Snowfall at the Arboretum!

As we receive our first significant snowfall of the season, the beauty of the Arboretum’s winter landscape shines. With little wind, today’s gently falling snow seems to outline every branch, twig and nuance. During our winter months, the intrepid visitors to the Arboretum will find lots of opportunities to study the architecture and structure of our plant collections. Hikers, skiers, snowshoers and walkers will be rewarded with spectacular views of our winter landscapes -- along with plenty of opportunities to discover how plants and animals adapt to the cold. What a remarkable place and time to learn more about our winter world!

Encouraged to take a snowy walk at the Arboretum or through your own neighborhood? Stop by the Sterling Morton Library and peruse some of these resources to guide your winter quest:

• Bark : the formation, characteristics, and uses of bark around the world photographs by Kjell B. Sandved ; text by Ghillean Tolmie
• A guide to wildflowers in winter : herbaceous plants of northeastern North America by Carol Levine
• Life in the cold : an introduction to winter ecology by Peter Marchand
• Season of promise : wild plants in winter by June Carver Roberts
• Studies of trees in winter : a description of the deciduous trees of northeastern America by Annie Oakes Huntington ; with an introduction by Charles Sprague Sargent
• Tree bark : a color guide by Hugues Vaucher
• Trees in a winter landscape by Alice Upham Smith
• Trees in winter : their study and identification by Albert Francis Blakeslee and Chester Deacon Jarvis
• Weeds in winter written and illustrated by Lauren Brown
• Winter : an ecological handbook by James C. Halfpenny, Roy Douglas Ozanne
• Winter world : the ingenuity of animal survival by Bernd Heinrich

The Sterling Morton Library is open Tuesday through Friday from 9-5 and Saturday from 10-4.

Happy 150th birthday, Jens Jensen!

Today, September 13th, marks the 150th anniversary of Jens Jensen’s birth! Festivities and events are planned internationally to celebrate this remarkable year. The Clearing in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin is celebrating not only the sesquicentennial of Jensen’s birth, but also the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Clearing. The Jens Jensen Legacy Project of the Chicago Park District has a flotilla of special events celebrating this anniversary year. Celebratory events continue across the ocean with additional events and a conference planned in his native country, Denmark.

Interested in learning more about Jensen? Consider stopping by the Sterling Morton Library and reading some of these selected writings about Jensen, his work -- including the creation of the Clearing:
Grese, Robert E. Jens Jensen : maker of natural parks and gardens, 1992.
Eaton, Leonard K. Landscape artist in America : the life and work of Jens Jensen, 1964.
Fulkerson, Mertha. The story of the Clearing : a Door County legend, 1972.
Bachrach, Julia Sniderman. Inspired by nature : the Garfield Park Conservatory and Chicago’s West Side, 2008.

Find out more about Jensen through his own thoughts and words in Siftings (published in 1939) and The Clearing, “a way of life” (published in 1949). Find out more about Jensen through the eyes of his great grandson, Woody Wheeler, in this essay about Jensen's contributions and work.

In addition to these previously mentioned sources, the Sterling Morton Library has extensive collections relating to the life and work of Jensen. Landscape plans, photographs, correspondence and other assorted documents create a rich resource for researchers and others interested in this “landscape architect, maker of parks, [and] conservationist.”

Over the coming weeks, visit some of the landscapes familiar, preserved, created and revered by Jensen -- and celebrate his important legacy!

“The plains speak of freedom—earth and sky meet on the far horizon. There is nothing to intercept the vision from the infinite.”

-- Jens Jensen in Siftings

May T. Watts Reading Garden is closed!

The May T. Watts Reading Garden of the Sterling Morton Library is closed for maintenance (power washing, tuckpointing and sealing) of the Library’s walls. The Garden will reopen when this project is completed. While the project is scheduled to take several weeks, no official reopen date has been determined due to the vagaries of our weather.

Stay tuned for more information as this project progresses!

A Season of Joy : 2010-2011 Chamber Concert Series

Each year, The Morton Arboretum presents a wonderful Chamber Concert Series at the Thornhill Education Center. Founded in 1980, the Series strives to present a diverse palette of performers, instruments and composers. Join us for our 2010-2011 season and revel in the performances of:

Sunday, November 7, 2010 – 2:15 p.m.
Ensemble Chaconne

Sunday, December 5, 2010 – 2:15 p.m.

