Events
Night Walk: Insect Serenade
Date: 8/08/2009
8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
The fields echo with the sounds of insects, including the snowy tree cricket. Learn how to tell the temperature from the timing of their calls.
Volunteer Workday: Core Area and Curtis Prairie
Date: 8/08/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Family Walk: Pond Stuff
Date: 8/09/2009
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
This walk introduces children to the fascinating world of pond life.
Walk: Grady Tract
Date: 8/09/2009
8:30 am - 10:30 am
With lavender liatris and yellow coneflowers, the prairies are alive with color that attracts viceroy, monarch and other butterflies. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot located at the southeast corner of the Beltline and Seminole Highway intersection.
Native Plant Garden Tour: Native Grasses
Date: 8/12/2009
7:00 pm - 8:15 pm
As summer ends and fall approaches, we will take a closer look at our native grasses, from tiny mustache grass to big bluestem. Find out how to identify these attractive plants and grow them in your native garden.
Volunteer Workday: Grady Tract
Date: 8/15/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Walk: Curtis Prairie
Date: 8/16/2009
8:30 am - 10:00 am
At this time of year, you can walk the prairie and imagine what it was like for settlers to see prairies for the first time -- with grasses and flowers towering overhead -- unlike anything in Europe.
Class: The Amazing World of Insects
Date: 8/22/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Explore the fascinating world of insects and arachnids, including lifecycles, while discovering the important and powerful role they play in our ecosystem. Registration required. Registration required. Register and pay online.
Volunteer Workday: Core Area and Curtis Prairie
Date: 8/22/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Earth Partnership for Families: Remembering Laura Ingalls Wilder -- Prairie Fire
Date: 8/23/2009
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Awesome prairie fires surprised Laura's family when the prairie was a boundless expanse. Experience these momentous events through Laura's eyes and learn why fires are necessary and beneficial for the prairie. Take home a "flaming" windsock to remember this fun evening. Dress for the weather; indoor and outdoor activities planned.
Walk: Prairies and Savannas on the Grady Tract
Date: 8/23/2009
8:30 am - 10:30 am
Now is a good time to see the contrast between the sandy, dry West Knoll and wet-mesic Greene Prairie. Meet in the Grady Tract parking lot located at the southeast corner of the Beltline and Seminole Highway intersection.
Walk: Sample of Dane County in 1830
Date: 8/30/2009
8:30 am - 10:00 am
Restored prairie, savanna and wetlands near the Visitor Center provide an example of what Dane County looked like in the 1830s. Restoration was an unknown adventure when started here in 1934. Many different trials have resulted in what is here today.
Night Walk: Twilight Time
Date: 9/05/2009
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
This time of year we have a short time of light to enjoy fall flowers before the sun sets and we can experience nature in twilight time.
Volunteer Workday: Wingra Oak Savanna
Date: 9/05/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the gravel parking lot along Arbor Drive just off Monroe Street. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Walk: Grady Tract
Date: 9/06/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Enjoy white and blue asters, goldenrods, sunflowers and gentians. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot located at the southeast corner of the Beltline and Seminole Highway.
Volunteer Workday: Core Area and Curtis Prairie
Date: 9/12/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Class: Native by Design - A How-To Conference for Gardeners
Date: 9/13/2009
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Using the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum's 4-acre Wisconsin Native Plant Garden as an outdoor classroom, we'll combine workshops, take-home tips and living examples to help you become an inspired and successful native gardener. Registration required. Register and pay online.
Family Walk: Fun with Fungi
Date: 9/13/2009
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
This family friendly walk is about mushrooms growing in the natural areas and wood chip mulch of the gardens.
Walk: Curtis Prairie
Date: 9/13/2009
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
The tallgrass prairie is at its peak both of height and color. Big bluestem could be more than 8 feet tall and will have turned a beautiful red color for fall.
Volunteer Workday: Grady Tract
Date: 9/19/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Walk: Grady Tract
Date: 9/20/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Enjoy a late summer walk through goldenrods, asters, sunflowers and gentians. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot located at the southeast corner of the Beltline and Seminole Highway.
