THE SCOTT ARBORETUM OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE

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February 2009

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February 9

Guided Tour: A Walk with the Curator

Monday, February 9, 2:30 - 3:30 pm
Tours depart from the Scott Arboretum Offices and are free and open to the public.

Join Andrew Bunting, Curator of the Scott Arboretum, for a series of free tours at the Scott Arboretum. "A Walk with the Curator" program, previously only available to interns of the Scott Arboretum, provides an in-depth look at the collections, gardens, and plant selections through the eyes of the man responsible for curating the collection. Andrew Bunting will discuss the most recent accessions acquired for the collection, why plants were removed from the collection and maybe should be removed from your garden, as well as the latest garden designs at the Scott Arboretum. The tours are a Monday each month from 2:30 to 3:30 pm, and the topics are the curator's preference.

The tour will begin at the Scott Arboretum Offices and is free and open to the public. In case of inclement weather, the tour will be canceled. For more information, please call the Scott Arboretum Offices at (610) 328-8025.

February 10

Nature's Narratives: Bringing Nature Home

Tuesday, February 10, 5 to 6:30 pm
Scott Arboretum's Horticultural Library.

Join the book discussion group "Nature's Narratives" as they discuss Bringing Nature Home. Doug Tallamy, an entomologist at the University of Delaware, wrote Bringing Nature Home as a manifesto to suburban gardeners to help them make decisions based not just on their garden’s appearance, but also how their gardens affect biodiversity and populations of insects, birds, and other mammals. Join us for the discussion of his book just two days before Doug Tallamy joins us at the Scott Arboretum for a lecture on February 12, 2009 at 7:30pm!

Connect with fellow garden enthusiasts and book lovers as they meet to discuss books about plants, nature, and the environment. “Nature’s Narratives” is a book discussion group sponsored by the Scott Arboretum where readers come together to discuss a book once a month and to share in the reading experience.

The discussions are free and open to the public and will take place in the Scott Library. Participants will need to read each month’s selection prior to the discussion. Feel free to bring your lunch for our lunchtime discussions. Refreshments and coffee will be provided for our evening discussions. One copy of each book is available for members to check out of the Scott Arboretum’s Horticultural Library. Advanced registration is required. For more information, call 610-328-8025 or email scott@swarthmore.edu

Click here to RSVP now.

The Scott Arboretum has begun a new series of lectures, seminars, and workshops that will focus on sustainable practices in the garden. Participants will learn how to protect our planet’s natural systems, become proper land stewards, and encourage wildlife in the garden. Our goal is to have more gardeners adopt sustainable practices in every facet of their home gardens. We are your destination for sustainability education.

February 12

Lecture: Gardening for Life

Thursday, February 12, 7:30 pm
Science Center 101

Join us for our first collaboration with Swarthmore College’s Environmental Studies program and hear Doug Tallamy speak on the importance of our landscaping choices in improving biodiversity. With as many as 33,000 species imperiled in the U.S., it is clear that we must change our approach to landscaping if we hope to create homes and food to improve our local biodiversity. Native plants will play a key role in the restoration of our living spaces because only natives provide the coevolved relationships required by animals. By supporting a diversity of insect herbivores, native plants provide food for a large and healthy community of natural enemies that keep herbivores in balance and our gardens aesthetically pleasing.

Doug Tallamy is Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, where he has authored over 68 research articles and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, and other courses for 27 years. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007.

The Scott Arboretum has begun a new series of lectures, seminars, and workshops that will focus on sustainable practices in the garden. Participants will learn how to protect our planet’s natural systems, become proper land stewards, and encourage wildlife in the garden. Our goal is to have more gardeners adopt sustainable practices in every facet of their home gardens. We are your destination for sustainability education.

February 14

Workshop: Oak ID Part II

Saturday, February 14, 1 to 3 pm
Snow Date: Saturday, February 21
Scott Arboretum Blum Classroom and Gardens

This two-part workshop, led by Andrew Bunting, will provide specific diagnostic skills for identifying a myriad of Quercus (oak) species. The first session will review the oaks while they are still in leaf and the follow-up session in the winter will cover skills to identify oak buds, bark and winter form. Many native oaks will be covered such as the swamp white oak, Quercus bicolor; white oak, Quercus alba; bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa; red oak, Quercus rubra and many others. We will also delve into some of the non-native oaks such as sawtooth oak, Quercus acutissima, and Hungarian oak, Quercus frainetto. At the end of the second session you will be well versed in identifying oaks in both summer and winter. Dress for the weather and walking. Registration is limited to 24 per class. Register separately for Parts 1 and II; classes can be taken independently or together.

 

Members: $30 Nonmembers: $40
Register Now!

Andrew Bunting is the Curator of the Scott Arboretum.