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Nature Notes

Green Heron Pond with marsh marigolds.

Restoring the wetland at Green Heron Pond

Apr. 20, 2026
A large bare tree in spring

Early signs of spring

Mar. 31, 2026
Small, blue flowering plants with blade-like leaves in a woodland

Ephemeral beauty, lasting effects

Mar. 9, 2026
A gray squirrel eats while perched on branches laden with red orange fruit

Late-winter harvest

Mar. 2, 2026
A black-capped chickadee sits on a bird feeder with a seed in its mouth

Weathering midwinter

Jan. 5, 2026
Snowy path in the woods.

A winter walk

Dec. 8, 2025
Assorted color leaves on the ground.

Falling foliage

Nov. 10, 2025
Red apple cutout in the field of apple trees

The legacy of a one-in-a-million apple

Nov. 5, 2025
Yellow flowers by the prairie path

Nature prepares for winter

Oct. 13, 2025
A gray squirrel perched on a tree branch gnaws on a nut

A walk on the Arboretum’s wild side

Sep. 15, 2025
An orange hibiscus stands out in front of a vibrant garden of annual plants

Summer heat

Aug. 20, 2025
Bright flowers and leafy tropical plants are planted in a garden bed

Come rain or come shine

Jul. 21, 2025
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The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum connects people and plants for the planet.

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3675 Arboretum Drive
Chaska, MN 55318