Fifth House Ensemble

Sunday, January 9, 2011 – 2:15 p.m.

Third Coast Percussion

Sunday, February 6, 2011 – 2:15 p.m.

Elmhurst Symphony Strings

Sunday, March 6, 201 – 2:15 p.m.

Solaire Quartet

All concerts are presented in the Arbor Room of the Thornhill Education Center. After each performance, a reception in the adjoining Founder's Room offers the opportunity to enjoy conversations with the artists and fellow audience members in the splendor of the original library of the Arboretum's founder, Joy Morton.

Individual and series tickets are on sale now.

Order online: https://mortonarb.obsres.com/Info.aspx?EventID=7
Call: 630-725-2066, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m

Stop by the Arboretum's Visitor Center

Celebrate the beauty and magic of winter, music and the Arboretum -- at an upcoming concert!

Articles of note in the Sterling Morton Library : July’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.

• Brock, W.A. and S.T. Carpenter. Interacting regime shifts in ecosystems: implications for early warnings. Ecological Monographs, v. 80, no. 3, p. 353-367.
• Duncan, Anne. Beyond the basic herbs. Fine Gardening, no. 135, p. 50-53.
• Sachs, Aaron. American Arcadia : Mount Auburn Cemetery and the nineteenth-century landscape tradition. Environmental History, v. 15, no. 2, p. 206-235.
• Schusler, Tania M. and Marianne E. Krasny. Environmental action as context for youth development. The Journal of Environmental Education, v. 41, no. 4, p. 208-223.
• Watson, Gary. The effect of broadcast nitrogen fertilization rates and placement on the growth of green ash trees. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, v. 36, no. 4, p. 179-182.
• Weber-Turcotte, Katherine. Growing moss in the garden. The Herb Quarterly, no. 124, p. 29-33.
  
  
  

As you may or may not know, the Sterling Morton Library is lucky to have a large archive of landscape drawings, photographs, and correspondence of the noted Midwest landscape designer Jens Jensen. We often aid visitors on their quest for information for their Jensen research projects.

This year is the 150th anniversary of his birth and there are several celebrations taking place all over the world to honor this great man and his work.

If you are in the mood for a trip there is an international conference taking place in Denmark this year. HORTA IN URBE – URBS IN HORTA: International Conference on Landscape Gardener Jens Jensen, Chicago, and the Concept of Nature in City and Park Planning will take place September 16-17 at the Sonderborg Castle in Denmark.

Featured speakers will be:

• Professor Robert Grese, Director, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan - Jens Jensen and the American Nature
• Michael Schneider, Director , “The Clearing” - Jens Jensen and “The Clearing”
• Lecturer, dr. phil. Malene Hauxner, CU- Life: Jens Jensen, seen in the context of European park
• Catharina Malmberg‐Snodgrass, London- Jens Jensen as park‐and garden architect

If you are interested in learning more about this fascinating opportunity more information can be found here:

HORTA IN URBE – URBS IN HORTA

An Evening of Wicked Plants!

Wicked Plants! The Deliciously Dark Side of the Plant Kingdom

Amy Stewart, Author

In her New York Times bestseller Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities (Algonquin Books, May 2009), Amy Stewart takes on Mother Nature's most appalling creations. It's an A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend. Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, Stewart presents tales of bloodcurdling botany that will entertain, alarm, and enlighten even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers. Find out which plant killed Abraham Lincoln's mother, which shrub ignited a global war, and what plant has killed 90 million people. From strychnine to castor bean, from poison sumac to monkshood, from carnivorous plants to weeds that spontaneously combust, Stewart introduces an unforgettable cast of characters and tells their tales with her own wicked sense of humor.

Join us in the Sterling Morton Library for a special talk by Amy Stewart on Wednesday evening, August 18, 2010. Prepare to be delighted by the wonders of the plant world, and stay for a book signing with the author after the talk.

August 18, 2010

Sterling Morton Library, 7-8:30 p.m.
The Morton Arboretum
Member Fee - $14.00
Non-member Fee - $21.00

Registration details for An Evening of Wicked Plants with Amy Stewart can be found at: http://www.mortonarb.org/calendar/article/19451/an-evening-of-wicked-plants.html

Independence Day Holiday!

