Events & Classes

  • CLASS

    Pruning Like a Pro: Tool Selection, Use, & Care

    Thursday, June 20 • 6 pm – 8:30 pm

    This workshop will teach you to prune like a professional, including when and how to prune both shrubs and trees. We will see demonstrations of how to prune and practice renewal pruning techniques. We will also learn the best tools for pruning and how to take care of them. Instructors: Ken Zuba
    June 20, Thursday 6:00-8:30 p.m.

    Register for this class ($17)

  • WALKS

    NightWalk: Summer Solstice.

    Friday, June 21 • 8 pm – 9:30 pm

    Enjoy sunset on the longest day of the year while the naturalist points out items of interest that may not be apparent to the casual observer.
  • VOLUNTEER WORKDAYS

    Ecological Restoration Work Party: Core Area and Curtis Prairie.

    Saturday, June 22 • 9 am – 12 pm

    Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
  • EARTH PARTNERSHIP FOR FAMILIES

    Discovering dragonflies and damselflies

    Sunday, June 23 • 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm

    June 23 Join us as we learn about the intricate lives of dragonflies and damselflies. We will learn their lifecycle, habitat preference, and foods. You will be introduced to a citizen science project about these insects and how you can become involved. Drop in activities inside the Visitors Center from 12:30-3:30, naturalist-led hike from 1:30-2:30.

  • EARTH PARTNERSHIP FOR FAMILIES

    Discovering Dragonflies and Damselflies.

    Sunday, June 23 • 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm

    Sunday Join us as we learn about the intricate lives of dragonflies and damselflies. We will learn their lifecycle, habitat preference, and foods. You will be introduced to a citizen science project about these insects and how you can become involved. Drop-in activities at the Visitor Center from 12:30-3:30 p.m., naturalist-led hike from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
  • WALKS

    Curtis Prairie.

    Sunday, June 23 • 1 pm – 2:30 pm

    With as many as 14 new species coming into bloom each week, this walk could reveal 28 new species blooming from just two weeks ago.
  • CLASS

    What’s Happening Right Now: Current Research at the Arboretum

    Thursday, June 27 • 6 pm – 8:30 pm

    This presentation will explore the current research projects at the Arboretum – from the latest uses of GIS technology for tree monitoring to saving native bumblebees. We will learn the basics of restoration ecology and what species of fauna and flora are currently being studied at the Arboretum. Instructors, Brad Herrick, Mark Wegener, Susan Carpenter

    Register for this class ($17)

  • SPECIAL EVENT

    Madison Butterfly Count.

    Sunday, June 30 • 9 am – 12 pm

    If you can identify butterflies, or just want to see and learn about butterflies, join this count/fieldtrip. Bring binoculars, if you have them. The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) requires a $3 fee per participant, collected on site. Meet at the parking lot at the southeast corner of Seminole Hwy and the Beltline frontage road.
  • WALKS

    Prairies and Savannas on the Grady Tract.

    Sunday, June 30 • 1 pm – 3 pm

    If it is a warm, sunny day, you may see many species of butterflies throughout the prairie and savannas. Meet at the parking lot at the southeast corner of Seminole Hwy and the Beltline frontage road.

  • SPECIAL EVENT

    Independence Day,

    Thursday, July 4 • 9 am – 5 pm

    Independence Day,
    Visitor Center closed.

  • VOLUNTEER WORKDAYS

    Ecological Restoration Work Party: Wingra Oak Savanna.

    Saturday, July 6 • 9 am – 12 pm

    Meet at the gravel parking lot along Arbor Drive just off Monroe Street. For more information: 265-5214
    or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
  • WALKS

    Exploring Wetlands.

    Sunday, July 7 • 1 pm – 3 pm

    See how Arboretum wetlands around Curtis Prairie have been affected by urbanization and ecological restoration and learn about the wildlife habitat they provide. Meet at the Arboretum Visitor Center.
  • VOLUNTEER WORKDAYS

    Ecological Restoration Work Party: Core Area and Curtis Prairie.

    Saturday, July 13 • 9 am – 12 pm

    Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
  • WALKS

    Prairies and Savannas on the Grady Tract.

    Sunday, July 14 • 1 pm – 3 pm

    If it is a warm, sunny day, you may see many species of butterflies throughout the prairie and savannas. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot, located at the southeast corner of the Beltline and Seminole Hwy intersection.
  • WALKS

    Family Walk: Butterflies Flutter By.

    Sunday, July 14 • 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

    This naturalist-led family walk explores the prairies and gardens looking for beautiful native butterflies.
  • GARDEN TOURS

    Native Plant Garden Tour: Native Gardens for Pollinators

    Wednesday, July 17 • 7 pm

    This tour will feature many summer-blooming species in our diverse native plant garden. We will highlight plants and gardening practices that support essential pollinators in urban/suburban landscapes.

