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

• Volunteers Engage for the Good of the Community April 1, 2026

  April brings National Volunteer Week (April 19–25) and Earth Day (April 22) – a concentrated recognition of action by, and appreciation for, volunteers who care… 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

• 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: Gardener’s Bookshelf December 2, 2025

  December usually brings cold days, crisp air, freezing lakes, animal tracks, and snow shoveling. This month always brings the longest nights and the winter solstice,… 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

• Learn, Lead, Repeat: The Summer Camp Staff Experience September 4, 2025

  Every summer, the Arboretum’s core staff is joined by a cohort of college students from UW–Madison and other campuses to help advance all facets of… Read more

• Tu Agua Project Supports Clean Water through Community Engagement September 4, 2025

  From early 2023 to summer 2025, the Arboretum facilitated the second phase of the WATER Project (Water Action to Encourage Responsibility), also known as the… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: “Weeds” and Weeds July 31, 2025

  In the native plant garden, August is a transition month between mid-summer growth and the colors, flowers, and seed heads of the fall season. Garden… Read more

• People Caring for the Land: Volunteers, Communities, and Connection July 31, 2025

  Spring brought abundant blossoms, greening of the prairie, songs of migratory birds, and many volunteer groups active on the land. In just thirteen… Read more

• BCycle Station Expands Options for Arboretum Visitors June 17, 2025

  Just in time for summer exploring, a BCycle station has been installed near the Visitor Center and is open for use. This new addition expands… Read more

• Welcome Micah Kloppenburg June 2, 2025

  The Arboretum is pleased to welcome Micah Kloppenburg as our new ecological restoration outreach coordinator. Micah most recently worked for the Xerces Society as the… 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

• Gardening with Native Plants: Helping Pollinators April 3, 2025

  Wisconsin’s spring continues in April, the first month of the year when average minimum temperatures are above freezing. Total April precipitation (on average)… Read more

• Gardening with Native Plants: Shrubs with Early Blooms February 27, 2025

  March often brings the end of winter, the beginning of spring, or simply the variability of this seasonal transition. Longer days, increasing sun… Read more