by Chris Earley

They are back! Can you identify these Arboretum creatures after their long absence? The answers are at the bottom of the newsletter.

by Justine Richardson

Last weekend my family treated me to a long Mother’s Day walk through The Arboretum.



This beautiful budding tree is an Aesculus (Buckeyes and Horsechestnuts), found just off the Colonel John McCrae Trail and the Dwarf Conifer Collection.

It’s most likely a Ruby-Red Horsechestnut (Aesculus x carnea), but when it blooms a few weeks from now, we’ll know for sure. If the flowers are white, it’s mostly likely a Common Horsechestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum). (Thanks to Sean Fox, Curator of Horticulture for the identification from my photo!)

I am grateful that The Arboretum has been able to keep our grounds open for walk through access throughout the COVID-19 shutdowns. While buildings were shut (and parking lots closed by the City of Guelph), the University recognizes the importance of our natural areas for health and well-being.

Our horticulture staff are able to continue essential work caring for living collections, with limited hours on-site and physical distancing safety measures in place. All other Arboretum staff are working remotely, except for walks on the grounds or short trips to access items. Our educators are busy online, so check out our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for sightings, what’s blooming, Wednesday walks and more!

We are disappointed, as are the many families who had to postpone or cancel weddings or memorials at The Arboretum. While we don’t know when large gatherings will be allowed again, we are working with partners on alternative ways to hold long-standing events, such as our Plant Sale and the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest ceremony. And we will be ready to welcome events as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Our fundraising priorities for the short term are finishing the last stretch of boardwalk in Wild Goose Woods and shoring up our student internship programs, which provide vital training for the next generation. Please consider the Arboretum in your giving priorities this spring.

Thank you for your engagement and support of The Arboretum!

Justine

Late Arboretum Horticulturist, Henry Kock, fashions Honey-locust sideburns like
only he could in this circa 1992 shot.

The Arboretum grounds are bursting alive with the arrival of Spring and in anticipation of warmer weather. Our social media account are full of posts about The Arboretum, what you can see on the grounds as well as other information like Technology Tuesdays, "how to" sketch nature tutorials and other nature-related educational topics. Some examples of these posts are below. You can click on the post to go to the actual Instagram post to read the full description. To read all of our posts follow us on one or all of our accounts. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Flickr. Search for us at uogarboretum.

Our Naturalist Interns, Jenny and Kitty still do our Wednesday Walks so you can enjoy and learn at The Arboretum. These walks however are virtual walks that are posted each Wednesday. We hope you have the time to follow along with them as they talk about a new and exciting topic each week. The walks from the last few weeks can be viewed by clicking on the following links:

A Walk Through Victoria Woods (April 15, 2020): https://youtu.be/kduA0-Qtj5M
Helping Hands at the Arboretum (April 22, 2020): https://youtu.be/ZBzbSTMa1-4
A Sample of Seeds (April 29, 2020): https://youtu.be/Q8oUgDj1uUk
Spring Wildflowers (May 6, 2020): https://youtu.be/967fAPYKqQ4
All About Nests (May 13, 2020): https://youtu.be/FOyto6OSM9c

We have an amazing group of volunteers here at The Arboretum. Given the current situation these volunteers aren't active at The Arboretum. We miss them and are looking forward to seeing them when we are able to have them return. We are working to stay connected with these volunteers and in doing so have had a couple meetings with them over Zoom. It is a great feeling to see them even it is virtually.

We created a survey to get some feedback from our incredibly important group of volunteers. A series within the questions involved asking the about some of their favourite nature topics. We thought we would share the information we gathered about their favourite trees as well as their favourite nature books.

If you are looking for some reading material during this time, then here are some favourites from our volunteers:
• Sightlines by Kathleen Jamie
• Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
• Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy
• Growing Trees from Seed by Henry Kock
• Backyard Birding by Randi Minetor
• Nature Hot Spots in Ontario by Chris Earley
• The Living Garden (author not listed)
• Bird guides
• Wildflower Books

Here is graphic of what their favourite tree or shrub at The Arboretum is:

We are currently watching the situation closely to make some decisions about how, when and what workshops we can offer in the near future.

This morning (May 15) we offered our first ever free Virtual "Ask the Nat." Event with Arboretum Naturalist, Chris Earley. We hope to offer more of these events in the upcoming weeks. Please watch our website for further information on both our free virtual events such as the "Ask the Nat." as well as our workshops. https://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/educationandevents/workshops

Back to Quiz

Your donation can be directed to The Arboretum online through the secure University of Guelph donation page: https://secure3.convio.net/uofg/site/Donation2?df_id=3321&mfc_pref=T&3321.donation=form1&single_designee=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:

Jayne Whitfield
Gift Planning Manager
at (519) 824-4120 ext. 56196 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask]