L.A.’s Wild Side

Get out into nature, right here at NHM. Discover all of the species that call our great city their home and be amazed by their stories. 

Nature Gardens

Every bush, flower, and tree you see here was planted to attract creatures. If you look closely, you'll see butterflies, hummingbirds, squirrels, snails, and a lot more!

Stroll through the Edible Garden, full of plants that you can grow at home, right here in L.A. 

Make sure to stop at the Bird Platform to see why L.A. is the birdiest county in the U.S. More than 500 species of birds live or pass through L.A. Which ones do you see?

Then stop by the Pollinator Meadow to see native plants that attract an array of insects. 

Tour the Gardens

Take our Nature Walk daily tour through the Nature Gardens and explore the amazing diversity of life that calls L.A. home. 

Nature Lab

Get hands-on and interactive with L.A. nature. Here you will find amazing stories of how animals, like possums, squirrels, parrots, feral cats, bats, and more, have adapted to urban life. Look into the homes of our live animals such as rats, turtles, newts, and insects. Even stand in front of a heat map to see how a rattlesnake would view you out in the wild. (Level G)

Children jumping on highway projection in the P-22 exhibition.

P-22

Discover the story of L.A.’s most famous feline, the mountain lion that roams the hills of Griffith Park.  (Level G)

Oar Fish 

This rare find swam into Big Fisherman Cove in Catalina. Oar Fish are rarely seen near the ocean’s surface, instead they’ve been found at depths up to 3,000 feet. (Level 1)

Grizzly Bear

Though it’s now been hunted to extinction, California’s State Animal used to roam the flats basins and valleys. Get a close-up look at the size and power of this magnificent animal of the past. (Level 1 in Becoming Los Angeles)

Ice Age L.A.

Mammoths, saber-toothed cats, giant sloths and dire wolves once roamed L.A. during the Ice Age. Check out their skeletons in Age of Mammals, and find more at our museum at La Brea Tar Pits. (Level 1)

Meet a Live Animal

Meet and greet with some of our Live Animal Program resident animals, from snakes to tortoises to bugs. Check our calendar for this daily program’s offerings. (Level G in the Nature Lab)