{"id":8525,"date":"2026-07-16T16:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T20:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/?p=8525"},"modified":"2026-07-30T10:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:21:08","slug":"good-natured","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Natured"},"content":{"rendered":"

The greenery and leafy surroundings of Goucher\u2019s campus have always been a draw for students. Adding to the charm is Goucher\u2019s Community Garden, a student-led initiative from the Office of Community-Based Learning, where students can grow flowers, produce, and herbs. This year, the garden beds have been opened to residents of Edenwald Senior Living, as part of the college\u2019s university retirement community partnership. Volunteers for the garden take part in seasonal planting, communal watering, maintenance, and harvest-sharing. According to the mission statement, \u201cthe garden welcomes and encourages community involvement,\u201d and has been created \u201cusing universal design principles to ensure accessibility for people of all ages and abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

That ethos is one that Goucher alums carry beyond the campus, so it\u2019s no wonder that many of them work and volunteer in botanical gardens, conservatories, local parks, and national parks. Below, meet four alums who have done just that.<\/p>\n

Molly Hoopes \u201984<\/h2>\n

Cylburn Arboretum and Rawlings Conservatory<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Molly Hoopes \u201984 tends to a bed at Cylburn Arboretum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Molly Hoopes is a naturalist at Cylburn Arboretum and the H.P. Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, both run by Baltimore City Recreation & Parks. She also teaches visitors a great deal of history about both places. Cylburn is the city\u2019s largest public garden, with 200 acres of woods and trails, planted trees and gardens, a nature center, and the Cylburn Mansion, built in 1888 as a summer home by Jesse Tyson, the first person to mine chromite in the United States. \u201cThroughout the 1800s, all the chromite in the whole world came from Baltimore City,\u201d says Hoopes, whose office is in one of the mansion\u2019s former bedrooms.<\/p>\n

Cylburn also has six greenhouses that grow plants for the Rawlings Conservatory, a few miles away in Druid Hill Park. Rawlings Conservatory opened in 1888. It\u2019s the second oldest iron-and-glass public conservatory still in use in the U.S., and it has five rooms with different biomes\u2014the Desert House, Mediterranean House, Tropical House, Palm House, and Orchid Room\u2014as well as more than an acre of outdoor gardens. \u201cThere\u2019s always something blooming there,\u201d Hoopes says.<\/p>\n

Hoopes, who is also a painter, does a lot of programming for Cylburn Arboretum and Rawlings Conservatory. At Cylburn, she runs a therapeutic gardening program, an after-school club and a summer program with hiking and arts and crafts, and a homeschool program. She also gives mansion tours, lectures, and nature hikes, maintains the ADA-accessible Buckeye Trail, and takes part in festivals and market days. At Rawlings, she runs a homeschool program and tours for groups like schools, seniors, and garden clubs. This year, she organized an art show at Rawlings, something she also does every year at Cylburn.<\/p>\n

For how busy Hoopes is, it helps that she enjoys her work so much. \u201cI like being outside,\u201d she says. \u201cI like looking at plants all day long, breathing in the plants. It puts me in a good mood all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teaching the teacher:<\/strong> Hoopes has a master of arts in teaching from Johns Hopkins and a teaching certificate in biology, and she has taken classes in science illustration and botanical art.<\/p>\n

Tips for visiting:<\/strong> \u201cThe best time to see flowers in the gardens at Cylburn is September and October.\u201d<\/p>\n

Favorite part of Cylburn:<\/strong> \u201cThe Ravine Trail is my favorite place because it\u2019s quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Favorite part of Rawlings:<\/strong> \u201cI like the Desert House. There are so many weird plants.\u201d In 2013, a blue agave, known as a century plant, bloomed and grew to 30 feet. \u201cWe had to open up the ceiling, and it flowered on top.\u201d They also have a carrion plant, \u201ca desert cactus that smells really horrible when it\u2019s blooming, but it\u2019s really beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Glass<\/p>\n

Rawlings Conservatory, photo by Michael Richardson<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dylan Dubay \u201922<\/h2>\n

