June 2025 | Issue No. 61

Hello and welcome to my June newsletter, thanks for joining me here again this month! As we head into the slow summer season it's the perfect time to highlight one of my favorite Albuquerque destinations, the ABQ BioPark. The BioPark has something for everyone, from the young to the young at heart, with plenty of outdoor spaces to explore as well as indoor exhibits for those days when it's just too hot out. The BioPark complex includes the Zoo, Botanic Garden, Aquarium and Tingley Beach.  My personal favorite area to spend time to get some exercise and inspiration, is the Botanic Garden. Anytime I'm feeling overwhelmed, a walk through the peaceful environs and time spent in nature always lifts my mood. I've mentioned before that my membership to the New Mexico BioPark Society is one of my best investments every year. I renewed it recently and already feel like I've gotten my money's worth and the summer season hasn't even begun. Its not just access to all of these unique areas of the BioPark, but also exclusive invites and discounts to special events, including the upcoming summer music series. If you haven't explored all the park has to offer, you're definitely missing out. 

While the 63 acre Zoo has been open since 1927, the Botanic Garden is a relatively recent addition. Spanning 52 acres, with 1.5 miles of walking paths, the Botanic Garden has been an Albuquerque attraction since 1996. You'll find a 10,000 square foot conservatory, along with other inspiring exhibits like the Sasebo Japanese Garden, Heritage Farm, Curandera Garden, Dragonfly Sanctuary Pond, Railroad Garden and Fantasy Garden-just to name a few. Showcasing plants from the Southwest and around the world, this living environmental park leads the way with significant conservation efforts in New Mexico. 

Recognized by The Travel Channel as one of the top 12 botanical gardens in the country, the BioPark Botanic Garden is also home to one of the most elaborate exhibits dedicated to bugs and anthropods, the BUGarium. In addition to the BUGarium, the Pollinator Pavilion is a favorite destination within the Garden. Unfortunately, the Pavilion is undergoing repairs this season, so it will be closed to visitors until 2026. The good news is that when it reopens, it will be refreshed and better than ever. Next year you'll be able to experience a new viewing and hatching room for butterfly chrysalis. While you wait patiently for it to reopen, you'll still see wild butterflies and pollinators enjoying the flowers all around the Garden alongside you. It's also a peaceful haven for birds of many varieties who flock to the cultivated gardens, habitats, water sources and abundance of food, which means its an ideal spot for birding all year. The location of the Garden is an extension of the Rio Grande River and Bosque, a natural habitat to experience all sorts of wildlife. 

One of the highlights of spending time at the Garden is the proximity to numerous water features, something we don't always get to experience in the desert. In the spring, summer and fall the Dragonfly Sanctuary Pond is home to dragonflies and damselflies, and is the the first dragonfly sanctuary pond in the country. Water lilies adorn ponds and create cover for a whole world underneath their pretty petals and blooms. Some species have become endangered in the wild due to habitat loss, so the abundance at the Garden is truly something to see and appreciate. Time near the ponds is one of my favorite ways to spend a few hours, it offers a slice of serenity to counterbalance the hectic pace of the outside world. 

One of my favorite seasonal happenings at the BioPark is their summer music series. Both the Botanic Garden and Zoo host their own lineups on select Thursday and Friday evenings, from 6-8:30pm. 

There are a few special events held annually at the Botanic Garden and BioPark Zoo that you might want to put on your calendar for later this summer and into the fall/winter. These are highly anticipated, popular and well-attended traditions for many locals each year.  

Save the Date!

 

A few other annual events to keep a lookout for details are Boo at the Zoo in October, the highly anticipated Annual River of Lights in November-December, and the Annual Run for the Zoo and Mother's Day at the Zoo, which both take place in May. 

Inventory of available homes in the Albuquerque market is slowly on the rise and prices are back to a normal rate of increase. There are more homes to choose from than there has been in the past 5 years, with fewer multiple offers. Typically the fall market is the second busiest season where we see a rise in prices, so buying in July or August means less competition, and a better deal. Give me a call if you are thinking of buying or selling your home, I'd love to help!

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