612-624-2200

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  • About
    • About Us
    • Building a Better Arboretum
    • Conservation
    • Contact Us
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Financial & Annual Reports
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Strategic Plan
  • Support
    • Donate
      • Spring Giving
    • Membership
    • Supporting Groups
    • Volunteer
  • Visit
    • Tickets & Plan Your Visit
      • Highway 5 Construction
    • Accessibility
    • Arboretum Map
    • Hours
    • Dine & Shop
      • Rootstock Seasonal Teas
      • Fall Recipes
    • For Groups
    • For Kids & Families
    • Tours & Shuttle
  • Gardens & Grounds
    • Art
      • 7th Annual Flora and Fauna Illustrata
      • A Chorus of Wings
      • A Sense of Place
      • Adam Turman: Did You See That?
      • Amphitrite, 1930
      • Arboretum Poetry, 2010
      • Arboretum Trees of Yore
      • Bench, 2001
      • Beyond Boundaries: An Exploration of Indigenous Art
      • Big Fish 1 & 2
      • Bird Baths, 1991
      • Birds in Flight, 2007
      • Blue Heron, 2002
      • Blütenmotiv, 1967-69
      • Boy in Robe
      • Bringing the Outdoors In
      • Canto Notturno, 1984
      • Canto a Cinque Voci
      • Children of Nature: Find Your Wonderland
      • Chromatic Brillance
      • Circle, The Canadian Hemlock Story, 2010
      • Confluence, 1991
      • Construction (Crucifixion), 1966
      • Diana, 1939
      • Disc Spiral, 2000
      • Echoes of Calm
      • Ellipse Column, 2005
      • Epidauros II, 1961
      • Eyes Wide Open
      • Family, 1989
      • Four Open Rectangles, Diagonally Jointed II, 1986
      • Fresh Perspectives
      • Fugue Processionaire, 1997
      • Fusion of Light and Brush: The Work of Lonnie Brodon
      • Gabion Glass Accent Hedge, 2015
      • Grecian Wedding Vase
      • Harmony in Bloom
      • Idyll, 1995
      • In Light of Trees
      • Inherited Ground
      • Inspired By Landscape: 2026 Arboretum Photographers’ Society Juried Show
      • Kaleidoscope 'Sharing', 2016
      • Land, Sea and Sky
      • Let Nature Lead: The Rhythmic Work of Suzanne Kubach and Melinda Wolff
      • Looking for Rain, 1940
      • Looking into the Wind, 2002
      • Making a Wish, 2014
      • Meditation Fountain, 2005
      • Merboy Fountain, 1990-1998 c.
      • Mercury, 1939
      • Messenger of Peace, 1981
      • Minnesota Mosaic Guild: Fragmented Beauty
      • Mother and Child, 2005
      • Mountain Mirage, 1992
      • Nature Speaks
      • Night Gesture, 1976
      • Night Wind Sign
      • October Gust, 2014
      • Oracle, 2010
      • Otherwise/Forest Transformation Seat Room, 2003
      • Otherwise/Forest Transformation Wall, 2003
      • Our Favorite Places Arboretum Photographers Society Show
      • PINE/Cone, 2007
      • Pagoda Stone Tower
      • Pedestal Lantern, 1981
      • Pine Tree Trunk, 2014
      • Plant Stand, 1999
      • Planter on Stand
      • Portraits of the Plots: Biodiversity at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve
      • Poster Palooza: Celebrating 50 Years of Andersen Horticultural Library
      • Qinling Mountain Rocks, 2016
      • Rolling Over Figure
      • Rose Walk Fountain, 2007
      • Sahara Variation, 2004
      • Seasonal Reflections: A Community of Imagination
      • Sensory Garden Fountain, 1998 c.
      • Silver Sail, 1988
      • Snow Viewing Lantern 'Yukimi-Gata', 1981 c.
      • South Wind II, 1982
      • Spirit Bird, 2001
      • St. Francis, 1991
      • Stone Arch, 1995
      • Stone Harp (Orpheum + Eurydice), 1993
      • Stone Lantern 'Tachi-Gata'
      • Sud II, 1993
      • Summer Dance, 1972
      • Swimmers, 1990
      • The Abstract Essence of Nature
      • The Cathedral, 1960
      • The Intentional Gaze
      • The Princess and the Frog
      • The Wedding Tower, 1986
      • Tree, 2002
      • Tropical Splendor, 2014
      • Union, 2016
      • Unraveling: A Fiber Art Exploration of Our Natural World
      • Upwards, 1995
      • Verdant Remedies: Unearthing Hmong Art and Nature
      • Vertical Planes, 1975 c.
      • Water Basin 'Tsukubai', 1981 c.
      • Water, Earth and Sky: Art for Nature
      • Wavecrest, 2014
      • Wax, Wire, Wood and Clay
      • Ways of Seeing the Natural World
      • Wayzata Reel, 2006
      • Where Birds Land
      • Wild Woods, 2000
      • Wildflowers, 2000 c.
      • Winter Quietude
      • Wolf, 1991
      • Wonderment, 2006
    • Buildings & Spaces
      • Burton and Virginia Myers Education Center
        • The Foodscape at the Myers Education Center
      • Farm Crawl: Pollinator Quest
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      • Snyder Auditorium
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      • Chinese Garden
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    • Garden Highlights
    • Plant Finder
    • Trails
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    • Live Osprey Cam
  • Learn
