Several years ago, when Yu-hsin Hsu moved from the Courthouse neighborhood to Virginia Square, and started using the Central Library instead of the Plaza Branch Library, she also took note of the Central Library gardens.

So when she happened to pass by the Library’s native pollinator garden and saw a staff member weeding, she offered to help - and has not stopped helping since, eventually taking over the care of the pollinator garden.  (This garden is particularly special to Library staff, as it was created and nurtured by former coworker Lynn Kristianson, who died in 2015.)

An ardent supporter of Arlington’s natural resources, Yu-hsin Hsu has also volunteered with Long Branch Nature Center, the Natural Resources Management Unit and Arlington Regional Master Naturalists. As a result of her combined volunteer work, in 2017 the County Board honored her as one of two of that year's recipients of the Bill Thomas Outstanding Park Service Volunteer Award.

Yu-hsin continues her oversight of the pollinator garden, making improvements each season. She has extended her care of Central Library's green spaces to the native plant garden at the 10th Street entrance, and recently built two new rotating compost bins as well.

Her work also helps other local gardeners. When she and her colleagues thin plants from our pollinator garden, those plants are then available for transplant to other gardens. This fall, the Thomas Jefferson Middle School's teaching garden recently inherited a car load of button bush, iron weed, swamp milkweed, blue flag, copper iris, blue mist flower, mountain mint, sundrops, golden ragwort and black eyed susan!