  • CLASS

    Learning from Leopold: Putting the Land Ethic into Action

    Saturday, July 20 • 9 am – 3:30 pm

    This workshop will cover the principles and practice of the land ethic. We will watch GreenFire, a movie about Aldo Leopold’s life and impacts. Through nature observations, individual reflections, and group discussions, we will begin to discern what the land ethic means for ourselves and our communities. We will also engage in hands-on ecological restoration work at the Arboretum. Instructors: Marian Farrior, Amy Jo Dusick July 20, Saturday 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

    Register for this class ($50)

  • VOLUNTEER WORKDAYS

    Ecological Restoration Work Party: Grady Tract.

    Saturday, July 20 • 9 am – 12 pm

    Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot at the southeast corner of Seminole Hwy. and the Beltline frontage road. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
  • WALKS

    NightWalk: Midsummer Delights.

    Saturday, July 20 • 8 pm – 9:30 pm

    Enjoy an evening walk featuring midsummer flowers and night music from prairie insects. Meet at the Visitor Center.
  • WALKS

    Walk: Greene Prairie and Grady Knolls.

    Sunday, July 21 • 1 pm – 3 pm

    Prairie dock is prolific on Greene Prairie. With its bright-yellow blooms and broad, rough leaves, it dominates the vista. Looking closer brings dozens of other species into view. Meet at the Grady Tract parking lot located at the southeast corner of the Beltline and Seminole Hwy intersection.

  • CLASS

    What’s That? Monitoring Plants & Animals

    Thursday, July 25 • 6 pm – 8:30 pm

    This presentation will cover the types of monitoring that are occurring at the Arboretum, and the various citizen science monitoring programs that are available that people can get involved with (flora, fauna, and insects, as well as water quality). We hope to even do a little monitoring practice! Instructors: Brad Herrick, Marian Farrior

    Register for this class ($17)

  • VOLUNTEER WORKDAYS

    Ecological Restoration Work Party: Core Area and Curtis Prairie.

    Saturday, July 27 • 9 am – 12 pm

    Meet at the front steps of the Visitor Center. For more information: 265-5214 or mlfarrior@wisc.edu
  • WALKS

    Walk: A Prairie Birthday.

    Sunday, July 28 • 1 pm – 2:30 pm

    We will see blazing stars, prairie grasses in bloom and many species from the sunflower family giving the prairie a yellow hue.
  • GARDEN TOURS

    Native Plant Garden Tour: Native Grasses

    Wednesday, August 14 • 7 pm

    In this summer tour, we will take a closer look at color, size and features of native grasses, from tiny mustache grass to big bluestem

  • EARTH PARTNERSHIP FOR FAMILIES

    It’s a Prairie Birthday

    Sunday, August 25 • 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm

    Join us for as we celebrate the 100th birthday of John Curtis this fall. Walk through Curtis Prairie, the oldest restored prairie in the world, and learn about restoring a prairie. Come discover the names of the prairie plants and look for the many insects that live in this habitat. Drop in activities inside the Visitors Center from 12:30-3:30, naturalist-led hike from 1:30-2:30.
  • GARDEN TOURS

    Native Plant Garden Tour: Fall in the Native Plant Garden

    Saturday, September 21 • 1 pm – 3 pm

    Color, fruits, seeds, late blooming plants, late-season insects—we will find these and more in the varied native plant gardens around the Visitor Center.

  • EARTH PARTNERSHIP FOR FAMILIES

    Fungus Foray

    Sunday, September 22 • 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm

    Join us to learn about the many different kinds of fungus among us. We’ll explore their different shapes, colors and sizes as well as their lifecycles and the places they grow. Drop in activities inside the Visitors Center from 12:30-3:30, naturalist-led hike from 1:30-2:30.

  • GARDEN TOURS

    Longenecker Horticultural Gardens Tour: Featuring Fall

    Saturday, October 12 • 1 pm – 3 pm

    Don’t miss the lovely range of fall color in our woody plant collection. Leaves, fruits and form will be highlighted in this tour, led by Laura Wyatt, WDNR Urban Forestry.

  • EARTH PARTNERSHIP FOR FAMILIES

    Who’s flying away?

    Sunday, October 27 • 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm

    Birds, bats, insects, and seeds are all moving about these days looking for a place to spend the winter. Join us as we discover the secrets of these “things with wings”. Come to create maps and migration routes and hike to discover any leftover signs of their presence on the land. Drop in activities inside the Visitors Center from 12:30-3:30, naturalist-led hike from 1:30-2:30.

  • EARTH PARTNERSHIP FOR FAMILIES

    Days of Laura Ingalls Wilder

    Sunday, November 24 • 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm

    Join us as we learn about the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the days she spent living in the woods and on the prairie. Her writings are filled with early naturalist observations of the land at the time of early settlement. We’ll step back in time and be pioneers for a day. Drop in activities inside the Visitors Center from 12:30-3:30, naturalist-led hike from 1:30-2:30.