Written by Holly Latteman, Science & Conservation Manager You might be asking yourself, “What is a seed bank?” Well, a seed bank is used to store seeds to then preserve genetic diversity for future needs. The Dawes Arboretum’s Sustainable Seed Bank has been a key part of the work for the Science and Conservation team for over 10 years. Each year we collect hundreds of thousands of seeds with the goal of saving species from extinction. We use these collected seeds for growing in our nursery to have in our collections, restorations and plant sale. The collection of the seed is also used to ..read more

      New wildflowers continue to bloom each week in the Woodland Garden. One you may see now is Solomon’s seal. It can sometimes be overlooked as the greenish flowers dangle beneath the stem of the plant.               Although the Virginia bluebells are just about finished blooming, we still have pops of blue color In the Woodland Garden from the wild blue phlox. This common spring ephemeral wildflower is a favorite of butterflies.                 While in the forest, keep an eye out for dryad’s sadd ..read more

On Friday, April 19, around 16 Young Leaders of Licking County joined The Dawes Arboretum staff to plant more than 100 trees near the Red Barn Reserve. The Arboretum has a goal to plant 1,000 trees during this spring season and are on track to meeting that goal! The planting took place in a former agriculture field. This field is no longer used for growing crops and will be now turned into a native prairie and filled with non-invasive species. The morning started with refreshments and then a tour of The Arboretum. Conservation Coffee, of Columbus, Ohio, joined us in donating their coffee and ..read more

      Chipping sparrows have returned to The Arboretum. They are one of our smallest sparrows and only spend the breeding season with us. You can recognize them from their rusty red cap, black eyeline, and black bill. Their song can sometimes be mistaken for the trill of an insect.             Yellow-throated warblers return early to The Arboretum compared to other species of warbler. They are also regulars in the Bird Watching Garden this time of year where they can be seen feeding on suet. Even if you don’t see them, you are likely to hear their ..read more

By Alexxa Mitchell, Curatorial Specialist We like to use the playful term ‘Treeschool’ at The Dawes Arboretum to emphasize the existence and needs of young trees. Treeschool essentially means preschool for newly planted trees and shrubs. More often than not, the average person doesn’t think much about the care of a new tree because they have never needed to. If we can reach even a small audience with this information, that’s one more audience member to help improve and support the environment. Ensuring that your intentionally planted tree survives is important regardless of its intent, such a ..read more

In the leading up to the history portion of our Spring Speakers Series on Wednesday, May 8, we will be highlighting a few historical staff biographies. Carmen Wise was born in Licking County in 1904 and was the son of Joseph Wise, a farmer who lived north of The Dawes Arboretum’s property on State Route 13. Carmen attended the Brumbach school house as a child. He was enrolled here until the 8th grade and never furthered his education beyond that. The Brumbach school house is still located on our grounds today. In his younger years, he worked for local farmers as a farm laborer and operat ..read more

        Each week brings new blooms to the Woodland Garden. Pictured is rue anemone, a delicate spring ephemeral wildflower belonging to the buttercup family.             Blue cohosh is easy to overlook if you aren’t paying attention. This plant has green flowers and tends to blend in with its surroundings. Although the flowers are inconspicuous, the blue fruits that ripen later in the season give blue cohosh its name.                 More trees are beginning to leaf out including this striped maple ne ..read more

Calling all fur parents! The Dawes Arboretum will be presenting their very first Dawesome Dogs Day event! The event will be open to all friendly pups on April 20 from 10am to 12pm. During this time, giveaways will be available for your four-legged friend with some amazing goodies (while supplies last). We will also have water bowls set out on the dog-friendly paths to enjoy along the adventure. All of our favorite dog-friendly trails will also be highlighted on a map for you to explore! We can’t wait to meet you and your precious canine friend! *Please keep in mind, we ask that you keep your ..read more

Spring is the season for planting and buying those new annuals or perennials for your home. Did you know you can shop for a mix of annuals, perennials, natives, trees and shrubs on your next visit to The Arboretum? Our Garden Shop, located in the Visitor’s Center, will be opening for the season on Friday, April 5th. Our hours are Sunday- Thursday 9am to 7pm and Friday- Saturday 9am to 8pm. A variety of plants will be available including, but not limited to, annuals such as snapdragons, cosmos, sunflowers, zinnia, and strawflowers. The shop will include perennials that include showy flowering ..read more

One of a kind and massive in scale, David Rogers’ “Big Bugs!” For the first time, The Dawes Arboretum will be home to David Rogers’ “Big Bugs” traveling art exhibit beginning Memorial Day Weekend. The giant insect sculptures measure as big as 25 feet long, 20 feet wide, 10 feet tall and up to 1200 pounds. They are created using cedars, locust, walnut, willow and other all-natural forest materials. The bugs that will be found on grounds include 10 different insects including a praying mantis, spider and web, dragonfly, grasshopper and ladybug. “We could not be more thrilled to welcome thi ..read more