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The Pennsylvania Bee Monitoring Program at the Morris Arboretum www.morrisarboretum.org/blog/pennsylvania-bee-monitoring-program-morris-arboretum

The Pennsylvania Bee Monitoring Program at the Morris Arboretum Have you noticed a blue vane trap hanging around the Morris Arboretum? It's part of the Pennsylvania Bee Monitoring Program, which studies regional bee variance across the state. Image A pinned sunflower bee (Svastra obliqua). Credit: Ryan Drake Have you noticed a blue vane trap hanging around the Morris Arboretum? It's part of the  Pennsylvania Bee Monitoring Program , which studies regional bee variance across the state. The decline in populations worldwide has called attention to better understand the variation, distribution, and abundance of wild bee pollinators. The bee monitoring program uses three different trapping techniques in order to catch the widest variety of bee species. The blue vane trap hangs two to three feet from the ground, attracting bees with its bright blue color. Nine plastic bowls painted either white, blue, or yellow are laid on the ground in a transect, closer to the populations of ground nesting bees, which make up over 70% of Pennsylvania's bee populations. The final trapping technique is netting, where monitors use butterfly nets to catch any other unique bees they can find in the area. These techniques combined aim to allow monitors to observe the fullest range of wild bee species in an area so they can track changes in population sizes and variety in Pennsylvania. Image The blue vane trap hangs two to three feet from the ground, attracting bees with its bright blue color. Image The final trapping technique is netting, where monitors use butterfly nets to catch any other unique bees they can find in the area. Shown here is Caroline Mertz, the Hay Honey Farm Natural Areas Intern. Image Sorting and identifying collected bees. Image Pinning bees. Image Long-horned bee (Melissodes denticulatus, female). 1 / PREV NEXT Caroline Mertz Ryan Drake Blog Image September 7, …

Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs www.morrisarboretum.org/see-do/exhibitions/summer-dinos/plants-age-dinosaurs

Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs Image Image In  Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs —a new self-guided exhibition that runs from Saturday, May 25, 2024 through Monday, September 30, 2024—visitors will learn more about the plants in our collection with roots that go back to prehistoric times.  Ever wonder what you might have in common with a dinosaur?    If you answered that you both need plants to survive, you’d be right! Vegetation powered the dinosaurs that roamed the earth millions of years ago. Plants have evolved quite a bit since then, but their all-important role supporting life on earth remains the same.    Join Morris Arboretum & Gardens as we travel back to the Mesozoic era, a time 252 to 66 million years ago (MYA) that saw the dominance of reptiles and conifers, the rise of dinosaurs, and the emergence of flowering plants.    EQUIP yourself with a themed map and scavenger hunt from the Gift Shop—can you spot the dinosaurs hiding among the plants?    ADVENTURE to 10 special garden sites that uncover the wonders of prehistory.   EXPLORE our website for dino-themed events happening all year!    Exhibition Highlights When Conifers Were King The major plant in the early Mesozoic landscape, conifers (cone bearing plants like pine or spruce) dominated the landscape millions of years before flowering plants came on the scene. Palms in the Fossil Record Palm fossils date back to 145 million years ago. Some fossil beds contain palm fossils alongside baby dinosaur fossils which help scientists understand how they may have lived. The Rise of Flowers About 140 million years ago, flowering plants evolved during the last Jurassic period. They dramatically changed the Earth's landscape and became part of the HUGE boom in number and types of dinosaurs.  Poop Paleontology Fossilized dino poop (coprolites) and gut content (cololites) help tell the story of what plants dinosaurs ate and how they ate them. Ginkgo Biloba: A “Living Fossil” Ginkgo …

