5 Unsuspecting Reasons to Take a Guided Tour of the Morris Arboretum

1. Free Vitamin D

Unlike many of the plants you will see while strolling through the beautiful Morris Arboretum, we as humans do not photosynthesize. However, we do still need a healthy dose of sunlight! Vitamin D is vital for a healthy immune system, strong bones and teeth. So come grab some vitamin D while on one of our regularly scheduled guided tours. They are every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm, and no reservations are necessary.

2.  Keep Your Mind Sharp

Learning new things is a great way to keep your mind sharp and the creative juices flowing. Engaging your brain will help to improve your memory and attitude.

This fall at the Arboretum join the Small Trees for Small Spaces tour. This one-hour guided tour will keep you engrossed by highlighting small trees that make a big impact. Check out the website for specific dates and details. Come learn something new and exercise your brain as you learn from the Arboretum’s knowledgeable guides.  

3.  Escape

Do you ever feel like you want to go on an adventure, but you just don’t have the time? No matter what the reason, we have the perfect remedy for you! Come find solace at the Morris Arboretum. As soon as you pass through the beautiful iron entrance gates, you get the sense that you are no longer in Philadelphia. Take a mini adventure on one of our guided tours through the striking gardens here at the Arboretum. You will learn fascinating history, and get lost in the compelling environment of the Arboretum. Escape your hectic lifestyle for an hour or so and come visit.  

4. Give a Unique Gift

Sometimes giving the gift of an experience is better than any material good. Generally, people are more likely to hold on to a memory of an experience, rather than a peculiar re-gifted garden gnome. Whether you are attending a birthday party, a retirement party, or a holiday event, we have the perfect gift idea for you.

The Arboretum offers group tours of many varieties. Regardless of interest, there is a tour for everyone. The Morris Arboretum offers tour topics such as: Art in the Garden; Japanese Elements; LEED Horticulture Center and Green Roofs Tour; Victorian Garden and many more. Check out our website to see the full list, or contact Lisa Bailey (baileyl@upenn.edu or 215.247.5777 x157) for more information and scheduling.

5. Nature Rx

If you are interested in slowing down, being unreasonably happy or de-stressing, come check out the Morris Arboretum! Nature has been proven to help do all of these things and more. The Morris Arboretum is a great place to come enjoy nature and a guided tour can help you facilitate your visit.

Article contributed by guest Garden Blogger Betsy Thompson.

Rest and Be Thankful

Fall is the season that invites us to slow down and find a quiet spot to be reflective. It’s a great time to visit places that renew our souls and give us energy, and what better place than the Arboretum for such retreats?

All along the paths here, and more importantly off the paths, are countless places to sit and be awed by nature. To me, forests are sacred places, so to revel among trees always brings me great joy. That’s why I always visit Out on a Limb first, just being in the treetops gives me such a sense of wonder!

At the Arboretum, I can sit among a grove of trees, next to a rhythmic fountain, overlooking a sweeping meadow, or near a flower garden or art installation. All of these sites offer their own special joy. Among my favorite places, here are some of the best:

The Orange Balustrade, which features a cathedral inspired arbor, giant sequoias, a hillside covered with cypress trees, and a rustic waterfall trickling down the hillside. I sit here in the quiet and take in a peaceful view of meadows, hills, trees and shrubs of every size and dimension. Whether I spend ten minutes or a day here, I always leave renewed. It’s magnificent.  

The Katsura Tree. Down the hillside from the Orange Balustrade is a tree so spectacular that the Arboretum staff selected it as the most noteworthy tree in their collection. I sit on the shaded bench here and just marvel at what nature designed.

Mercury Loggia. Across the trail from the statue and fountain in this more secluded spot, is a bench that wraps clear around a tree. With beautiful views from each seat, I can meditate and find solace in any direction!

Along the Wissahickon, near the Inside Out rock sculpture, is a bench engraved Rest and Be Thankful. I invite you to do just that. Find a spot that speaks to your soul, then just sit and be still. Let all your senses take in everything around you, and find peace. Come visit, and find your own special place of renewal.  

Article contributed by Barry Becker, Guest Garden Blogger for Morris Arboretum.

268 Butterflies Fluttered By

Last week a group of 8 butterfly enthusiasts spent two days counting these winged beauties. Poor weather at the official North American Butterfly Association Count on July 4 motivated the group to perform their own count here at the Arboretum, a haven for butterflies. The final tally revealed an impressive 33 species and 268+ sightings in just four hours!

Here's the complete list of their findings (click each for images and more information):

• 105+ cabbage white
• 43 orange sulphur
• 17 monarch
• 15 silver spotted skipper
• 14 red admiral
• 12 pearl crescent
• 12 tiger swallowtail
• 9 clouded sulphur
• 7 eastern tailed blue
• 7 zabulon
• 6 pecks skipper
• 4 least skipper                                            
• 3 meadow fritillary
• 3 sachem
• 2 black swallowtail
• 2 horace duskywing
• 2 spicebush swallowtails
• 1 european skipper
• 1 gray hairstreak
• 1 question mark
• 1 tawny-edged skipper
• 1 viceroy
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  268+ butterflies! How many have you spotted?

Paul’s Pick: Magnolia ‘Porcelain Dove’

A new hybrid selection of magnolia has caught the eye of Paul W. Meyer, The F. Otto Haas Executive Director of the Morris Arboretum. M. globosa x M. virginiana (Magnolia 'Porcelain Dove') is a semi evergreen shrub with large, fragrant flowers. It can be found on the magnolia slope, just downhill from the Widener center. Enjoy!