Special Event: Zoo Run Run
Date: 9/20/2009
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
This event, sponsored in part by the Arboretum, features a 10K run through the Arboretum.
Night Walk: Equinox
Date: 9/22/2009
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Watch the sun set on the autumnal equinox on this naturalist-led tour and learn more about this annual occurrence.
Special Event: Oakwood Chamber Players Performance and Anniversary Celebration
Date: 9/26/2009
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The Players will present two nature-themed works to celebrate both the Arboretum's 75th Anniversary and the Oakwood Chamber Player's 25th Anniversary at 1 and 4 p.m. in the Arboretum's Visitor Center auditorium. A naturalist-guided tour of the Arboretum's Curtis Prairie takes place at 2:30 p.m.
Volunteer Workday: Core Area and Curtis Prairie
Date: 9/26/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Walk: Arboretum Sampler
Date: 9/27/2009
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
See what is going on in the restored woodlands, wetlands and prairies near the Visitor Center.
Earth Partnership for Families: Ecology through Folktales
Date: 9/27/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Walk the trails and listen as plants and animals tell their tales through the voices of our naturalists. Dress for the weather; outdoor and indoor activities are planned.
Volunteer Workday: Wingra Oak Savanna
Date: 10/03/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the gravel parking lot along Arbor Drive just off Monroe Street. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Walk: Butterflies and Flowers
Date: 10/04/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Butterflies make stops for nectar on fall-blooming asters, adding to the beauty of the prairie. We will look for the five species of gentian that grow here as well as asters and goldenrods. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot located at the southeast corner of the West Beltline and Seminole Highway.
Volunteer Workday: Core Area and Curtis Prairie
Date: 10/10/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Family Walk: Why do Leaves Change Color?
Date: 10/11/2009
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Families can learn how to appreciate and understand the wonder of fall color in native trees and prairie grasses.
Walk: Red Lanterns
Date: 10/11/2009
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Blackberry leaves turn bright red this month. According to Aldo Leopold, these show the best place to look for woodcock and grouse when hunting. We don't have grouse here, so we will look for fall color, migrating white-throated sparrows and other fall delights.
Special Event: Badger Trolley Tours
Date: 10/11/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Free narrated tours aboard the Badger Trolley begin at the Visitor Center at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Tours last approximately 45 minutes. View the prairies and woodlands in beautiful fall color and learn more about the Arboretum's history and purpose.
Class: How to Identify Birds
Date: 10/17/2009
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Learn the basics of bird identification and get started on a life-long discovery of the world of birds. Bring binoculars if you have them. Registration required. Register and pay online.
Volunteer Workday: Grady Tract
Date: 10/17/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Special Event: Badger Trolley Tour
Date: 10/18/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Free narrated tours aboard the Badger Trolley begin at the Visitor Center at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Tours last approximately 45 minutes. View the prairies and woodlands in beautiful fall color and learn more about the Arboretum's history and purpose.
Walk: Woodlands
Date: 10/18/2009
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Enjoy what is usually the peak for fall color in the restored woodlands of the Arboretum.
Class: Arboretum Corps of Discovery: Communicating Nature
Date: 10/22/2009
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Join the Arboretum Corps of Discovery. Members will be trained in a series of four workshops that will include a diversity of skill-building activities in writing, photography and sketching/drawing. The series of four workshops on October 22 and 29 and November 12 and 19 are about the creative integration of these skills with documentation of the changes that will take place at the Arboretum over the next few years. Instructors: Dr. Michael R. Jeffords, Senior Professional Scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey and Susan Post, research scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey. Please bring your own lunch. Class fee is for all four sessions. Registration required. Register and pay online.
Class: All About Owls
Date: 10/24/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Look, listen, and learn about the fascinating world of owls. This class includes a slide show, owl "music" and stories. Registration required. Register and pay online.