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Dylan Dubay \u201922 does some plant science accession tagging.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dylan Dubay is the science and collections information specialist at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, which means he oversees all the data management for the living collections and for some of their research projects. \u201cI like to describe myself as a librarian for plants,\u201d he says. Dubay is also a traditional librarian, curating the books for the garden\u2019s library. And he manages the herbarium collection, which includes close to 10,000 specimens of pressed and preserved plants. The collection supports an active project to document all the plants across Maine\u2019s three eco-regions.<\/p>\n

Located in Boothbay, ME, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has more than 300 acres of greenery, with 53 acres of cultivated space. It backs up to the Back River and has trails, gardens, ponds, and a native butterfly house. For the living collections, Dubay tracks the plants throughout their lives. Any time a plant arrives at the gardens, whether as a seed or a mature plant, Dubay creates a record for it in their database. \u201cI also photograph and map all these plants,\u201d he says. They\u2019re posted publicly on the website\u2019s Garden Explorer<\/a>, \u201cwhich is a really wonderful interactive map tool for people to learn about our collections.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is valuable data being collected from the native seeds they propagate, like what time of year the seeds are sowed and which methods are used. \u201cIt\u2019s important data for the larger scientific community,\u201d he says, particularly for unusual native species. One long-term project is focused on preserving New England\u2019s native milkweeds, and they have a few in propagation right now. Dubay\u2019s favorite is called clasping milkweed, \u201cor Asclepias amplexicaulis<\/em>. All the leaves clasp to the stem of the milkweed.\u201d He says it\u2019s germinating quite successfully this year. \u201cI\u2019m excited for that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Coastal Maine Botanical Garden’s Haney Hillside Garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What else Dubay is up to:<\/strong> \u201cI produce lots of things for staff, like maps and inventories. I also get to use the engraver to make all our plant labels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Favorite part of the garden:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m a plant nerd, so it\u2019s hard to choose. The Haney Hillside Garden takes you on this wonderful loop path full of conifer trees that meanders down this hillside toward the Back River. That\u2019s my favorite place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

How he got here:<\/strong> Dubay came to Goucher to study political science before switching to biology. \u201cWhen I got to Goucher and started learning about the trees and plants on campus, it pushed me to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I credit Goucher for inspiring me to learn about the natural world around me and pursue that in my education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Hillside moss landing in late May at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pat Sekler \u201955<\/h2>\n

Riverbend Park<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Daffodil planting along the Cambridge side of the Charles River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Riverbend Park is a green space along a section of the Charles River in Cambridge, MA, and, with the help of two other trustees, Pat Sekler runs the People for Riverbend Park Trust, which has advocated for the park for 50 years. It\u2019s all thanks to the vision of Isabella Halstead. \u201cWhen she got home from work, all she wanted to do was to walk down to the Charles River, which was just about 300 feet from where she lived,\u201d says Sekler. But there was no way to cross Memorial Drive, a busy, four-lane parkway. In 1974, Halstead had an idea: What if Memorial Drive could be occasionally closed to traffic? In 1975, she founded the trust to bring it about, and in 1976, she succeeded in getting almost two miles of the drive closed every Sunday.<\/p>\n

Within a few years, Sekler, who also lived along the river, joined the trust. For the first 10 years, the trust raised money for portable toilets and a police detail. \u201cIn 1985, the state took over the Sunday Park and made it an official state-run activity,\u201d Sekler says. Over the years, it has given people much needed \u201cfree space in a green area right along the historic river.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sekler has especially devoted her time to a playground in the park near where she lives. \u201cIt was in terrible condition,\u201d she says. In 1982, she began to clean it up. Sekler then began a planting program, which eventually expanded beyond the playground to six blocks. \u201cWe\u2019re all volunteers except for a landscaper who\u2019s been with us for over 20 years,\u201d she says. \u201cAll this work would not have been possible without the help of hundreds of volunteers over the years and the generosity\u202fof neighbors, passers-by, and friends who donate funds and plant materials.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the pandemic, the trust was able to get Memorial Drive closed on Saturdays, as well, but for now the closure is back to only Sundays. The road closure has been an influential initiative. When Riverbend Park formed, to the trust\u2019s knowledge only Central Park and DC\u2019s Rock Creek Park had done something similar. \u201cIn a way, Riverbend Park as a road closure was one of the earliest attempts to create more recreational space for people,\u201d Sekler says. \u201cThis is an idea that has spread widely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
(Left) Pat Sekler \u201955 with work crew planting new trees, which are now thriving; (right) inside the Sekler Playlot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When to visit:<\/strong> 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays, from the last Sunday in April until the second Sunday in November. Usually, the closure extends from Western Avenue to the Eliot Bridge. Due to redesign work, it currently functions between Western Avenue and the Anderson Bridge.<\/p>\n

