• Saturday, July 1

    Ecological Restoration Work Party
    Wingra Oak Savanna

    9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

    Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice. Meet at Arbor Dr. parking lot, off Monroe St. More information: 265-5214 or marian.farrior@wisc.edu.

  • Sunday, July 2

    A Prairie Birthday
    Walk

    1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

    We will walk the trails of Curtis Prairie to see blazing-stars, prairie grasses, and many sunflower species in bloom. Meet at the Visitor Center.

  • Saturday, July 8

    Ecological Restoration Work Party
    Core Area and Curtis Prairie

    9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

    Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice. Meet at the Visitor Center. More information: 265-5214 or marian.farrior@wisc.edu.

  • Saturday, July 8

    Medicinal Plants
    Garden Tour

    1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

    Herbalist Lola Stonehill and Arboretum outreach specialist Marian Farrior will explore the medicinal and botanical richness of herbaceous and woody plants in the gardens, looking at both historic and contemporary uses. Meet at the Visitor Center.

  • Sunday, July 9

    Prairies and Savannas on the Grady Tract
    Walk

    1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

    On a warm sunny day, you may see many species of butterflies in the prairie and savannas. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot, southeast corner of Seminole Hwy. and W. Beltline Frontage Rd.

  • Sunday, July 9

    Butterflies Flutter By
    Family Walk

    1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

    We will explore the prairies and gardens looking for beautiful native butterflies and other important pollinators. Meet at the Visitor Center.

  • Sunday, July 9

    Midsummer Delights
    Night Walk

    8 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

    Enjoy an evening walk featuring midsummer flowers and night music from prairie insects by the light of a full moon. Meet at the Visitor Center.

  • Saturday, July 15

    Street Trees
    Longenecker Horticultural Gardens Tour

    1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

    Stephen Nystrand, Longenecker Horticultural Gardens technician, will take you through the extensive collection of shade trees and discuss strategies for growing healthy trees in urban/suburban conditions. Meet at the Visitor Center.

  • Sunday, July 16

    Curtis Prairie
    Walk

    1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

    Summer prairies change weekly with new sights, sounds, and smells to awaken our senses. Join us for sensory splendor. Meet at the Visitor Center.

  • Wednesday, July 19

    Plants for Pollinators
    Garden Tour

    7 p.m.

    Learn about summer-blooming native and ornamental species in Arboretum gardens. Susan Carpenter, Arboretum native plant gardener, will highlight plants and gardening practices that support essential pollinators in urban/suburban landscapes. Meet at the Visitor Center. Tour goes until dusk.

  • Saturday, July 22

    Ecological Restoration Work Party
    Core Area and Curtis Prairie

    9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

    Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice. Meet at the Visitor Center. More information: 265-5214 or marian.farrior@wisc.edu

  • Sunday, July 23

    Greene Prairie and Grady Knolls
    Walk

    1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

    In late July we may see Culver’s-root, mountain mint, rattlesnake master, blazing-stars, and swamp milkweed. Prairie dock is a Greene Prairie favorite, but has not bloomed much the last two years. When it is prolific, the bright yellow flowers and broad rough leaves are easy to spot. Meet at Grady Tract parking lot, southeast corner of Seminole Hwy. and W. Beltline Frontage Rd.

  • Sunday, July 30

    The CCC and the Arboretum
    Walk

    1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

    More than eighty years ago this summer, the Civilian Conservation Corps was planting trees and prairie species during the most severe drought year in recorded history. Watering went on around the clock. We will see some of the ecosystems they planted and visit the remaining camp buildings. Meet at the Visitor Center.

  • Saturday, August 5

    Ecological Restoration Work Party
    Wingra Oak Savanna

    9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

    Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice. Meet at Arbor Dr. parking lot, off Monroe St. More information: 265-5214 or marian.farrior@wisc.edu.

  • Saturday, August 5

    Full Sturgeon Moon
    Night Walk

    8 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

    The fishing tribes named this moon (full August 7) for the large Great Lakes fish readily caught during August. A few tribes called it the Full Red Moon because it appears reddish as it rises through any sultry summer haze. Join us as we walk into the colorful night. Meet at the Visitor Center.

  • Sunday, August 6

    Grady Oak Savanna and Greene Prairie
    Walk

    1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

    The 47-acre Greene Prairie was planted by prairie expert Henry Greene during the 1940s, ’50s, and early ’60s. The Grady Tract, named after Nettie Grady and her family, was an extension of Greene’s passion for prairie restoration. Learn more about the intriguing history of this special corner of the Arboretum. Meet at Grady Tract parking lot, southeast corner of Seminole Hwy. and W. Beltline Frontage Road.

  • Wednesday, August 9

    Native Grasses
    Native Plant Garden Tour

    7 p.m.

    Susan Carpenter, Arboretum native plant gardener, will focus on color, size, and features of native Wisconsin grasses, from tiny mustache grass to big bluestem. Meet at the Visitor Center. Tour ends at dusk.

  • Saturday, August 12

    Ecological Restoration Work Party
    Core Area and Curtis Prairie

    9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

    Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice. Meet at the Visitor Center. More information: 265-5214 or marian.farrior@wisc.edu.

  • Sunday, August 13

    Curtis Prairie
    Walk

    1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

    We will look for complementary colors from blazing-stars, silphiums, and sunflowers in the first restored prairie and consider the importance of wildflowers in this vanishing ecosystem. Meet at the Visitor Center.

  • Sunday, August 13

    "Pond”-ering Life
    Family Walk

    1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

    You will explore pond critters and learn about the fascinating lives of both predators and prey. Learn about the many relationships between friends and foes in Teal Pond. Meet at the Visitor Center.

  • Sunday, August 20

    Wingra Oak Savanna Restoration and Monroe Street Environs
    Walk

    1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

    This oak savanna has been a cooperative restoration with the Arboretum, Dudgeon Monroe Neighborhood, and volunteers since 1992. We will visit the restoration, the Wheeler Council Ring designed by Jens Jensen, and two bubbling springs Native Americans relied on for centuries. Meet at Arbor Dr. parking lot, off Monroe St.

  • Saturday, August 26

    Ecological Restoration Work Party
    Core Area and Curtis Prairie

    9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

    Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice. Meet at the Visitor Center. More information: 265-5214 or marian.farrior@wisc.edu.

  • Sunday, August 27

    Grasslands on the Grady Tract
    Walk

    1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

    This is a good time to see the contrast between the sandy dry West Knoll and wet-mesic Greene Prairie. Meet at Grady Tract parking lot, southeast corner of Seminole Hwy. and W. Beltline Frontage Road.

  • Sunday, August 27

    Listen to the Buzzzzz of the Prairie
    Family Nature Program

    1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

    Join us to listen to the late summer sounds of the prairie and discover birds, grasshoppers, crickets, bumblebees, and maybe even the sound of a snake slithering through the grass. Naturalist-led hike, 1:30–2:30 p.m., indoor activities, 2:30–3:30 p.m. Meet at the Visitor Center.