Listen and Look

Tracy Beerley, The McCausland Natural Lands Horticulturist
On your next visit to the Morris Arboretum's wetlands be sure to listen and look carefully for these creatures in disguise.

Native Flowering Trees in the Natural Areas

Tracy Beerley, The McCausland Natural Lands Horticulturist

Vibrant spring colors in the Natural Areas of the Arboretum.

Cercis canadensis, Eastern redbud, is a beautiful native tree that provides many benefits to wildlife and insects. It is recognized by pollination ecologist and by bee keepers, as attracting large numbers of native bees and an important nectar source.  Pink flowers in the spring make this small tree or multi-stemmed shrub a great addition to the landscape.

Cornus florida 'Cherokee Princess,' flowering dogwood. This small tree is an important understory species in many eastern deciduous forests, its habitat also includes thickets, streams, wood edges and dry uplands. There are many varieties of the native dogwood which select for different characteristics such as resistance to powdery mildew and anthracnose.

Wetlands - high in the sky, low on the ground

Tracy Beerley, Natural Lands Horticulturist
A raptor soars overhead, high in the sky, this bird is lurking for its prey.  Low on the ground signs of spring continue to emerge.