Sekler\u2019s favorite part:<\/strong> \u201cThe upper part, closer to where I live, is the most intimate area of the river\u2014it\u2019s not as wide as it is farther down. We have a lot of canoeing and kayaking in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll see:<\/strong> Lots of shrubbery and, depending on the season, daffodils, tulips, and lilies. Fun fact: What are colloquially called the area\u2019s \u201csycamore\u201d trees, first planted along Memorial Drive in 1897, are actually London plane trees.<\/p>\n

Get involved:<\/strong>\u00a0Riverbend Park\u00a0is\u00a0always\u00a0looking for\u00a0volunteers for planting and watering.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A typical Sunday in Riverbend Park: Visitors pass by a hospital, a high rise, the Sekler playlot, the lower portion of Longfellow Park with its view up to the Longfellow House (a National Park site), apartment houses, a Ralph Adams Cram-designed chapel (part of a monastery), the Kennedy Memorial Park, and Harvard dormitories.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jackie Greenberg \u201973<\/h2>\n

Everglades National Park<\/h3>\n

\"Baby<\/p>\n

\u201cSleepy Baby Gator (1)<\/a>,\u201d in Shark Valley, by Matthew Paulson<\/a>, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0<\/a><\/h5>\n

Before she volunteered with Pelican Harbor Seabird Station<\/a>, Jackie Greenberg was a volunteer bicycle docent in Everglades National Park. She was a long-distance cyclist and saw signs for the position posted in local bike shops. It sounded like fun. They accepted her for training once they learned she could ride a good distance in the heat\u2014\u201cI don\u2019t really like to get into bike clothes for less than 8 or 10 or 15 miles,\u201d says Greenberg. She began to ride the 15-mile loop of Shark Valley, a freshwater slough marsh, which is a shallow, grassy wetland. That part of the park has sawgrass, spikerush, and flowers like purple bladderwort, pickerelweed, and Florida spider lily.<\/p>\n

As a bike docent, she would ride with another cyclist and stop to answer the questions of visitors who were walking or cycling themselves: \u201cYes, that\u2019s an alligator. No, do not get within 15 feet of it.\u201d She also carried medical supplies and water for visitors, reminded people of the rules (no skateboards, scooters, or rollerblades), and helped with bike chains and other bike issues.<\/p>\n

There were lots of animal encounters along the trail. Alligators congregate there in winter and spring, with great blue herons predating on their young. Snowy egrets and different tortoise species are also common. Besides keeping people away from alligators, the other challenges of being a bike docent were the summer heat and visitors bringing dogs, which isn\u2019t allowed.<\/p>\n

At the time, Greenberg lived an hour away and would drive to the park twice a month for shifts. During the government shutdown in 2018, the park was still open although the professional staff were not present. So Greenberg took on extra duties in the visitor center, working an eight-hour shift to help keep the park functional. She remained a bike docent until she moved farther away about six years ago. She still enjoys being outdoors as much as possible.<\/p>\n

Fun fact:<\/strong> Although crocodiles usually live in brackish water or saltwater, there\u2019s one that lives in Shark Valley. \u201cWe don\u2019t know why this female crocodile is hanging out in freshwater, but she\u2019s been there for a number of years,\u201d Greenberg says.<\/p>\n

Tips for visiting:<\/strong> Bring plenty of water and climb the observation tower for good views.<\/p>\n

The benefits of being a bike docent:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s important when you\u2019re retired to have things to do,\u201d says Greenberg. \u201cIt was always good exercise, but it was most fun interacting with the visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Trees<\/p>\n

