardens show off examples of twelve Down East plant communities: mixed woods, roadside, meadow, mountain, heath, seaside, brookside, bird thicket, coniferous woods, bog, marsh, and pond. More than 300 native species, arranged in separate display areas, are labeled to make identification easy for visitors.

As the John Keats quote says on the sign at the entrance, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” The Wild Gardens, open year round from dawn to dusk, are a thing of beauty located in the Sieur de Monts Spring area of Acadia, adjacent to the national park’s Nature Center. Admission is free.