The Sterling Morton Library will be closed Saturday, July 3rd through Monday, July 5th in celebration of Independence Day. We will reopen to the public on Tuesday, July 6th.

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday!

The Sterling Morton Library is open Tuesday – Friday from 9-5 and Saturday from 10-4.

What do these three plays plus an exhibit in the Sterling Morton Library at The Morton Arboretum all have in common?

• Cats
• A Chorus Line
• Mousetrap
• Flora! Illuminated …

They’ve all had their runs extended! We’re delighted to announce that Flora! Illuminated … will be available for viewing during Library hours until January 2011. Please visit in-person or view selections from the exhibit at: http://florailluminated.wordpress.com.

Articles of note in the Sterling Morton Library : May/June’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.

• Brooks, Elizabeth W. and David N. Bonter. Long-term changes in avian community structure in a successional, forested, and managed plot in a reforesting landscape. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, v. 122, no. 2, p. 288-295.
• Colyvan, Mark and Lev R. Ginzburg. Analogical thinking in ecology: looking beyond disciplinary boundaries. The Quarterly Review of Biology, v. 85, no. p. 171-182.
• Cullina, William. Wildflowers as groundcovers. American Nurseryman, v. 210, no. 6, p. 38-44.
• DeVore, Sheryl. Virgin prairie : along Lake Michigan, Wisconsin’s prairie thrives. Wildflowers : the magazine of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, v. 26, no. 4, p. 8-9.
  Great article about the Chiwaukee Prairie!
• Gilman, Edward F., Chris Harchick and Maria Paz. Planting depth affects root form of three shade tree cultivars in containers. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, v. 36, no. 3, p. 132-139.
• Klein, Carol. Camassias : elegant and tall, these gorgeous plants look lovely in flower beds or growing among long grass. Gardens Illustrated, no. 161, p. 60-67.
  “Blue flowers hold a special place among gardeners. What is it about them that we love so much? Perhaps it is their affinity with the sky or sea?”
• The Nature Artists’ Quarterly - Illustrated and written by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum.
  Always a treat to read this publication and view the artists’ contributions to the Members’ Gallery!

26 Days of Flora! Illuminated...

Monday was the launch of our new online exhibit, 26 Days of Flora! Illuminated... a photoblog featuring most of the artwork in Flora! Illuminated…, the exhibit currently running at the Sterling Morton Library at The Morton Arboretum through June 30, 2010.

We will be posting 26 individual works of art that are currently on display in the library over the next 26 days, and include an additional bit of information to enhance your understanding of each work. Be sure to visit every day!

You can follow us online at: http://florailluminated.wordpress.com/

and also on our brand new Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lisle-IL/Sterling-Morton-Library/102514733126106

We really need some fans on Facebook to get this online exhibit to catch on, so if you are on Facebook please be sure to go to our page and LIKE us (previously known as "become a fan") so others will know we exist.

After exploring this online exhibit, be sure to visit to the Morton Arboretum to see this colorful and enchanting exhibit in person!

The Sterling Morton Library is open Tuesday through Friday from 9-5 and Saturdays from 10-4.

Happy Arbor Day!

Arbor Day, this remarkable holiday founded in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton, celebrates the importance and wonder of trees. Trees help make a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world. Remember “every tree counts!” Learn how this event is celebrated at The Morton Arboretum. Happy day! Arbor Day is not like other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day proposes for the future. -- J. Sterling Morton

A Troupe of Wildflowers

What a spring! It seems like each time I walk on one of the Arboretum trails, I spot a different wildflower. A bevy of bloodroot, a symphony of spring beauties, a cadre of trillium, a throng of Dutchman's breeches – well, you get the picture! Interested in sharpening your identification skills of these remarkable plants? Want to learn more about the folklore and myths related to these springtime ephemerals? Before or after your walk, stop by the Sterling Morton Library and indulge yourself in one of these resources:

• Black, Merel R. Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the upper Midwest, 2008.
• Clemants, Steven Earl. Wildflowers in the field and forest : a field guide to the northeastern United States, 2006.
• Coffey, Timothy. The history and folklore of North American wildflowers, 1993.
• Ladd, Douglas M. North Woods wildflowers: a field guide to wildflowers of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, 2001.
• Mahlberg, Paul G. Wildflowers of Door County : Wisconsin's unique floral preserve : a field guide, 2000.
• Martin, Laura C. Wildflower folklore, 1984.
• Sanders, Jack. Hedgemaids and fairy candles : the lives and lore of North American wildflowers, 1993.
• Sanders, Jack. The secrets of wildflowers, 2003.
• Vance, F.R. Wildflowers of the northern Great Plains, 1999.
• Werner, William E. Life and lore of Illinois wildflowers, 1988.
• Yatskievych, Kay. Field guide to Indiana wildflowers, 2000.