\u201cShark Valley<\/a>\u201d by Russ<\/a>, CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A walk in the parks, gardens, arboretums, and conservatories where Goucher alums work and volunteer. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":352,"featured_media":8603,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[87510,87563],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[87484],"class_list":["post-8525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-summer-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nGood Natured | Goucher Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A walk in the parks, gardens, arboretums, and conservatories where Goucher alums work and volunteer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Good Natured | Goucher Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A walk in the parks, gardens, arboretums, and conservatories where Goucher alums work and volunteer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Goucher Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-16T20:41:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-30T14:21:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2026\/07\/Community-Garden-Ribbon-Cutting-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Molly Englund\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Molly Englund\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Molly Englund\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/43155b9e9455876089c51a5a895ca8ca\"},\"headline\":\"Good Natured\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T20:41:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-30T14:21:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2191,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Community-Garden-Ribbon-Cutting-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Features\",\"Summer 2026\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/\",\"name\":\"Good Natured | Goucher Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Community-Garden-Ribbon-Cutting-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T20:41:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-30T14:21:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"A walk in the parks, gardens, arboretums, and conservatories where Goucher alums work and volunteer.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Community-Garden-Ribbon-Cutting-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/Community-Garden-Ribbon-Cutting-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"The ribbon-cutting for Goucher's Community Garden with Edenwald, May 1, 2026, photo by Adan Rodriguez\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/features\\\/good-natured\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Good Natured\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/\",\"name\":\"Goucher Magazine\",\"description\":\"The magazine for Goucher College's alumnae\\\/i since 1921.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Goucher College\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/G_logo.gif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/G_logo.gif\",\"width\":300,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Goucher College\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/43155b9e9455876089c51a5a895ca8ca\",\"name\":\"Molly Englund\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0e687550d6628807db9571095d4bc4be35a9498346515c6d7c5f214aa8b3b9a0?s=96&d=mm&r=gb58c87739d7e579ba3fa778f0f114c2b\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0e687550d6628807db9571095d4bc4be35a9498346515c6d7c5f214aa8b3b9a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0e687550d6628807db9571095d4bc4be35a9498346515c6d7c5f214aa8b3b9a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Molly Englund\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/author\\\/moeng001\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Good Natured | Goucher Magazine","description":"A walk in the parks, gardens, arboretums, and conservatories where Goucher alums work and volunteer.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Good Natured | Goucher Magazine","og_description":"A walk in the parks, gardens, arboretums, and conservatories where Goucher alums work and volunteer.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/","og_site_name":"Goucher Magazine","article_published_time":"2026-07-16T20:41:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-30T14:21:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2026\/07\/Community-Garden-Ribbon-Cutting-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Molly Englund","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Molly Englund","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/"},"author":{"name":"Molly Englund","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/43155b9e9455876089c51a5a895ca8ca"},"headline":"Good Natured","datePublished":"2026-07-16T20:41:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-30T14:21:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/"},"wordCount":2191,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2026\/07\/Community-Garden-Ribbon-Cutting-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Features","Summer 2026"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/","name":"Good Natured | Goucher Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2026\/07\/Community-Garden-Ribbon-Cutting-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-16T20:41:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-30T14:21:08+00:00","description":"A walk in the parks, gardens, arboretums, and conservatories where Goucher alums work and volunteer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2026\/07\/Community-Garden-Ribbon-Cutting-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2026\/07\/Community-Garden-Ribbon-Cutting-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1280,"caption":"The ribbon-cutting for Goucher's Community Garden with Edenwald, May 1, 2026, photo by Adan Rodriguez"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/features\/good-natured\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Good Natured"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/","name":"Goucher Magazine","description":"The magazine for Goucher College's alumnae\/i since 1921.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#organization","name":"Goucher College","url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2018\/02\/G_logo.gif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2018\/02\/G_logo.gif","width":300,"height":150,"caption":"Goucher College"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/43155b9e9455876089c51a5a895ca8ca","name":"Molly Englund","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e687550d6628807db9571095d4bc4be35a9498346515c6d7c5f214aa8b3b9a0?s=96&d=mm&r=gb58c87739d7e579ba3fa778f0f114c2b","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e687550d6628807db9571095d4bc4be35a9498346515c6d7c5f214aa8b3b9a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e687550d6628807db9571095d4bc4be35a9498346515c6d7c5f214aa8b3b9a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Molly Englund"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/author\/moeng001\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":87484,"user_id":352,"is_guest":0,"slug":"moeng001","display_name":"Molly Englund","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0e687550d6628807db9571095d4bc4be35a9498346515c6d7c5f214aa8b3b9a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"Molly","last_name":"Englund","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8525"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8895,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8525\/revisions\/8895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8525"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=8525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}