Archives

• Gardening with Native Plants: Adaptations July 15, 2026

  July is the warmest month of the Wisconsin year, with average high temperatures peaking in the mid-80s. Heat and humidity, intense sunlight, long daylength, drying… Read more

• Announcing the 2026 Arboretum Research Fellows June 16, 2026

  We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Arboretum Research Fellowships. These graduate fellowships support early career scientists doing work that aligns with… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Spring Grasses and Sedges June 16, 2026

  June brings the late-spring-to-early-summer transition, the longest days, rapid growth, and early flowering in gardens. Bird migration and insect emergence lead to nesting among and… Read more

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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: 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: 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: 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

• 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

• Everyone Learns with Capstone Classes at the Arboretum February 4, 2025

  UW–Madison students can experience the Arboretum as visitors, volunteers, employees, researchers, and learners. Some students visit the Arboretum once or twice during their… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Winter Reading December 2, 2024

  December is the first month of meteorological winter and brings the shortest days of the year, often with cold and snow. Gardens are quiet this… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Autumn Care and Reflections November 4, 2024

  Late fall arrives in November, with colder days, possible frosts, shifting winds, shorter daylength, and neutral colors. Plants go into dormancy; some still hold seeds. Read more

• Twilight Treks Offer More Access to Nature Programs July 20, 2023

  Starting in August, the Arboretum will expand free public offerings with a new Twilight Treks series. Twilight Treks will highlight Arboretum ecosystems that are underused… Read more

• Kohler Fellows Host Three Art-Science Fusion Community Events at the Arboretum March 13, 2023

  In April, Anna Gregory and Praveen Maripelly will lead three participatory events at the Arboretum called Wisconsin Landscapes: Art and Science Fusion Workshops. Held from… Read more