News
Garden and Arboretum Hike with professor Peter Davies
Take it outside with Dr. Peter Davies, professor emeritus of plant science, on this extended hike through the diverse plant collections and landscapes of the Botanical Garden and F. R. Newman Arboretum. Experience the beautiful gardens, rolling hills and panoramic views that helped Plantations earn its #1 ranking as the most beautiful college arboretum (Best College Reviews). Walks will be held rain or shine and will include some steep slope and stair climbing. Please dress for the weather and bring a bottle of water to drink.Date/time: Saturday, August 6 and Saturday September 10; 10:00 a.m.- noon
Cost: Free; no registration required
Instructor: Peter Davies, Ph.D., professor emeritus of plant science?
Location: Meet at the Nevin Welcome Center
For more informaiton call (607) 255-2400, or e-mail plantations@cornell.edu
Parking lot at the Botanical Garden closed July 28
The lot will be closed for resurfacing all day July 28. We apoloigize for the inconvenience. Please park at the nearby metered parking lot at the Corner of Tower Road and Judd Falls Road and take a short downhill trail to the Botanical Garden. View metered parking locations on the Cornell map here.
The Gabions: A restoration success story
Last year, Cornell Plantations staff gardener Krissy Boys began transforming an area overrun with invasive crown vetch into an attractive and diverse streamside garden abundant with wildlife. Krissy recounts this labor of love in her article "New Gardens at Cornell Plantations Mundy Wildflower Garden."
Join us for "Moths of the Night" this Saturday at 9:00 p.m.
As the sun sets we will have a brief introduction to moths and then fire up bright lights to attract them. We will learn how to identify the myriad forms of moths that arrive through the night and learn about their natural history. Stop by for a few minutes or bring a lawn chair and hang out for the evening. Bring a flashlight or headlamp.Date/time: Saturday, August 30; 9:00 a.m. to midnight
Location: Cornell Plantations Botanical Garden
Cost: Free; no pre-registration required.
Instructor: Jason Dombroskie, PhD., Manager of the Cornell University Insect Collection and Coordinator of the Insect Diagnostic Lab
Contact 607-255-2400 for more information, or e-mail plantations@cornell.edu
On display: A giclée reproduction of an original watercolor
A triptych of an original watercolor by Karen English represents a gathering of birds throughout three seasons in a wooded backyard in upstate New York. In spring, American goldfinches and a northern oriole perch in a lilac bush. Eastern bluebirds enjoy a bath in summer while a ruby-throated hummingbird feeds on bee balm. In fall, a red oak tree shelters a white breasted nuthatch and a red-bellied woodpecker,while black-capped chickadees inspect the goldenrod below.On display during July.
Schedule your group tour with us today!
Bring your garden club, church group, civic organization or other group and explore Cornell Plantations with a guided tour. Our group tours, offered May through October, are designed to provide you with a personalized, close-up look at the Plantations gardens and/or arboretum.We offer scheduled group tours by bus or on foot. Our tours offer visitors the chance to learn about our gardens, history, and plant collections. Each tour is lead by an experienced staff or volunteer tour guide and lasts approximately an hour.
Click here for more information.
In Memoriam: Dorothy Dent Park (1912–2016)
Mrs. Dorothy Park, notable philanthropist and generous benefactor of Cornell Plantations and many other Ithaca-area nonprofits, died on June 18, 2016, at the age of 103. In 1998 Mrs. Park gave Plantations a 10-acre parcel of land adjacent to Newman Arboretum and Fall Creek, to be forever preserved as a natural area. Named Park Park at her behest, the preserve is used for research and teaching by many faculty members at Cornell, and its picnic area and trails are favorite recreational sites for local community members. Annual grants from the Park Foundation help support our ongoing stewardship and maintenance of Park Park’s diverse habitats, including meadow, prairie, creek, floodplain, and young and old-growth forests. All of us at Cornell Plantations extend sincere condolences to Mrs. Park’s family.
(shown above): Scenic stone picnic benches in the Park Park Natural Area adjacent to Fall Creek.
Botanical Garden tours every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Enjoy a guided tour through the Botanical Garden and discover the beauty and diversity of our numerous theme gardens, including the Herb Garden, Flower Garden, Groundcover Collection, Tropical Container Display, and more. Tours are offered every Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine. Actual tour content will vary from week to week depending on what’s in bloom and the interests of the group.Date/time: June 18 - September 25; Saturdays and Sundays, 2:00 p.m.
Cost: $5; Free for Members and Cornell students; no registration required
Instructor: Volunteer docent
Location: Meet at the Nevin Welcome Center
Click here to view our full calendar of events.
Summer Solstice walk tonight!
