Winter Beauty

“At no other time of the year are tree forms more conspicuous. Against the whiteness of snow and the intensity of a blue winter sky, the bold patterns of sturdy trunk and intricate branch stand out most vividly, revealing characters of wide diversity. The graceful vase shaped American Elm, the rugged sturdiness of the Oaks, the flat-topped Thorns, the pyramidal spires of Poplars, and the Sugar Maple’s symmetrically rounded domes are but a few of the most familiar forms.”

I’m just in from a walk through the Arboretum’s east side and read this evocative description of winter on the grounds. Are you wondering if you missed this article in a recent issue of Seasons? Actually, this paragraph is part of a larger article written by E. Lowell Kammerer. The reference to the “graceful vase shaped American Elm” could be your first hint of this article's age. The article was actually published in February 1936 in the Bulletin of Popular Information (an early Arboretum publication) and prior to the dramatic loss of American elms in our community. The Sterling Morton Library has a complete set of all publications of The Morton Arboretum including:

• Bulletin of Popular Information
• The Morton Arboretum Quarterly
• Branches
• Events, News and Classes
• Seasons
• Annual Reports
• Other assorted publications
  

A trusty Library volunteer has been diligently indexing our publications to assist us in locating pertinent articles. I encourage you to stop by the Sterling Morton Library and explore our early Arboretum history and writings. Then, take a walk among the trees and revel in the winter beauty!

Lowell’s complete article published in 1936 can be found here.