    • (Ages 12-15) Teen Counselor-in-Training
      • Homeschool Day: Sprout! (Grades PreK-1)
      • Pea Pods for Preschoolers Day: Garden Party! (Ages 3-5 with an Adult)
      • Pea Pods for Preschoolers Day: How Does Your Garden Grow? (Ages 3-5 with an Adult)
      • Pea Pods for Preschoolers Day: Planting Party! (Ages 3-5 with an Adult)
      • Pea Pods for Preschoolers Fall Series
      • Pea Pods for Preschoolers Pop Up Day: Good Morning, Dear Earth! (Ages 3-5 with an Adult)
      • Pea Pods for Preschoolers Pop Up Day: I Love Winter! (Ages 3-5 with an Adult)
      • Pea Pods for Preschoolers Pop Up Day: Let's Go Grocery Shopping in the Greenhouse!? (Ages 3-5 with an Adult)
      • Pea Pods for Preschoolers Pop Up Day: Meet an Evergreen! (Ages 3-5 with an Adult)
      • Pea Pods for Preschoolers Pop Up Day: The Hunt for the Tasty Golden Treasure! (Ages 3-5 with an Adult)
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      • Special Access for Ages 6 to Adult: Honey Bee Hive Inspection
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      • (Ages 11-13) Artful Outdoors + Incredible Edible Cooking Challenge Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 11-13) Eco-Trek Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 11-13) Outdoor Survival Adventure! Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 5-7) Arb Architects Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 5-7) Creation Station Day Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 5-7) Harvest Hoopla + Wild Child Nature Play Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 5-7) I Spy With My Little Eye Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 5-7) MESS-tival Festival Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 5-7) Nature's Superheroes Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 5-7) Nature’s Superheroes + Wild Child Nature Play Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 5-7) Weekly Garden Adventure
      • (Ages 5-7) Where the Wild Things Are Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-11) Fort Building: A Friday Favorite Mini Camp
      • (Ages 7-11) Gooey, Sticky, Fizzy Science: A Friday Favorite Mini Camp
      • (Ages 7-11) Kitchen Science: A Friday Favorite Mini Camp
      • (Ages 7-11) Mud!: A Friday Favorite Mini Camp
      • (Ages 7-11) Outdoor Survival Skills: A Friday Favorite Mini Camp
      • (Ages 7-11) Summer’s Greatest Hits: A Friday Favorite Mini Camp
      • (Ages 7-11) The Buzz About Bees: A Friday Favorite Mini Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) Creative By Nature Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) Eco Spy Academy Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) Elements: Earth! Wind! Fire! Water! Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) Geo’-mon Explorers Half-day Camp: A Pokemon-Inspired Adventure
      • (Ages 7-9) Hogswood Forest School of Magic Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) Incredible Edible Cooking Challenge Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) MESS-tival Festival Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) Outdoor Survival Adventure! + Eco Spy Academy Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) PINECRAFT Half-Day Camp: Take the World of Minecraft Outdoors!
      • (Ages 7-9) Pinecraft + Green Thumb Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) Pollinator Power Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) STEAM Studio Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) Weekly Garden Adventures
      • (Ages 7-9) Wild About Wildlife Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) Wilderness Quest Full Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) Creative By Nature Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) Elements: Earth! Wind! Fire! Water! Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) Geo’-mon Explorers Half-day Camp: A Pokemon-Inspired Adventure
      • (Ages 9-11) Green Thumb + Geo'-mon Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) Hogswood Forest School of Magic Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) Incredible Edible Cooking Challenge Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) MESS-tival Festival Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) Outdoor Survival Adventure! + Eco Spy Academy Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) PINECRAFT Half-Day Camp: Take the World of Minecraft Outdoors!
      • (Ages 9-11) Pinecraft + Water Wonders Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) Pollinator Power Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) Wilderness Quest Full-Day Camp
      • Botanical Art: Apples in Watercolor
      • Botanical Drawing: Fall Gourds
      • Botanical Drawing: Fundamentals in Graphite - Part 1
      • Botanical Drawing: Fundamentals in Graphite - Part 2
      • Botanical Techniques: Milkweed Seed Pods
      • Colorful Fall Vegetables in Botanical Watercolor
      • Creative Botanical Composition