Archives www.morrisarboretum.org/about/archives

Archives Archives Image Welcome The Archives serves the Morris education, development, horticulture, and marketing staff, and is also open to qualified researchers by appointment. It is staffed by an archivist and a team of dedicated volunteers. Image Scope The Morris Arboretum & Gardens Archives was established in 1987 to acquire, conserve, and catalog one-of-a-kind documents, letters, maps, architectural blueprints, landscape drawings, financial ledgers, diaries, lantern slides, photos, and negatives. Historic books, newspapers, research material, reports, and artifacts are also cataloged at the Arboretum. Additionally, from 1932 to present, the Archives houses records of the Morris Advisory Board, faculty and staff, grant and project reports, blueprints, landscape drawings, slides and photographs. Image Online Collections Our online collections include documents from different eras of the Morris, historic photos, lantern slides, objects, blueprints, and text. New images are added regularly. Historic Photos Private Estate 1887-1932 University Era 1933-1974 Public Garden - After 1974 Maps Arboretum Voices Finding Aids Visiting the Archives Hours are by appointment. To arrange a visit, please contact us . Additional Information for Researchers or History Buffs The Morris Arboretum Bulletin , published monthly from 1935 to the 1970s, is available online at Biodiversity Heritage Library. Learn more . The Morris Family of Philadelphia, Descendants of Anthony Morris, by Robert C. Moon, MD, Five volumes, 1898.  Learn more . Finding aids for several Morris collections are online at Philadelphia Area Archives, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries. Suggested keyword searches are “Morris Arboretum,” “Morris Family Papers,” “Thompson Family Papers.” Learn more . The John and Lydia Morris Travel Albums 1881-1906 are at the Hagley Library and Archives.  Learn more . The William Henry Russell collection of Morris family papers, including papers from the first …

Events

Metal sheep sculpture on a green lawn surrounded by magnolia trees in bloom with pink flowers.

Natural Cycles, Family Rituals

Saturday, March 29 •
10 am
Morris Arboretum & Gardens
Registration is required.
Register Today
Saturday, March 22 • 10 am – 12 pm
with Jude Thachet, School Outreach Coordinator, Morris Arboretum & Gardens
Members: $25 • Non-members: $30

Many of us want to build strong bonds and create lasting memories in our families, but how? Looking to the natural world can help us create small rituals that connect to something larger and foster a sense of belonging. Program leader Jude Thachet, for example, travels with her family to Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge every Black Friday to see the snow geese in migration. It is less commercial than the mall and is an expression of what her family values: fun, the outdoors, being together.  

For this workshop, we’ll use the spring equinox to explore how we might create family traditions that remind us of our connection to nature and our intentions for each other. We don’t all have to take an annual road trip to the middle of Delaware, but we can all think about our family’s values and how we want to express them!

Jude, from Morris’s Education Department, will lead participants through a fun and joyful process of identifying what’s important in your family, connecting those values to nature, and developing simple but intentional ways to enact and embody them. After some guided and playful exploration and discussion, the group will engage in an activity planting a living basket that can be used as a focal point for your family’s celebrations. It will grow and change with the seasons and reflect your unique family identity. This program is for adults only.

Check out the Spring 2025 Course Catalog for more courses →

Events

A yellow butterfly on top of blue flowers.

Gardening for Native Wildlife

Wednesday, June 18 •
6 pm
Registration is required
Register Today
Wednesday, June 18 • 6 – 7:30 pm  
Mitch Roberge, Horticulturist & Artist
Members: $30 • Non-members: $35

Learn how to create a welcoming environment for native wildlife in your garden in this informational seminar. Participants will learn what plants attract different species, and how to cultivate shelter and nesting sites for all walks of the animal kingdom. From birds and butterflies to snakes and toads—we will discuss them all! You will leave feeling empowered to transform your garden into a sanctuary for native wildlife, enhancing biodiversity and contributing to environmental conservation in your community. Whether you have a small urban garden or a larger rural property, this class will provide you with the tools to create a beautiful space that nurtures both plants and animals. Registration is required.

Events

A Yellow and black butterfly perched on a small sunflower.

Native Plants & Pollinators Tour at The Discovery Center

Saturday, June 21 •
10 AM
The Discover Center
Registration is required
Register Today
Saturday, June 1 • 10 am – 12 pm  
Damien Ruffner, Program Manager for Urban Conservation, Audubon Pennsylvania  
Members: $30 • Non-members: $35

Join Audubon Mid-Atlantic at the Discovery Center for a native plant tour. We will be guided through the property to see the native plants, smell the native flowers, and look for our native pollinators that call the Discovery Center home. This tour will also look into future plans of site care at the Discovery Center and look at invasive species of plants they are trying to eradicate. The tour will take us on a 1.5 mile walk around the reservoir—wear good walking shoes! Registration is required.