Enjoy an evening nature walk through the F.R. Newman Arboretum, recently voted the “#1 most beautiful college arboretum,” to celebrate the passage of spring into summer on the longest day of the year. We’ll learn about the solstice, discover some of the trees, shrubs and wildlife of the arboretum, and hike to the Newman Overlook bell to “ring in” the arrival of summer at the exact moment of solstice (6:35 p.m.) Walk will be held rain or shine, and includes some moderately steep slopes.
Date/time: Monday, June 20; 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free and no registration required
Instructor: Kevin Moss, staff educator
Location: Meet by the Sculpture Garden, in the F. R. Newman Arboretum.
Reunion Weekend Events, June 9-11 WEATHER CANCELLATIONS
Cornell Plantations -- the arboretum, botanical garden and natural areas of Cornell University -- welcomes all alumni and their families to Reunion Weekend, June 9-11, 2016.
During Reunion our rhododendrons, irises, and peonies will be blooming, and you may still find spring wildflowers in the Mundy Wildflower Garden and natural areas. At the botanical garden you can take a mini-tour, pick up a visitor map and explore on your own, browse the exhibits and gift shop in the Nevin Welcome Center, or just relax and enjoy the beauty and serenity of the gardens and grounds.
Free parking is available at the Nevin Welcome Center, but can be limited during busy times. You can ride a Cornell Reunion shuttle bus to the Dairy Bar/Stocking Hall on Tower Road and walk down the footpath from there. We are also an easy to moderate walk from most points on campus.
For more information, contact Kevin Moss at km274@cornell.edu, (607) 254-7430.
Nevin Welcome Center open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 7 days per week
Saturday, June 11
Spring Plant Sale CANCELLED!
Cornell University has cancelled all outdoor events for today due to the threat of severe storms. We hope to reschedule the sale in the next weeks. Stay tuned!
Cornell Plantations Plant Production Facility, 397 Forest Home Drive
9:00 a.m. – noon
Take home some of Plantations’ gardeners’ top picks for your own home landscape! This spring’s offerings will include some small shrubs, a wide variety of perennials, and some new additions to the horticulture trade.
Botanical Garden Mini Tours CANCELLED DUE TO THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER
Meet at the Nevin Welcome Center
12:30 - 3:00 p.m.
15-minute mini-tours highlighting significant plants and gardens, launching approximately every 20 minutes.
Cascadilla Gorge Hike CANCELLED DUE TO THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER
Meet at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts in Collegetown,
12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
Hike through Cascadilla Gorge and learn about the geology, natural history, and beauty of this scenic greenway. The round-trip one mile hike is moderately strenuous and involves some steep stair climbing.
“The Hangovers” - Allan Hosie Treman '21 Memorial Concert
**BARNES HALL**
Central Campus next to the Cornell Store and across from Willard Straight Hall (LOCATION CHANGE FROM THE NEVIN WELCOME CENTER LAWN TO BARNES HALL)
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Enjoy this performance by The Hangovers, the popular a capella subset of the Cornell Glee Club.
All weekend or any time
Explore Cornell Plantations on your own using your mobile device.
Take
an audio tour of the Botanical Garden and Arboretum by calling a number
found on signs and within the visitor map to listen to short narratives
about our gardens, tree collections and other highlights. Use your
smart phone to tour Beebe Lake, Mundy Wildflower Garden and Fall Creek
Gorge by downloading the “Pocketsights” app to follow a Google-driven
map that provides images and information at points of interest along the
route (available from the App Store or Google Play).
Spring Plant Sale rescheduled to Thursday, June 23; 2 - 6 p.m.
We are offering some of our gardeners’ favorite plants, as well as new selections from the horticultural trade, including peonies, daylilies, hostas and iris. In addition to our own plant material, our garden center partners Cayuga Landscape, The Magic Garden, The Plantsmen and RC's Plants and Produce will be on hand selling their plants! A portion of their sales will be donated to Plantations.Date/time: Thursday, June 23; 2:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Location: Cornell Plantations Plant Production Facility, 397 Forest Home Drive. For more information, call 607-255-2400 or contact plantations@cornell.edu
Gorge Steward training kicks-off summer gorge tours of Cascadilla and Fall Creek Gorges
Cornell's Gorge Steward Program trains students to patrol the gorges of
Cascadilla and Fall Creek to inform visitors of how to enjoy the gorges
safely. The stewards also offer weekly interpretive tours of the gorges.Read more about this program in the May 31 Cornell Chronicle article "City, university gorge stewards train for summer patrols."
The stewards are also leading tours of the Fall Creek Gorge every Saturday and Sunday at 11am and tours of Cascadilla Gorge every Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from June through September.