      • Introduction to Botanical Art in Colored Pencils - Fall Series
      • Introduction to Botanical Art in Watercolor
      • Pen & Ink: Exploring the Solanaceae Family
      • Pen and Ink: Exploring the Rosaceae Family
      • Spring Ephemerals/Bulbs in Botanical Watercolor
      • Submitting an Artwork to the FFI
      • The Art of Observation: A Botanical Art Primer
      • The Shady Side of Botanical Art: Depicting Shadows, Cast and Otherwise in Colored Pencil and Watercolor
      • Unlock the Challenge of Painting "Greens" in Watercolor
      • (Ages 5-7) Arb Architects + Wild Child Nature Play Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 7-9) Pinecraft + Water Wonders Full-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) Eco Spy Academy Half-Day Camp
      • (Ages 9-11) Wild About Wildlife Half-Day Camp
      • Day Camp Equity, Access and Inclusion
      • Pea Pods for Preschoolers Summer 8-week Series 2025 (Ages 3-5 with an Adult)
    • Andersen Horticultural Library
    • At-Home Gardening
    • Classes
      • 2026 ProHort Online Horticulture Core Course
      • Abstract Florals in Watercolor
      • An Immersive Mindfulness Experience: Awaken to Nature
      • Arboretum Bird Day
      • Arboretum Taste Makers: Destination Alexandria
      • Camera Techniques for Nature Photography
      • Capturing Video with your DSLR or Mirrorless Camera
      • Capturing the Beauty of Waterfalls
      • Classes on the Go! Garden & Horticulture by Tram
      • Crabapples in Watercolor: Four Ways
      • Creative Macro Photography
      • Culinary Classroom: Everything but the Turkey
      • Essential Knife Skills
      • Flavors of Ethiopian & Eritrean Cooking
      • Grilling with Dad
      • Hand-tied Spring Bouquet
      • Insect Appreciation: Enhance your Connection with the Natural World
      • Introduction to Cyanotypes Workshop
      • Lichen Scouting: Discovering Nature’s Hidden Gems
      • Lightroom Part One: Importing, Organizing, Global Adjustments and Exporting
      • Love at First Bite: Charcuterie & Chocolate
      • Mindful Birding: Enhance your Connection with the Natural World
      • Nature Journaling: A Mindful Writing Workshop to Explore Outer and Inner Nature
      • Nature Journaling: A Mindful Writing Workshop to Explore Outer and Inner Nature
      • Paella Afuera
      • Painting in Acrylics: Claude Monet-Inspired Water Lilies
      • Painting in Acrylics: Georgia O'Keeffe-Inspired Petunias
      • Passport to Pasta: The Essentials
      • Photographing Spring Flowers
      • Pizza! with Outdoor Pizza Oven
      • Pressed Plants Special Access Workshop: Preserving Summer’s Beauty
      • Pruning Essentials: Shrubs, Woody Vines & Herbaceous Species
      • Rethinking Rhubarb: Beyond the Pie
      • Shimmering Hummingbird in Watercolor
      • Shinrin-yoku “Forest Bathing”: Experience the Tranquility of Nature
      • Shinrin-yoku “Forest Bathing”: Experience the Tranquility of Nature
      • Spring Centerpiece Workshop
      • Talks With Matt: Fauna at the Arboretum
      • Walks With Matt: Fall Foliage
      • Walks With Matt: Late Summer Fungi
      • Walks With Matt: Showy Lady's Slipper Walk
      • Walks With Matt: Sights, Sounds & Songs of the Prairie
      • Walks With Matt: Spring Peeper Meadow Revisited
      • Walks With Matt: Spring Wildflowers & Bird Migration
      • Walks With Matt: Summertime in the Prairie
      • Walks With Matt: Wetlands at Green Heron Pond
      • Woody Landscape Plant Identification with Executive Director Andrew Gapinski
      • Arboretum Art Open Studio - Spring Series
      • Barn Quilt Painting
      • Contemporary Japanese Weaving: SAORI
      • Drawing in Colored Pencil: Still Life Gourds
      • Fused Glass Suncatcher Workshop
      • Kokedama Workshop
      • Mosaic Nature Treasure Blocks
      • Oil Painting: Fall Landscape
      • Painting in Acrylics: A Vincent van Gogh Inspired-Cypress
      • Painting in Acrylics: Blue Moon
      • Painting in Acrylics: Snowy Pine
      • Stained Glass Mosaic Window Workshop
    • Farm at the Arb Apprenticeship
    • Garden Travel Tours
    • Health & Wellbeing Programs
      • Sarah Palm
    • Research
    • School Programs
      • (Ages 3-6) PreK Sunflower Supreme Plantmobile
      • (Grades 2 - 6) Pollination Investigation Field Trip at the Arb
      • (Grades K-2) Sunflower Supreme Plantmobile 2025-2026
      • (Grades K-3) Pollinators & their Habitats Field Trip in-a-Box
      • (Grades PreK-1) Ready, Set, Grow! Field Trip at the Arb
      • Homeschool Day: Maple Syrup Trail (Grades 1-6)
      • Homeschool Day: Pollination Investigation (Grades 2 - 6)
      • One-Hour Summer Field Trip for Student Groups
      • Self-Guided Visits for student groups
    • Urban Garden Program
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
      • Available Plants of the Plant Sale
      • Taste & Toast Sponsorship
    • Plan Your Event
      • Picnic Shelters
      • Private Event FAQ