Volunteer Workday: Core Area and Curtis Prairie
Date: 10/24/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Special Event: Badger Trolley Tour
Date: 10/25/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Free narrated tours aboard the Badger Trolley begin at the Visitor Center at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Tours last approximately 45 minutes. View the prairies and woodlands in beautiful fall color and learn more about the Arboretum's history and purpose.
Walk: Tour of the Lost City
Date: 10/25/2009
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
While we always tour this area around Halloween, there is really nothing spooky about this abandoned dream of a "Venice of the North." Learn more about this failed 1920s residential area and how understanding the land can be important for proper development. This tour starts indoors with a brief overview of the Lost City project.
Earth Partnership for Families: Celebrate leaves -- on trees, in the air and on the ground
Date: 10/25/2009
12:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Family Day at the Arboretum is a drop-in event where you can learn why leaves change color and make leaf critters from leaves you collect. Naturalist-led walk from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Night Walk: Under the Autumn Moon
Date: 10/31/2009
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Two nights before the full moon, join the naturalist to enjoy nature in late fall. No "tricks" here ... just the great treat of being outdoors.
Walk: Effigy Mounds
Date: 11/01/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
The Arboretum contains some rare, intact mound groups out of the thousands built in our area more than 1,000 years ago. On this tour, which features the mounds in Wingra and Gallistel Woods, you'll learn about these ancient earthworks and the cultures that built them.
Volunteer Workday: Wingra Oak Savanna
Date: 11/07/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the gravel parking lot along Arbor Drive just off Monroe Street. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Family Walk: Preparing for Winter
Date: 11/08/2009
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Animals and plants that live here need to prepare for winter long before the first snow flies. This short walk introduces young people to how plants and animals prepare for winter.
Walk: Landforms
Date: 11/08/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
The Arboretum has many features that illustrate the glacial geology of the Madison area and how it has changed over the time. We will look at features of the landscape as well as what is going on in the natural world.
Volunteer Workday: Core Area and Curtis Prairie
Date: 11/14/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Special Event: Wisconsin Academy at the Arboretum with Jonathan Patz
Date: 11/15/2009
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
This free forum features Jonathan Patz, M.D., MPH, Professor of Environmental Studies & Population Health Sciences at the UW-Madison and director of a university-wide initiative on Global Environmental Health. In 2007, Patz shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the International Panel on Climate Change and Al Gore.
Walk: Thinking Like an Arboretum
Date: 11/15/2009
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Aldo Leopold's essay, "Thinking Like a Mountain," is the basis for this tour about the relationship between predators and prey, and the diversity of ecosystems.
Special Event: Speaking for the Land: Aldo Leopold as a Writer
Date: 11/17/2009
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Distinguished Professor Scott Russell Sanders, as part of the Gaylord Nelson Lecture Series, discusses how Aldo Leopold was a gifted writer as well as a visionary thinker. Focusing on "A Sand County Almanac" and his late essays, this lecture, free and open to the general public, will examine and celebrate Leopold's use of language.
Volunteer Workday: Grady Tract
Date: 11/21/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Earth Partnership for Families: Gobble, Gobble...Wild Turkeys!
Date: 11/22/2009
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Search for wild turkeys like a wildlife scientists -- explore the tracks, signs and behavior of these native birds. Find out why the Arboretum is such a fine habitat for wild turkeys. Dress for the weather; outdoor and indoor activities are planned.
Walk: Sampler
Date: 11/22/2009
1:00 am - 2:30 pm
Join our naturalist and see what is going on in the restored woodlands, wetlands and prairies near the Visitor Center.
Night Walk: Stars and Night Sounds
Date: 11/28/2009
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
The waxing moon will be about 78 percent full, lighting the way for this night walk. Listen for night animal activity and look for stars if the sky is clear.
Volunteer Workday: Core Area and Curtis Prairie
Date: 11/28/2009
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
Walk: Winter Woods
Date: 11/29/2009
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Since most leaves have dropped from the deciduous trees, it's easier to see tree forms and the birds and animals that live in the trees year-round.
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