Click here for more details on the Cascadilla Gorge Tours.
Click here for more details on the Fall Creek Gorge Tours.
The Center for Plant Conservation highlights our efforts
The Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) and their National Collection includes 780 species under the direct protection of CPC Participating Institutions, including Cornell Plantations. Our Natural Areas program dedicates much effort to the conservation of the American Globeflower, a rare herbaceous perennial herb. Our efforts were highlighted in the CPC's most recent newsletter. View the newsletter here. Explore how our Botanical Garden and Arboretum are used for Cornell Research
Cornell faculty and students use the Botanical Gardens and Arboretum to study many topics from Alzheimer’s disease and ancient botanicals to tolerance of urban environments. “Cornell Plantations’ Botanic Gardens and Arboretum are a community gateway to an engaged Cornell. As a living laboratory, we are an incredible asset to the students, faculty, Ithaca community, and beyond” says Rhoda Maurer, director of horticulture at Cornell Plantations. “In our gardens and arboretum, people can feel the human-plant connection and understand the importance of natural conservation and education.”
Click here to see what goes on in these beautiful outdoor classrooms.
Take the "Endangered Species Mystery Tour" on May 20
Join Cornell Plantations’ Director of Natural Areas, Todd Bittner, on a field trip to learn about efforts to conserve some of our region’s rarest flora on Endangered Species Day. Plantations protects 3,400 acres of natural areas, many of which contain locally, regionally, and globally rare plants. Conservation work and challenges to safeguard some of Plantations’ fifty-five rare plant species will be the focus of this trip, highlighting rare plants at a “surprise” Plantations Natural Area. The trip will proceed rain or shine. Terrain will be level except for a moderately steep hill. Pre-registration is required; group size will be limited.
Date/time: Friday, May 20, 1:00 - 4:30 PM.
Cost: $15; $10 for Plantations Members
Location: The field trip will depart by van from Plantations Nevin Welcome Center parking lot at 1:00 PM and will return by 4:30 PM.
Register here.
Fischer Old-Growth Forest: Dedication and Hike on May 18
Cornell Botanic Gardens recently expanded the Fischer Old-Growth Forest Natural Area in the Town of Newfield through a gift of over 17 acres named the Bandler Family Tract. The preserve now protects nearly 60 acres, with almost 30 acres of old-growth forest. This natural area is considered the best of the few remaining examples of pre-European settlement forest in the region. A brief dedication ceremony will be followed by a tour to explore the natural and cultural history of the Bandler Tract and Fischer preserve. Hike is approximately 1.5 miles and will be moderately strenuous.Date/time: Wednesday, May 18; 3:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Cost: Free; Registration is not required
Hike Leader: Todd Bittner, Natural Areas Director
Location: Fischer Old-Growth Forest Natural Area, Newfield.
Click here for directions.
Learn more about the new property in the Tumblr article "Land Protection Expands Cornell Botanic Gardens Fischer Old-Growth Forest."
We're hiring!
We are accepting applications for our Director of Development and Department Business Administrator. Learn more here.
Cascadilla Gorge is open for the season!
The Cascadilla Gorge is now open following the construction of a new concrete staircase that stretches from the gorge up to the Collegetown entrance of the trail. Read what it took to complete this last step in the eight years of renovation work in the April 27 Ithaca Journal article.
On Display: "Weeds: Untamed Wonders"
A selection of the wild and weedy! In this exhibition, artists from the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators have painted some “favorite” weeds of the northeast. The show helps explain what makes a weed a weed, includes fun facts about native weeds, and provides helpful information about invasive plants which endanger local plant communities.Join us for an artist reception on Sunday, May 15 from 2 - 4 p.m. to meet the artists and hear their perspective on how they approached the subject matter for this exhibit. This event is free and open to the public and no pre-registration is required.
Celebrate Mother's Day at Cornell Plantations
In the Botanical Garden
Hundreds of daffodils are in bloom on Conifer Slope.
Many varieties of tulips are blooming in the Young Flower Garden.
The first of the rhododendrons are blooming on Comstock Knoll, including Rhododendron 'Mary Fleming,' planted last season (shown above). This is one of 12 varieties planted in the rhododendron collection that were bred by Guy Nearing, whom the Nearing Summerhouse was named in honor of.
In the F. R. Newman Arboretum
Magnolias, crabapples and cherries have just started blooming in the Flowering Tree Collection and Flowering Crabapple Collection.
In the Mundy Wildflower Garden
Now is the time to visit the Mundy Wildflower Garden to enjoy the delicate early-blooming woodand wildflowers. Trilliums, hepaticas, trout lilies (shown above), bellwort and dutchman's britches are just a few of the dozens of species growing there.