Arbor day from the Institutional Archives

From the Institutional Archives:
ARBOR DAY IN ILLINOIS
JUNE 27, 1949

“Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. The last Friday in April of each year is designated as Arbor and Bird Day, to be observed throughout the State as a day for planting trees, shrubs and vines about the homes and along the highways and about public grounds within this State, and for holding appropriate exercises in the public schools and elsewhere to show the value of trees and birds and the necessity of their protection, thus contributing to the comforts and attractions of our State.”
This law enacted by the 66th General Assembly was signed into law on June 27, 1949, by Governor Adlai E. Stevenson.


ARBOR DAY IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA
Friday, April 21, 1950

“Planting of six Douglas firs by Omaha’s Junior Foresters at World War II Memorial Park Friday morning started Omaha’s observance of Arbor Day…Acceptances came from Dr. Clarence S. Godshalk, director of the Morton Arboretum at Lisle, Ill…A guest with Dr. Godshalk was Mrs. Raymond Watts, educational director of the Morton Arboretum. Two of the trees were dedicated to J. Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day, and his son, the late Joy Morton. One was dedicated to Mrs. Jean Morton Cudahy, Joy Morton’s daughter, who is chairman of the board of trustees of the Morton Arboretum, and one was for Dr. Godshalk…City and County offices and banks will be closed for the official Arbor Day observance Saturday” [J. Sterling Morton’s birthday – the official Arbor Day in Nebraska]. -- Omaha World-Herald.


The above historical items came to my attention, while categorizing piles of institutional correspondence (1922-1965) that three assiduous volunteers and I have been sorting, once a week, for the past year. It was refreshing to run across a letter from the Governor of the State of Illinois – whom we can be proud of – who signed the law that officially established Arbor Day as a holiday in Illinois. It also seems fitting to recall that in 1950 Clarence Godshalk, the first director of The Morton Arboretum, and May T. Watts attended a special ceremony in Omaha, representing Mrs. Jean Morton Cudahy, who was invited but could not attend. – Michael T. Stieber

Celebrate trees at The Morton Arboretum - Arbor Week, April 18-26!

At the Arboretum's upcoming celebration of trees, Arbor Week, the theme of One Tree Makes a Difference highlights the many contributions made by each and every tree. Trees contribute a host of benefits to our world -- from the basics like shelter, shade, oxygen and food -- to the sublime like enjoyment, enrichment and -- even inspiration! During this upcoming week there will be a whole raft of activities and events at the Arboretum exploring and celebrating trees including tree plantings, children’s activities and our renowned plant sale. For more information about these events, please visit: http://www.mortonarb.org

Arbor Day was originally founded in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton, father of the Arboretum’s founder – Joy. This remarkable celebration has grown to become an international holiday for trees. Celebrated in all fifty states and many different countries, this special day fosters tree planting and tree care. Within the collections of the Sterling Morton Library there are a number of resources focusing on the different aspects of tree care including selection, planting and maintenance -- and some resources that focus specifically on Arbor Day and the Morton Family’s contributions including:

The Arbor Day Lady by Mary L. Hellings - SD363.H4

Arbor Day Manual : an aid to preparing programs for Arbor Day exercises - SD363.S62

J. Sterling Morton by James Olson - CT9610.M6 O4 1972
A Man of Salt and Trees : the life of Joy Morton by James Ballowe – CT9610.M6B3

In our children’s collection:
Arbor Day by Diane Burns – J SD363 .B87

J. Sterling Morton : Arbor Day boy by Clyde Moore - J CT9610.M6 M6

In the Suzette Morton Davidson Special Collections:
Arbor Day : its history, observation, spirit and significance with practical selections on tree-planting and conservation, and a nature anthology, 1909.

Arbor Day: its history and observance, 1896.

Arbor Day, 1888.

From articles in selected journals:
Arbor Day in Flower & Garden, April 1990, v. 34, no. 2, p. 8.

Arbor Day : a Morton tradition by Richard Hootman in The Morton Arboretum Quarterly, v. 30, no. 1, p. 1-5.

The Man who started Arbor Day by Hal Borland in The Morton Arboretum Quarterly, v. 8, no. 1, p. 6-8.

Arbor Day : the first 100 years by H. J. Banker in American Forests, v. 78, no. 4, p. 8-11, 60-61.

At this special time of the year, we invite you to visit the Arboretum and the Sterling Morton Library and learn how one tree makes a difference!

Happy Arbor Week!

Spring wildflowers at The Morton Arboretum

With each walk that I take at the Arboretum, I’m seeing signs of some of our early spring wildflowers. Bloodroot, Dutchman’s breeches, toothwort and the aptly named spring beauty will soon be making their appearances on our grounds. As the weather begins to moderate, our woodlands will soon be in full bloom with a number of our spring ephemerals. Interested in learning more about the identification of these plants? Wonder about how to grow these wildflowers in your garden? Charmed by the folklore surrounding these harbingers of spring? Visit the Sterling Morton Library and delve into some of our resources before (or after) a woodland walk:

• Coffey, Timothy. The history and folklore of North American wildflowers, c1993.
• Cullina, William. The New England Wild Flower Society guide to growing and propagating wildflowers of the United States and Canada, 2000.
• Eifert, Virginia. Flowers that bloom in the spring : spring comes to Illinois--and with it come wild flowers which are part of the picture of springtime, 1952.
• Loewer, H. Peter. The wild gardener : on flowers and foliage for the natural border, c1991.
• Martin, Laura C. Wildflower folklore, c1984.
• Runkel, Sylvan T. Wildflowers of Illinois woodlands, c1979.
• Sanders, Jack. Hedgemaids and fairy candles : the lives and lore of North American wildflowers, c1993.
• Voss, John. Illinois wild flowers, 1951.
• Werner, William E. Life and lore of Illinois wildflowers, 1988.
• Wildflower gardens : 60 spectacular plants and how to grow them in your garden, c1999.
  

Bloodroot line drawing from: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. Vol. 2: 140.

Articles of note in the Sterling Morton Library : April’s offerings

These are some recent articles that can be found within the journal collection of the Sterling Morton Library. Please visit the Library to discover the incredible botanical and horticultural resources that await you! If you are unable to visit the Library and interested in reviewing one of these articles, I would be delighted to help you at rhassert@mortonarb.org.

Albert, Lisa. Native plants for water gardens. The American Gardener, v. 88, no. 2, p. 18-23.

Bonter, David N., Sidney A. Gauthreaux Jr. and Therese M. Donovan. Characteristics of important stopover locations for migrating birds: remote sensing with radar in the Great Lakes Basin. Conservation Biology, v. 23, no. 2, p. 440-448.

Harrington, J.A. and E. Kathol. Responses of shrub midstory and herbaceous layers to managed grazing and fire in a North American savanna (oak woodland) and prairie landscape. Restoration Ecology, v. 17, no. 2, p. 234-244.

Mohan, Jacqueline E., Roger M. Cox, and Louis R. Iverson. Composition and carbon dynamics of forests in northeastern North America in a future, warmer world. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, v. 39, no. 2, p. 213-230.

Schaefer, V. Alien invasions, ecological restoration in cities and the loss of ecological memory. Restoration Ecology, v. 17, no. 2, p. 171-176.

Schmakel, Carla. From gardening to nature illustration : a new appreciation of our environment. Illinois Audubon, no. 308, p. 5-9.

Schulz, Kurt E., Audrey Vaughan, and Emilie Remelius. Physiologically based control of invasive Asiatic shrub honeysuckle. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science, v. 102, no. 1 and 2, p. 21-32.