At the University of Chicago, nestled between the Zoology Building and the Erman Biology Center, is a scenic corner of campus that is home to Botany Pond. Every spring, the pond reawakens with new life and beauty. Perhaps its most beloved and famous inhabitant is a duck named Honey. For the fourth year, Honey has recently returned a…

At the University of Chicago, nestled between the Zoology Building and the Erman Biology Center, is a scenic corner of campus that is home to Botany Pond. Every spring, the pond reawakens with new life and beauty. Perhaps its most beloved and famous inhabitant is a duck named Honey. For the fourth year, Honey has recently returned and now has a new brood of ducklings.

The historic pond was created near the turn of the 20th century, the brainchild of John Merle Coulter, first chair of the University’s Department of Botany. Coulter designed the pond as an outdoor research laboratory for botanists, and in 2004—with funding from the Julie and Parker Hall Botanic Garden Endowment Fund—it underwent a major restoration to allow it to continue serving as a source of academic study and artistic inspiration for future Maroons to enjoy.

To this day, Botany Pond remains a beloved and iconic space on campus, its popularity enduring as a bucolic oasis on the Quad. Admirers throughout the University community cherish its beauty and serenity. Researchers study the little pond for its biodiversity, while visitors are drawn each year by the flora and fauna. The turtles are always a major attraction, as are the pond’s fish and even the blue heron who moved in one year. But surely the favorite inhabitants are the ducks, who come each spring to raise new families in the shelter of the pond.