Enjoy these days!

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.

Barker, Michael S. and Paul G. Wolf. Unfurling fern biology in the genomics age. BioScience, v.60, no. 3, p. 177-185.

Curtis, Kent. The virtue of Thoreau: biography, geography, and history in Walden Woods. Environmental History, v. 15, no. 1, p. 31-53.

Gilberg, Cindy. Rain gardens and the plants that make them. Perennial Plants : the journal of the Perennial Plant Association, Winter 2010, p. 7-12.

Hipp, Andrew L. Hill’s oak: the taxonomy and dynamics of a western Great Lakes endemic. Arnoldia, v. 67, no. 4, p. 2-14.

Laganiere, Jerome, David Pare and Robert L. Bradley. How does a tree species influence litter decomposition? Separating the relative contributions of litter quality, litter mixing, and forest floor conditions. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, v. 40, no. 3, p. 465-475.

Mayer, Amy. Phenology and citizen science. BioScience, v.60, no. 3, p. 172-5.

Ross, Diana. Diana Ross meets … Penelope Hobhouse. Hortus, no. 93, p. 35-46.

A Fascination With Flight...

Explore birds in the special collections of the Sterling Morton Library with Arlene Widrevitz, Freelance Artist & Rare Print Collection Staff at The Morton Arboretum.

From the time we are quite young, we are attracted to the feathered creatures that perch high up in the trees and then take flight. Meet artists, such as Audubon, Fuertes, and Jaques, who took this obsession a step further and made their careers painting birds and helping us to see them in a new way. Tea and goodies will be served.

A411 - Fascination With Flight
Prerequisite: None
Art Certificate Elective (3 hours)
Saturday, May 1; 1 – 4 pm
Sterling Morton Library
$36 (members $30)
Limit 15

Register Online or by calling 630-719-2468

Flora! Illuminated ...

The Sterling Morton Library's latest exhibit has opened - Flora! Illuminated ...
See spectacular plant images from the rare book and art collections in this special exhibit. Flora! Illuminated ... is a non-traditional alphabetical exploration of spectacular plant images from the Library's Suzette Morton Davidson Special Collections.
Snippets of song lyrics, poetry, and prose have been selected to accompany these brilliant images to create a memorable experience for visitors.
The exhibit highlights rarely seen artwork and rare books, revealing the extraordinary beauty and depth of the library's collections ... and of the plant world.

This exhibit can be viewed: Tuesday - Friday from 9-5 and Saturday from 10-4 through June 30, 2010.

Articles of note in the Sterling Morton Library : March’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.

Bayles, David Paul. Falling trees. Orion, v. 29, no. 2, p. 50-55.

Botts, Beth. From the ground up : a 19-year partnership turns a bare subdivision lot into a leafy glade. Chicagoland Gardening, v. 16, no. 2, p. 654-69.
A bare lot in Wheaton grows into a wooded splendor.

Ebinger, John E., et al. Vascular plant species extirpated or not vouchered as occurring in Illinois. Erigenia, no. 23, p. 3-23.

Johnson, W. Carter, et al. Prairie wetland complexes as landscape functional units in a changing climate. BioScience, v. 60, no. 2, p. 128-140.

Mathew, Brian. A chorus of crocus. Garden, v. 135, pt. 2, p. 86-89.

Orrock, John L. and Martha S. Witter. Multiple drivers of apparent competition reduce re-establishment of a native plant in invaded habitats. Oikos, v. 119, p. 101-108.

Rose, Nancy. A soft touch : Pinus wallichiana. Arnoldia, v. 67, no. 3, p. 36.
Interesting note about the Himalayan white pine – saunter out to our magnificent specimen in the Conifer Collection – worth a visit!

Schwegman, John E. A lifetime of botanizing in Illinois. Erigenia, no. 23, p. 39-44.

