by Chris Earley

We have seen all of these birds eating our serviceberry fruit near The Arboretum Centre. Can you identify them? If you would like to share with your friends, family or colleagues a printable version is available by clicking here. The answers are at the bottom of the newsletter.

by Ric Jordan

Many of you know that the University of Guelph celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014 but did you know the beginnings were in 1874 with the creation of the Ontario School of Agriculture on property provided by the Government of Ontario. In 1880 the name was changed to the Ontario Agricultural College and in 1888 an affiliation was created with the University of Toronto. In 1903 MacDonald College joined OAC while in 1922 the Ontario Veterinary College (1862) was moved from Toronto to Guelph and these are commonly referred to as the founding colleges when in 1964 The University of Guelph was incorporated and became a degree granting institution of its own.

Around 1905-6 Edmund Zavitz became a forestry lecturer in OAC after graduating from the University of Michigan with the degree of Master of Science in Forestry in 1905. He then became the provincial forester in 1912. An old photograph shows Zavitz and other individuals planting white pines at the corner of College Ave and Victoria Rd in what we believe to be the first pine plantation in Ontario. These plantings are the first documented tree plantings in what we now call The Arboretum. I mention these trees here mainly to show that while our woodlots have never been clear cut we have planted trees on site that are over a century old.

As time went on faculty felt the need for a dedicated site for a tree garden (arboretum) for teaching purposes and in 1939 Professor Leslie Hancock proposed a small site be developed near Watson Hall on the north side of College Ave. Plans were drawn up and presented to G.I. Christie, President of OAC. If any action was taken on Professor Hancock’s proposal we are not certain. In 1956 Dr. R.J. ‘Doc’ Hilton made a proposal to J.D. MacLachlan, then President of OAC, for the establishment of an arboretum. Once again the proposal languished on shelves until the time was right.

As plans became apparent the 3 colleges would be granted full University status in the coming years Dr. Hilton put forth a revised plan to OAC Dean N.R. Richards. The reception was warmer this time and Dean Richards commissioned the formation of an Arboretum study committee with representatives from the Horticulture, Landscape Architecture and Botany departments as well as College Administration. This committee took their final report to the Board of Governors in November 1966 and received an approval in principle for establishing an arboretum as a living laboratory. Two years later an Academic Brief outlining the role of the arboretum in research and teaching was accepted by Senate. The present site was selected because of its: proximity to campus, diversity of site conditions and the existing natural forest communities. Guelph also represented different climate zones than were found at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton and the Dominion Arboretum in Ottawa. This would allow comparison research to be done at the three sites.

Doc Hilton set up an office in a converted chicken coop on the Harrison Farm, north of College Ave. in April of 1970 and began planning for 1971. Funds from the Alma Mater Fund provided start-up money for a small nursery with a shadehouse and coldframes. According to record books plants representing 35 species were set out in this first nursery block. Final approval of the 1970 Master Plan was given in November 1970 by the Board of Governors to set aside 331 acres of farm land, old growth and second growth forests for this living laboratory. Apart from expanding the nursery 1971 saw plantings in the Maple Collection and the inititial development of the Black Locust (Robinia) collection with a large number of specimens being provided by Professor G. Townsend of the Apiculture Department.

In 1972 the original Harrison Farm barn on College Ave. was taken down and the footprint developed into the Arboretum Service Centre with staff moving out of the temporary chicken coop offices to a site with modern facilities (flush toilets were greatly appreciated). Once staff were moved into their new facilities a propagation facility was built with funds donated by Paul Fisher OAC’11. Over 700 species and cultivars were planted in the Fagaceae (Beech & Oak), Salicaceae (Poplar & Willow) and original Betulaceae (Birch) Collections. Many of the Willow plantings were as a result of the OAC Alumni sponsored Green Thumb Day. Green Thumb Days were an annual event coinciding with Alumni Weekend for a number of years.

Excitement began to build in the summer of 1973 as construction began for the OAC Centennial Arboretum Centre which was officially opened in May of 1974. This facility was designed by the firm of Raymond Moriyama and is an adaptation of the Brutalist architecture which was favoured as the main campus expanded drastically in the 1960s. With the Arboretum Centre most of the exterior concrete was built into the existing drumlin with exposed walls being glass floor to ceiling in most cases. It is an interesting building however alterations are next to impossible without spoiling the design and flow of the building. Planting began around the building and many of those original 1974 trees remain today as the senior members of what we call the centre forest.

With the opening of the Arb Centre and 4 years of planting on the grounds The Arb was finally beginning to feel like an arboretum. The 1970 Master Plan had set an ambitious timeline in development and many of the priorities were changed to take advantage of opportunities as they came along however now that much of the infrastructure was in place the staff could concentrate on the plant collections which I’ll talk about next month.

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Zavitz Pine Planting, 1907, corner of College and Victoria

Maple Collection Planting, 1971, with Harrison House and Barn in background


Arb Centre, 1974, front entrance Reflecting Pond

Arb Centre, 1974, view of Sun Room

Dr. Hilton and Bill Coates with Arboretum model December 1970
photo from University of Guelph News Bulliten

Join Alexandra, our Summer Interpretive Naturalist, for Wednesday Night Walks at The Arboretum June through August. The cost is only $2 with children under 5 FREE! Walks take place every Wednesday evening from 7 - 8:30 p.m., beginning at the J.C. Taylor Nature Centre.

