Archives

• What Is the Small Tower in Curtis Prairie? It's Science! May 15, 2026

  In mid-May, a small research tower was installed in Curtis Prairie. A flux tower – or eddy covariance tower – holds scientific instruments that measure fluctuating… Read more

• Art on View: Nature’s Canvas: Tiny Expressions of Landscapes, Life, and Learning May 5, 2026

  “Nature’s Canvas: Tiny Expressions of Landscapes, Life, and Learning” is a group multimedia exhibit of “tiny art” smaller than 6 by 6 inches. It will… Read more

• Fungi, Community, and Discovery: Arboretum Citizen Science and Community-Based Learning April 21, 2026

  The UW–Madison Arboretum has long served as a site for integrating ecological research, environmental education, and community engagement. A recent collaboration with a UW professor,… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Wisconsin Turns Green April 1, 2026

  In April, shades of green usually return to the muted Wisconsin landscape, transforming it. Yellow-green, pale green, gray-green tinted with pink, bright green, and many… Read more

• Spring Is Prescribed Fire Season March 24, 2026

  Prescribed fire season is underway at the Arboretum. Wisconsin’s prairies, oak savannas, oak woodlands, and even some wetlands evolved to rely on fire for regeneration. Read more

• Celebrate Restoration Team Leaders – and Maybe Become One! February 26, 2026

  We are excited, come April, to continue a longstanding Arboretum program: training and welcoming new volunteer restoration team leaders! Since 2002, team leaders have directed… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Sunny Gardens February 26, 2026

  March may be the most anticipated month in the gardening year as the growing season approaches. It brings the beginning of meteorological spring (March 1),… Read more

• Become a Restoration Team Leader: Care for Nature and Build Community February 3, 2026

  Are you interested in growing your ecological expertise and contributing to local conservation efforts? Become an Arboretum restoration team leader! Team leaders are trained volunteers… Read more

• Restoration Work Parties Resume Mid-February, with Changes February 3, 2026

  On many Saturdays, somewhere in the Arboretum, an exceptional mix of dedicated volunteers pull weedy plants from soils, lop woody brush in a restored woodland,… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: February Planning February 3, 2026

  February brings winter weather but also hints of seasonal change to come. Snowy gardens are covered with animal tracks and scattered wind-blown twigs and branches. Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Garden Kits January 5, 2026

  Instead of marking a beginning in the garden, January is peak dormant season. Roots, buds, plant crowns at and under the soil surface,… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: November Leaves and Grasses November 4, 2025

  November quiets the garden. Growth stops, seeds scatter, dormancy begins or continues. By month’s end, we may see snow that sticks. At the Arboretum, we… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Falling Leaves, Seeds, and Temperatures October 1, 2025

  October in the garden can be warm and colorful or frosty and drab as leaves fall, dry, and blow into drifts and seeds disperse on… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Fungi in the Gardens September 4, 2025

  This summer, the Native Plant Garden was full of flowers, growth, animals, people, and learning. UW–Madison students Holly and Kate joined me and dozens of… Read more

• The golden oyster mushroom craze unleashed an invasive species – and a worrying new study shows it’s harming native fungi July 16, 2025

  “Golden oyster mushrooms, with their sunny yellow caps and nutty flavor, have become wildly popular for being healthy, delicious and easy to grow at home… Read more

• "Preserve" Art Installation Hosted at the Arboretum June 10, 2025

  “The City of Madison Arts Commission is proud to announce the installation of Preserve, a temporary environmental art installation, which is now on display at… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Garden Animals June 2, 2025

  June brings the longest day lengths, warm temperatures, and usually ample precipitation. Plants grow rapidly and summer blooms begin. This month, garden tasks… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Sun to Shade May 1, 2025

  Wisconsin spring is in full swing in May and change is everywhere – budding, germination, decomposition, emergence, migration, fresh new growth, and warmth. Read more

• Explore Citizen Science at the Arboretum April 3, 2025

  Nature is giving hints of warmer days ahead, and the first signs of spring are emerging all around us. On Saturday, April 5, from 1… Read more

• Taking the Next Step for Pollinators: Musings of a People and Nature Researcher April 3, 2025

  February 13, 2025. I traversed a snowy Arboretum with arcing trees layered in glittery white piping to attend the morning Winter Enrichment lecture… Read more