Volunteer Spotlight: A Miller's Tale Springfield Mills volunteer tells of lessons learned as the grandson and son of millers. Gino Caporizzo’s large, tanned hand pats a wood beam inside the historic Springfield Mills at Bloomfield Farm. The tour group he’s leading learns very quickly why he touches it so lovingly. “My father and grandfather were millers,” he says proudly, his accent hinting at his heritage in southern Italy. Caporizzo has been a volunteer guide and maintenance worker at Springfield Mills at Morris Arboretum & Gardens for about five years. But his kinship with mills goes back to before World War I with his grandfather, Luigi Caporizzo, who in his mid-20s became an apprentice at one of two grist mills in his hometown of Paternopoli in the province of Avellino, Campania. Image Gino Caporizzo leads a tour inside Springfield Mills. “When the war broke out, he went into the service, and when he came back he became a partner in the grist mill,” said Caporizzo. Powered by water from the nearby river, the mill ground wheat and corn for local residents. Once electricity became available, the mill was moved close to the center of town, but the millstone technology was still used to grind grains and corn as well as acorns for animal feed. Luigi Caporizzo’s typical workday started early in the morning. He labored at the mill until midday, then worked alongside his family on one of two farms they owned. As Gino Caporizzo takes visitors through the 1761 mill situated along the Wissahickon Creek, his thoughts aren’t far from his father and grandfather and their vocation that taught him so much. NEXT GENERATION “My dad, Mario, became an apprentice and a helper for his dad,” said Gino. “As a teenager, he would help his dad at the mill after school.” Caporizzo remembers both men as being close to 6 feet tall and able to lift burlap sacks of grains weighing more than 100 pounds with ease. During World War II, Mario Caporizzo fulfilled his military duties by working as …

Earth Month at the Morris Earth Month at the Morris Image Morris Arboretum & Gardens has nature-focused tours, talks, and events all April long! Family Activities Image Solar Eclipse Watch Party  Monday, April 8 • 2 pm Enjoy the gardens while experiencing the 2024 Solar Eclipse! We’ll make cereal box viewer for the kids, and other visitors will receive solar eclipse glasses.  Free with general admission .  Learn More Image Raptor Jawns: A Birds of Prey Close Encounter Wednesday, April 10 • 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Join us for this rich educational experience—an incredible encounter with live birds of prey! Members: $35 • Non-members: $40 Learn More Image Storytime Wednesday, April 17 • 10:30 am This month we’re reading  Oddbird  by Derk Desierto, a story about a bird who learns to celebrate themselves.  Free with general admission .  Learn More Image People, Plants & Penn Discussion Series Fostering Resiliency: Helping our Forests and Wildlife Respond to a Rapidly Changing Climate Thursday, April 18 • 12 – 1:30 PM Virtual. Advance registration required. Join Penn Alumni and the Morris Arboretum & Gardens for a free moderated panel about how a warming climate could determine the fate of our ecosystem and its millions of interconnected species. Moderated by Executive Director Bill Cullina, this panel discussion brings together forward-thinking experts from the University of Pennsylvania and beyond to shed light on strategies to foster resiliency among our native trees, birds, and mammals. Learn More & Register Image Private Gardens of Philadelphia Virtual Book Talk Thursday, April 25 • 7 pm Members: $30 • Non-members: $35 Author Nicole Juday will give us a look inside her gorgeous new book, Private Gardens of Philadelphia , highlighting 21 of our area’s rarely seen private gardens. In-Person Book Purchase & Signing Saturday, April 27 • 10 am Fee: $60 (includes a signed copy of the publication and Morris admission) Join us in person for a celebratory launch of the …

Production Arborist of the Year Congratulations to our Chief Arborist Peter Fixler, was awarded Production Arborist of the Year by the Penn-Del Chapter of the ISA at their annual symposium! Image Peter Fixler, Chief Arborist at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens, holding his 2023 Production Arborist of the Year award. Chief Arborist Peter Fixler was awarded Production Arborist of the Year by the  Penn-Del Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture! Peter was awarded at Penn-Del ISA's 59 th  Annual Shade Tree Symposium in honor of the his contribution to advancing quality arboriculture through innovation, selflessness, and the promotion of safe work practices. Each year, Peter teaches the Morris's arboriculture   interns how to safely climb trees and trains them in current arboricultural practices—his work comprehensively reduces tree-related risk at the Morris Arboretum and Gardens and beyond. See Peter at work! Check out these videos and photos of Peter high up in the trees at the Morris: White Pine Removal → Northern Red Oak Removal → Image Penn-Del ISA 2023 Award Winners (L to R): Tom Bechtel of Heritage Lawn & Landscape Care - Arbor Day of Service Award; Sandy Feather of Penn State Extension Green Industry Team - John B. Ward Outstanding Person in Arboriculture; Aaron Greenberg of Laurel Hill Cemetery - Penn-Del ISA Award of Merit; Peter Fixler of Morris Arboretum & Gardens - Production Arborist of the Year.   Image Peter Fixler teaching a 2023 Morris intern how to safely climb trees.  Cynthia Schemmer, Digital Marketing Coordinator Courtesy of Penn-Del ISA Blog Image April 5, …

