Archives

• Land Care Report: Maintaining the Arboretum Grounds September 29, 2021

  The field staff wrapped up the spring burn season in May and jumped right into invasive species management and seed collection. These aspects of natural… 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

• Land Care Report: 2021 Spring Fire Season Is One for the Record Books May 27, 2021

  The spring prescribed fire season is always an exciting time of year, but the Arboretum fire crew looked forward to this year’s season with extra… Read more

• Curtis Pond: Engineering and Restoration to Protect the Prairie December 1, 2020

  October marked the completion of the rehabilitation of the Curtis Prairie stormwater detention pond that began in March, the last of the major stormwater… Read more

• Arboretum and Partners Receive Major EPA Grant for Stormwater Outreach November 30, 2020

  With support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Arboretum and neighborhood, city, and county partners are pleased to embark on the WATER (Water… Read more

• Land Care Report: Signs of Restoration Success September 1, 2020

  It has been a year unlike any other for the Arboretum restoration crew, as it has for so many people. It started with the crew… Read more

• Director’s Note, June 2020 June 1, 2020

  To the UW–Madison Arboretum Community, I hope that you are safe and healthy, and that the rhythms of the natural world are a source of… Read more

• Land Care Report: Monitoring and Restoring Noe Woods April 30, 2020

  Entering the Arboretum on McCaffrey Drive from Seminole Highway, visitors are greeted by a high canopy of large oaks and other tree species and then… Read more

• Protecting the prairie: UW Arboretum begins final phase of decade-long stormwater management March 9, 2020

  Work has begun on the final phase of a $6.8 million effort to protect the UW Arboretum from urban runoff, which has washed out trails,… Read more

• UW Arboretum begins final upgrades to stormwater management system March 3, 2020

  This spring, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum and local municipalities will complete the final phase of improvements to stormwater management infrastructure that protects… Read more

• Volunteers Turn Dreams into Reality February 27, 2020

  Emily Dickinson wrote “To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, / One clover, and a bee. / And revery. / The… Read more

• Land Care Report: The Effects of Stormwater December 30, 2019

  When it rains or snow melts, much of the water—referred to as stormwater—runs off hard surfaces such as roofs and pavement from neighboring urban areas… Read more

• Director's Note, December 2019 November 30, 2019

  “Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.”— Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It To many people, the Arboretum represents… Read more

• Land Care Crew Visits Buena Vista Wildlife Area October 2, 2019

  Every summer, the Arboretum field crew visits another property and meets with their land managers to learn about the site’s history, management, challenges, and more. Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Fall 2019 September 30, 2019

  Winter damage: The severe cold during winter 2018–19 (-29° F on January 31), coupled with extreme temperature fluctuations, resulted in significant damage throughout the Gardens. Read more

• Land Care Report: The Field Season and Wetlands Restoration August 29, 2019

  After a wet but productive burn season, spring turned to summer and black burn units turned green. Early prairie species such as hoary puccoon and… Read more

• AmeriCorps NCCC Volunteers Bring Dedication and Good Spirits to Madison July 1, 2019

  Just as the arrival of spring migratory birds enlivens the landscape, the arrival of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) infuses enthusiasm and energy… Read more

• Land Care Report: UW Prescribed Fire Class April 29, 2019

  This spring, the Arboretum has been a partner in an exciting new initiative offering UW–Madison students wildland fire training. The training was incorporated into the… Read more

• Volunteers Choose to Make a Difference February 28, 2019

  Mary Oliver wrote in her poem “The Summer Day” some of her most quoted lines: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do /… Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Collection Inventory, Fall Color and Hardy Larches, and Volunteers Power Through January 2, 2019

  Collection Inventory Field Check Over the course of the fall, garden staff conducted an inventory field check for the approximately 4,000 accessioned plants in… Read more