The Snoring Bird

Today’s gathering of Leafing Through the Pages, the book discussion group of the Sterling Morton Library, was a fascinating and insightful discussion of Bernd Heinrich’s The Snoring Bird. Heinrich’s page-turning memoir led to a thoughtful conversation about survival, biology, family dynamics, history, nature vs. nurture and a host of related topics. Heinrich’s frank and compelling tale provided an entry point for the group to explore the intriguing world of the naturalist.

Interested in exploring the writings of Heinrich? Stop by the Library and discover:

• Bumblebee economics, 1979. QL568.A6 H39
• In a patch of fireweed, 1984. CT9460.H45 I5
• One man's owl, 1987. QL696.S8 H45
• Ravens in winter, 1989. QL696.P2367 H45
• The hot-blooded insects : strategies and mechanisms of thermoregulation, 1993. QL495 .H38
• A year in the Maine woods, 1994. F26 .H45
• The thermal warriors : strategies of insect survival, 1996. QL495 .H39
• Winter world : the ingenuity of animal survival, 2003. QL753 .H45
• The geese of Beaver Bog, 2004. QL696.A52 H43
• Summer world : a season of bounty, 2009. QL753 .H44

Next month, we will temporarily transform ourselves into a film discussion group. With our start time slightly tweaked, we will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 11 with a viewing -- followed by a discussion -- of the film Enchanted April.

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor …

As I was entering the Arboretum’s grounds this Saturday morning, I was musing about that famous motto - Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor ... - and was delighted with all of the intrepid walkers, runners, hikers, and bikers visible near the Arboretum’s Visitor Center. There are so many different ways to visit and enjoy our winter landscapes. What a wonderful time of year to travel through the grounds and discover a host of interesting plants, views, birds and tracks. Before you head out for a visit to our winter landscapes, be sure to take one of these guides from the Sterling Morton Library to help you decipher the plants and mysterious tracks that you might see!

• Arnosky, Jim. Crinkleroot’s book of animal tracking. New York : Bradbury Press, 1989. [J QL768.A75 1989]
• Brown, Lauren. Weeds in winter. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1976. [QK118.B7 1977]
• Halfpenny, James C. Winter : an ecological handbook. Boulder : Johnson Books, 1989. [QH81.H35]
• Heinrich, Bernd. Winter world : the ingenuity of animal survival. New York : Ecco, c2003.[QL753.H45]
• Levine, Carol. A guide to wildflowers in winter. New Haven : Yale University Press, 1995. [QK117.L48]
• Marchand, Peter J. Life in the cold : an introduction to winter ecology. 2nd ed. Hanover : University Press of New England, 1991. [QH543.2.M37 1991]
• Mason, George F. Animals tracks. New York : William Morrow, 1943. [SK282.M3]
• Murie, Olaus J. A field guide to animal tracks. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1963. [SK282.M8]
• Simeone, Vincent A. Wonders of the winter landscape : shrubs and trees to brighten the cold-weather garden. Batavia, Ill. : Ball Pub., c2005.[SB435.S48]
• Smith, Alice Upham. Trees in a winter landscape. New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969. [QK477.S64]
• Trelease, William. Winter botany : an identification guide to native trees and shrubs. 3rd ed. New York : Dover, 1967. [QK477.T84 1967]

The Sterling Morton Library is open Tuesday – Friday from 9 to 5 and Saturday from 10 to 4. Visit soon!

Articles of note in the Sterling Morton Library : January’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.

Baggett, Pam. Swept away : create garden drama with a sweep of a single plant. Horticulture, v. 107, no. 2, p. 42-47.

Jutras, Pierre, Shiv O. Praqsher, and Guy R. Mehuys. Appraisal of key biotic parameters affecting street tree growth. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, v. 36, no. 1, p. 1-10.

May, Felix, Volker Grimm and Florian Jeltsch. Reversed effect of grazing on plant diversity: the role of below-ground competition and size symmetry. Oikos, v. 118, no. 12, p. 1830-1843.

Raffles, Hugh, art by Cornelia Hesse-Honegger. A conjoined fate : a painter challenges the divisions between art and science, safety and risk, humans and insects. Orion, v. 29, no. 1, p. 16-27.

Simberloff, Daniel. Invasions of plant communities—more of the same, something different, or both? The American Midland Naturalist, v. 163, no. 1, 219-233.