What's in Bloom: April www.morrisarboretum.org/whats-bloom-april

What's in Bloom: April What's in Bloom: April Image April at the Morris Image Virginia bluebell Mertensia virginica Widener Woods These charming native wildflowers are a welcome sign of spring in the garden. Flower buds emerge a bright pink color and turn blue as they bloom, adding brightness to shady areas of the garden. Image Yoshino cherry Prunus x yedoensis Cherry Allée Following some of the early-blooming cherry varieties are the white flowers of Yoshino cherries, marking the peak of cherry blossom season here. These trees are a cross between Prunus speciosa , Oshima cherry, and Prunus pendula f. ascendens , weeping cherry. Learn More Image eastern redbud Cercis canadensis Log Cabin Clusters of pink flower buds cover leafless twigs and branches on this native tree. Redbud flowers are characteristic of the pea family, Fabaceae, with three upturned petals called the wings and banner and a lower cup-like petal known as the keel. In addition to the pink-flowering straight species, there are also several white-flowering varieties, such as Cercis canadensis var. alba and Cercis canadensis ‘Royal White’, on display in the garden. Image Piedmont azalea Rhododendron canescens Native Azalea Collection, across Key Fountain The showy pink flowers of this native shrub display long stamens and emit a strong, pleasant fragrance that wafts through the garden. In their native range of the southeastern United States, Piedmont azaleas can be found in acidic soils and bogs. Image Vilmorin dovetree Davidia involucrata var. vilmoriana   Mercury Loggia Dovetrees get their common name from the white, dangling bracts that resemble doves perched in the canopy. Image white enkianthus Enkianthus perulatus Pennock Garden Clusters of small bell-shaped flowers cover these large shrubs in the spring. Plants in the genus Enkianthus are in the Heath family, Ericaceae, which also includes Rhododendron and Pieris . Image flowering dogwood Cornus florida Seven Arches These popular native trees …

What's in Bloom: March www.morrisarboretum.org/whats-bloom-march

What's in Bloom: March What's in Bloom: March Image March at the Morris Image star magnolia Magnolia stellata Magnolia Slope Star magnolias are aptly named for their many-petaled, star-like flowers that open in early spring. While the straight species has white flowers, there are also pink-blooming cultivars such as M. stellata ‘Rubra’ (red star magnolia) planted on the Magnolia Slope. Image Okame flowering cherry Prunus ‘Okame’ Seven Arches This cultivar is one of the earliest blooming cherry trees we have in our collection, displaying bright pink flowers before leaves emerge. Their five-petaled flowers are characteristic of the rose family, Rosaceae. Learn More Image spike winterhazel Corylopsis spicata Witchhazel Collection Drooping yellow flowers with red anthers hang from the branches of these large shrubs, emitting a pleasant fragrance in the garden. This type of flower arrangement is called a spike because the individual flowers do not have pedicels and are attached directly to the main flowering stalk. Image katsura-tree Cercidiphyllum japonicum Azalea Meadow This champion tree stands out year-round with its sprawling form, heart-shaped leaves, textured bark, and fragrant fall foliage. In early spring, this tree produces inconspicuous red flowers along its branches. Image yulan magnolia Magnolia denudata Azalea Meadow Native to China, yulan magnolia has been in cultivation since the 7th century AD. Large-petaled, cream-colored flowers bloom on leafless branches, marking the transition into spring. Image bodnant viburnum Viburnum x bodnantense Widener Visitor Center A cross between Viburnum farreri and Viburnum grandiflorum , these large shrubs open up densely-clustered pink and white flowers that add fragrance and color to the early spring garden. Cherry Tree Map See the cherry blossoms this season! Cherry blossoms bloom in phases from late March through mid April. Use our Cherry Tree Map to find our whole collection and their bloom times. See Map See what …