The Measured Magic of Molly the Witch The flowering of this peony is one of those sparkling moments in the garden that we look forward to each April. Image As horticulturists, some would say we speak in a foreign tongue…botanical Latin. Sometimes the botanical names are fun to say, as in the case of the dawn-redwood,  Metasequoia glyptostroboides . Once you learn how to pronounce this mouthful of letters, it just sort of rolls off the tongue rather liltingly—meh-tuh-suh-koy-uh glip-toe-stro-boy-deez. Then there are the plants with stupefyingly difficult names to pronounce, like Paeonia mlokosewitschii . Unless you are a native Polish speaker, it is difficult to enunciate the botanical name of the Caucasian peony. Most of us simply refer to this plant as Molly the Witch. As the common name suggests, this peony is native to the Caucasus regions. In her native range, Molly the Witch grows in open woodland meadows and at higher elevations. She is often found on rocky ground fighting it out with grasses, dog roses, and scrubby oaks. Despite the trying conditions in the wild, this plant is right at home in our Philadelphia garden. Here at the Morris we grow this plant in the Rose Garden in full sun, but it can also take part shade.  This peony is slow to grow, and it takes patience and persistence to really appreciate this plant. This beauty grows with methodical, measured persistence. The older the plant gets, the more flowers it produces. Over time the plant will form a large, mounded clump up to two feet tall and equally as wide. The patient gardener will be rewarded, as there is no better yellow-flowered peony than Molly the Witch. In early April this peony awakens and pushes its glaucous grey-green leaves into the sunlight. The sturdy, coarsely pinnate leaves stand at attention all by themselves without the need for the caging required of other herbaceous peonies. By late April, fat buds begin to appear atop the fully expanded leaves and open to reveal exquisite …

What's in Bloom: May What's in Bloom: May Image May at the Morris Image common sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus Widener Woods; Pennock Garden Striking burgundy flowers adorn these large shrubs. Native to the southeastern United States, Calycanthus floridus gets its common name from its flowers’ sweet, fruity fragrance. Image white fringetree Chionanthus virginicus Parking Lot Native to central and eastern United States, these medium-sized trees display showy, fragrant flowers with long, white, ribbon-like petals. In full bloom, the flowers give this tree a fluffy, cloud-like appearance. Image common pawpaw Asimina triloba Sculpture Garden Before producing leaves, this tree blooms with deep maroon flowers that attract its primary pollinators, flies and beetles. Native to the eastern United States, pawpaws are members of the custard-apple family, Annonaceae, which comprises of mostly tropical genera and species. Image American yellow-wood Cladrastis kentukea Log Cabin Long, wisteria-like flower clusters hang delicately off wide-spreading branches. A member of the pea family, Fabaceae, the individual flowers share similarities with those of eastern redbud ( Cercis canadensis ) and honeylocust ( Gleditsia tricanthos ). Image American columbine Aquilegia canadensis Native Azalea Collection; Key Fountain This charismatic native wildflower with its bright red and yellow flowers is a colorful addition to the garden. The long, tubular spurs at the end of each flower hold sweet nectar, attracting hummingbirds, their primary pollinator. Image Florida azalea Rhododendron austrinum Native Azalea Collection Native to the southeastern United States, these shrubs produce clusters of tubular, fragrant orange flowers prior to leafing out in late spring Image Peggy Martin rose Rosa ‘Peggy Martin’ Rose Garden This climbing rose is named after Peggy Martin, a prolific Louisiana gardener, and survived two weeks under 20 feet of saltwater after Hurricane Katrina. In full bloom, Peggy …

Satellite Technology Will Make Identifying Plants Easier A Global Navigation Satellite System receiver/antenna geolocates all of the Morris's woody plants. One day, in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be able to use your cell phone to get information about each woody plant at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens.   We are using GPS technology to map each of the more than 11,000 accessioned plants of the living collection within the Morris’s 166 acres. The project is a bit laborious, as staff members use a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver/antenna and UHF radio-assisted corrections to do the mapping. The range pole is placed next to the base of a tree, and satellite technology pinpoints the location to within a centimeter. So far, staff have geolocated more than 5,450 plants. The project, known as the Morris Arboretum Plant Collection and Management Project, is funded by a three-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). An outcome of this project will be an application that visitors can use to identify the plants in the collection and learn more about them. Image The Global Navigation Satellite System receiver/antenna. Image Morris staff members use the Global Navigation Satellite System receiver/antenna to map a tree.                               “This new application will be very user-friendly,” said Plant Collections Manager Pam Morris Olshefski, who is leading the project. “The plant locations will be displayed on a high-resolution aerial photograph of the Morris landscape, enabling the visitor to see exactly where they are on the grounds.” The system will also provide the staff with a precise way to locate specific plants in the living collection, facilitating research, plant health management, and curatorial activities. “You’ll be able to walk through the garden and know exactly what you’re looking at,” Morris Olshefski said. “It will give you information about the plant, a photo, whether it’s wild-collected or what its …

Active-Duty Free Admission Program Sponsored by Wawa We are pleased to announce that the Morris Arboretum has received a first-time grant from Wawa in support of our Active-Duty Free Admission Program. Image We are pleased to announce that the Morris Arboretum has received a first-time grant from Wawa in support of our Active-Duty Free Admission Program . This grant provides all current active military members and their families with free admission to the Arboretum. To qualify for the program, service members simply need to show a valid military ID, a Geneva Convention Common Access Card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card at the entrance kiosk. This program does not include ticketed and promotional events at the Arboretum. The Arboretum began offering free admission to active military members in 2019, inspired by the story of a longtime member who found solace and healing in the gardens after returning from military service during the Cold War.  “Morris Arboretum has long been a place for people to replenish themselves physically and mentally,” said William Cullina, the F. Otto Haas Executive Director of Morris Arboretum. “Our active-duty free admission program is our way of saying thank you and to provide comfort in a beautiful setting to those who give so much for our country. The Arboretum is proud of this program, and grateful for The Wawa Foundation’s support.” The grant will formally be presented today at the grand opening of Wawa’s newest store in Glenside, PA. Wawa is committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with local communities and national partners, and we thank them for their support! Blog Image December 15, …