Events & Classes
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VOLUNTEER WORKDAY (WINGRA SAVANNA)
Arboretum Ecological Restoration Work Party
Saturday, February 4 • 9 am – 12 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training are provided, and groups are welcome with advance notice. Meet at the gravel parking lot along Arbor Drive just off Monroe Street.
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WALK (NIGHT)
Night Walk: “The Snow Moon.”
Saturday, February 4 • 6:30 pm – 8 pm
Though the great horned owls are quiet on their nests in February, barred owls may be calling. If the owls are silent, we can stargaze and listen for other creatures out and about on a late winter night.
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WALK (VISITOR CENTER)
Arboretum Walk: “Halfway to Spring.”
Sunday, February 5 • 1 pm – 2:30 pm
It may not seem much like spring even with the increasing light. We will visit the prairies, woodlands or marshland boardwalks near the Visitor Center to look for natural activity.
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WINTER ENRICHMENT LECTURE
Winter Enrichment – Science Day
Thursday, February 9 • 9 am – 11:30 am
Winter Enrichment Sessions can be purchased individually or as an entire series for a discounted rate.
Science Day- Arboretum Research (Free)Click Here to download a paper flyer if you would prefer to submit by mail
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VOLUNTEER WORKDAY (CORE AREA)
Arboretum Ecological Restoration Work Party
Saturday, February 11 • 9 am – 12 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice. Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center.
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WALK (VISITOR CENTER)
Arboretum Walk: “What’s Happening?”
Sunday, February 12 • 1 pm – 2:30 pm
Aldo Leopold and his graduate students kept journals recording the timing of natural events (phenology). This practice is a good way to increase observational skills and learn about nature. Look for current natural events and discover what we have learned from records kept here since Leopold’s time.
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WALK (VISITOR CENTER)
Arboretum Family Walk: “Animal Tracks.”
Sunday, February 12 • 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Animal tracks are easy to spot in the snow and mud. If neither are present, look for trails animals make through the vegetation.
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WINTER ENRICHMENT LECTURE
Winter Enrichment – Genetics of Pollination, Ticks, Lyme Disease and other Pathogens
Thursday, February 16 • 9 am – 11:30 am
Winter Enrichment Sessions can be purchased individually or as an entire series for a discounted rate.
Johanne Brunet, Associate Professor, UW-Madison Dept. of Entomology
Susan Paskewitz, Professor, UW-Madison Medical Entomology LaboratoryProfessor Paskewitz will discuss the current status of Lyme Disease and other tick-borne pathogens in Wisconsin. She will also share recent findings related to the discovery of deer ticks in the Arboretum.
Click Here to download a paper flyer if you would prefer to submit by mail
Register for this class ($13.50)
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VOLUNTEER WORKDAY (GRADY TRACT)
Arboretum Ecological Restoration Work Party
Saturday, February 18 • 9 am – 12 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot.
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WALK (VISITOR CENTER)
Arboretum Walk: “About Mammals.”
Sunday, February 19 • 1 pm – 2:30 pm
Without coats, boots, hats and gloves to keep them warm, how do Wisconsin mammals get through winter? Our naturalist has some answers and will point out other discoveries on this walk.
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WINTER ENRICHMENT LECTURE
Winter Enrichment – Bumble Bee Ecology and Conservation
Thursday, February 23 • 9 am – 11:30 am
Winter Enrichment Sessions can be purchased individually or as an entire series for a discounted rate.
Jennifer Hopwood, Midwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Xerces Society for Invertebrate ConservationBumble bees are generally the first pollinators out in the morning and the last to leave a field in the evening. Their diligent work is important for many agricultural crops and is essential for certain crops such as cranberries and blueberries. Bumble bees also play an extremely valuable role in wildflower pollination. Unfortunately, factors such as habitat loss and introduced pathogens threaten bumble bees and the services they provide. In recent years, several species in Wisconsin have undergone severe declines. Losses of bumble bees can have far ranging economic and ecological impacts. Whether you are a land manager, an urban gardener, a suburban park manager, a working farmer, or a teacher, there are steps we can all take to help conserve these charismatic and important animals.
Click Here to download a paper flyer if you would prefer to submit by mail
Register for this class ($13.50)
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VOLUNTEER WORKDAY (CORE AREA)
Arboretum Ecological Restoration Work Party
Saturday, February 25 • 9 am – 12 pm
Volunteer for restoration activities and learn about prairies and savannas. Tools and training provided. Groups welcome with advance notice. Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center.
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WALK (VISITOR CENTER)
Arboretum Walk: “Winter Birds.”
Sunday, February 26 • 1 pm – 2:30 pm
The first returning birds often migrate into the area during February. We will look for red-winged blackbirds, bluebirds, robins and others.
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EARTH PARTNERSHIP FOR FAMILIES
Earth Partnership for Families: “Does a Groundhog Really Hibernate?”
Sunday, February 26 • 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
During this program, we will explore the concept of hibernation and identify the animals that enter full hibernation and those that enter partial hibernation. Our 1:30 hike will be observing what’s happening outside at this time of year and we will have indoor animal activities.
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WINTER ENRICHMENT LECTURE
Winter Enrichment – Forty Two Years Of Curating the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens
Thursday, March 1 •
Winter Enrichment Sessions can be purchased individually or as an entire series for a discounted rate.
Edward R. Hasselkus, Professor Emeritus – Horticulture Dept., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Curator, Longenecker Horticultural Gardens
Established in 1935, the 35 acre Longenecker Horticultural Gardens is the premier collection of woody plants in Wisconsin with over 2,500 taxa of trees, shrubs & vines. Some history will be combined with the stories behind a number of tree and shrub cultivars of Wisconsin origin.Click Here to download a paper flyer if you would prefer to submit by mail
Register for this class ($13.50)
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WINTER ENRICHMENT LECTURE
Winter Enrichment – UW Arboretum
Thursday, March 8 •
Winter Enrichment Sessions can be purchased individually or as an entire series for a discounted rate.
Kevin McSweeney, Director – UW ArboretumClick Here to download a paper flyer if you would prefer to submit by mail
Register for this class ($13.50)
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WINTER ENRICHMENT LECTURE
Winter Enrichment – Leopold’s Land Ethic
Thursday, March 15 •
Winter Enrichment Sessions can be purchased individually or as an entire series for a discounted rate.
Marian Farrior, Earth Partnership Field Manager, UW-Arboretum
Molly Fifield Murray, Outreach Programs Manager, UW-ArboretumDrawing from the Leopold Foundation’s Land Ethic Leaders training, we
will will explore Leopold’s Land Ethic and its implications in addressing today’s environmental issues. Through reflective discussions and a variety of readings, we will examine, question, and reaffirm our beliefs and values in order to deepen our commitment to the environment and environmental education.Click Here to download a paper flyer if you would prefer to submit by mail
Register for this class ($13.50)
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WINTER ENRICHMENT LECTURE
Winter Enrichment – Planting the Seeds of Curiosity
Thursday, March 22 •
Winter Enrichment Sessions can be purchased individually or as an entire series for a discounted rate.
Susan Fowler, storyteller, artist, and scientist – Harmony by HandClick Here to download a paper flyer if you would prefer to submit by mail
Register for this class ($13.50)