For more information please contact The Arboretum at 519-824-4120 ext. 52363 or go to our website.

July 22nd - Weather or not to go for a walk
Different cultures have rhymes, riddles, and sayings to help us keep track of the weather and these have been passed down for generations. Learn which of these fun sayings are true and hear the actual science behind it! “Red sky at night, sailors delight”? Come find out!

July 29th - Nature Photography: Compose Yourself!
You are choosing between two photos and you can tell one is better than the other, but don’t know why. That’s because your eye is naturally picking up what composition looks best! Learn what makes good composition in photography and turn your photography passion into an artistic discovery.

August 5th - A Game of Animal Clue
Whether it is sounds, prints, nests, or scat, you can always tell when an animal has been around. Learn the signs to look for and how to decipher who did it! Was it the chickadee with the candle stick in the dining room?

August 12th - Bees: The True Providers
Bees are such tiny creatures, but they have a huge impact on the planet and our lives! Bees provide a lot of the food you eat and without them we wouldn’t have much. Come learn about why bees are so important and why they are in danger.

August 19th - Cool Evolution: Partners, Dinos, and Awesomeness
Evolution isn’t so difficult to understand when you explore the right examples. And the best examples are the cool ones! Come learn how dinosaurs gave us the plants we have today, how things can evolve in pairs, and how humans have influenced the direction of evolution in some species!

August 26th - Fields of Gold: A Biodiversity Jackpot
Goldenrod provides food and shelter for many invertebrates so you don’t have to go very far to find a posse of cool critters. Let’s go digging for gold in a goldenrod field and see all the neat creatures we can catch.


Wednesday Night Walk
photo by Bruce MacNeil

Mark your calendar … The Arboretum Auxiliary Plant Sale is on Saturday, September 12, 2015 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Although it definitely doesn't look or feel like Christmas outside, it is time to think about booking your company's Christmas Party. The Arboretum is a perfect location for your Christmas party. We can accommodate up to 150 people for lunches or dinners with a picturesque view of The Arboretum grounds. We still have some good dates available … book soon before they are gone. For further information please contact Barb Watson – Ash, Marketing and Bookings Co-ordinator at extension 54110, [log in to unmask] or check out our website. All catering is provided by Hospitality Services, University of Guelph. For further information on the catering please call extension 53350 or e-mail [log in to unmask].

Christmas Party in Auditorium

Here are some more phrases that people sent in a couple months ago.

Hawk, Growing Native Plants from Seed, Tree Identification and Mushroom workshops are approaching. The dates and registration deadlines can be found in our Coming Events Listing in the column on the left side of this newsletter. A detailed description of each course is available on our website. Help us promote our programs … please forward this e-mail on to your friends and colleagues who may be interested. The more participants we have, the more programs we can offer.

Registering early is important for us because we need lead time to decide if we are running the workshop or not. To encourage registering before the deadline, we now have an Early Bird Fee. You can still register after the deadline, but it will cost an extra $10, so why not register early?

Registration is available on-line which allows you to register for our programs at anytime, not just during our regular business hours. A secure link is provided on our website for this easy registration process.

If you do not have internet access registration can still be made by phone or in person at 519-824-4120 ext. 52358 as in the past. Please remember that a decision is made on the registration deadline as to whether the workshop will run or not, based on the minimum number of required registrants. You may still register after the deadline as long as the workshop is running and there is space.

We still have quite a few animal babies around. Miniscule toads are everywhere and our Arboretum Centre reflecting pool is producing a fine crop of little Gray Tree Frogs again this year. They do have a bit of trouble getting out of the pond, though, so our summer naturalist, Alexandra, has been rescuing them and putting them in the forest. A couple of days ago, as she was releasing 17 of these babies, she heard a sound from behind here and turned around to see a mother raccoon being followed by a line of five of her own young! This family ended up climbing the tree into last year's Cooper's Hawk nest where they all piled together for a nap. We think the raccoons were attracted to the serviceberry fruits that are dripping from the trees near The Arboretum Centre. These berries are also attracting families of Cedar Waxwings, Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, American Robins, Gray Catbirds, Eastern Chipmunks and Gray Squirrels. It's a busy spot!

 
baby Tree Frog                                 young Baltimore Oriole

                         
                          a family of raccoons
                                                             

Be a part of the BetterPlanet Project by donating on-line:

Your donation can be directed to The Arboretum online through the secure University of Guelph donation page: http://uofg.convio.net/arboretum

If you prefer not to make an online donation, there are several other ways to provide your financial support. You can choose to donate by telephone, mail, fax, or in person:

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH Attention Alumni Affairs 50 Stone Road East Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: 1-888-266-3108 ext. 56934 Tel: 519-824-4120 ext. 56934 Fax: 519-822-2670 Email: [log in to unmask]

If you would like information on bequests and planned giving to The Arboretum please contact:

Ross Butler
Director, Gift Planning
at (519) 824-4120 ext. 56196 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask]