Archives

• Gardening with Native Plants: The Latest Asters August 30, 2022

  September brings the end of the flowering season as fall arrives in native plant gardens. A few flowers may linger into October, but this month… Read more

• International Crane Foundation Staff Visit Earth Focus Day Camp August 1, 2022

  Earth Focus Day Camp sessions are exploring animal hideaways, water, soil, habitat, and climate. During the Wild about Water session, we studied aquatic macroinvertebrates –… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Summer Shift August 1, 2022

  August brings mostly warm days, and perhaps subtle cooler hints of fall. It can be a rainy month, or a time when dry conditions deepen. Read more

• Director's Note: Migratory Monarchs Added to IUCN Red List as Endangered Species August 1, 2022

  I spent much of the last week of July talking to reporters about the recent announcement from the International Union for the Conservation of… Read more

• Monarch Butterflies Are Now Endangered. Here's How You Can Help. July 30, 2022

  As the only butterflies known to make a roundtrip migration like birds do, migratory monarch butterflies are used to traveling. Those that live in… Read more

• Monarch Butterflies Have Been Declared Engangered. What Can We Do to Save Them? July 24, 2022

  Ayesha Rascoe speaks with conservation biologist Karen Oberhauser about why the migratory monarch butterfly was just declared endangered, and what can be done in response. Read more

• Monarch Butterflies Are Endangered, Leading Wildlife Monitor Says July 21, 2022

  North America’s monarch butterfly, whose showy looks and extraordinary migration have made it one of the continent’s most beloved insects, has been classified as endangered… Read more

• Arboretum Hosts Native Gardening Conference September 18 July 15, 2022

  Learn Sustainable Gardening Practices and How to Use Native Plants in Home Landscapes The UW–Madison Arboretum will host its 2022 Native Gardening Conference, “Native… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Midsummer Highlights June 30, 2022

  Our native gardens take on a summer look this month. July brings the warmest average temperatures of the year, with a peak average high of… Read more

• Dragonfly Education and Research at the Arboretum June 1, 2022

  Dragonfly citizen science began at the Arboretum in 2018 with the Dragonfly Monitoring Project. Volunteers monitor nine sites across the grounds and have submitted over… Read more

• Monarch Winter 2021–22 Population Numbers Released June 1, 2022

  On May 24, 2022, the World Wildlife Fund-Telmex Telcel Foundation Alliance (WWF) and the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas in Mexico (CONANP), released data… Read more

• Director's Note: Mayflies Seize the Day June 1, 2022

  Following up on recent musings about large aggregations of animals, I saw hundreds of thousands of mayflies over the Memorial Day weekend. They filled… Read more

• Land Care Report: Continued Improvements at Faville Prairie May 2, 2022

  In September 2018 I wrote about the Arboretum’s historical connection to the preservation of Faville Prairie near Lake Mills, Wisconsin. I also… Read more

• Longenecker Lawns: More than Grass May 2, 2022

  While the trees and shrubs draw people’s attention in the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens living collections, the green expanse of lawn sets them off. These lawns… Read more

• How to Help Wisconsin's Disappearing Native Bees in Your Yard April 15, 2022

  “The homeland of the federally endangered rusty patched bumble bee has shrunk by 90% in the past 20 years, yet the beneficial, fuzzy native… Read more

• Director’s Note, February 2022 January 28, 2022

  Winter is not generally an ideal time to observe insects in Wisconsin, although I’m seeing a few invasive brown marmorated stink bugs in our house… Read more

• From Minnesota to Mexico: How do monarchs know where and when to go? October 19, 2021

  Monarch butterflies, Minnesota’s official state butterfly, spend their summer throughout the Midwest and migrate to Mexico in the fall to avoid the freezing winters. By… Read more

• Wisconsin's prairies shine in late summer, from Lapham Peak to UW Arboretum August 25, 2021

  Prairies aren’t just pretty to look it and nice to walk through. They’re vital to species like American kestrels, bobolinks, sandhill cranes, eastern meadowlark, federally endangered Karner blue butterflies, bees and other pollinators. Read more

• Monarch Winter 2020–21 Population Numbers Released February 26, 2021

  According to newly released data, the population of monarch butterflies in Mexico wintering sites decreased by 26 percent over last winter. On February 25, 2021,… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: New Tools and Inspiration July 30, 2020

  August marks a turning point in the growing season. Summer warmth and ample rains usually continue this month, along with a few days of refreshing… Read more