Another photo dump from our Horticulturists and Arborists! 🤳🪻 Drop some nature-themed emojis in the comments if you are enjoying these photo dumps. 🌸 🐦 🦋
The Morton Arboretum
@mortonarboretum.bsky.social
1,700-acre tree-focused botanical garden & science center. Hiking trails, Children's Garden, events, classes, Plant Clinic. Open 365 days.
Blooming now! 🌿 Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) is putting on a spectacular summer show! 🦋 The blooms attract pollinators, while the nuts provide food for wildlife in fall. Its lush green leaves also turn a beautiful buttery yellow later in the fall. Learn more: https://arb.eco/4ftXAqj.
Let's help 10 million fireflies light up the world! ✨
Extreme heat is hard on people—and plants, too. 🥵 🪴 💧 First and foremost, be careful – only tend to your gardens if it is safe for you to do so. Try to stay out of the sun! Read the Arboretum's blog for more on how to help plants during the extreme heat: https://arb.eco/4eE49q5.
🐝 "Every flower you plant in your garden helps some pollinator," said Plant Knowledge Specialist Sharon Yiesla. "Plant lots of different kinds of flowers and help a lot of different pollinators." 🌳 Learn more about trees and plants that attract pollinators using this list: https://arb.eco/43qv3uR.
For real though, pollinators are S-tier. 🐝 🪻 Learn what to plant in your yard to attract pollinators: https://arb.eco/43qv3uR.
On #EndangeredSpeciesDay, we’re celebrating global conservation partnerships protecting threatened trees like Guaiacum unijugum in Mexico. 🌳 Collaborative efforts helped grow the documented population from 29 to 53 known trees, with nearly 500 seedlings propagated to support recovery.
A landmark study following 15+ years of collaboration by researchers at the Arboretum, @duke-university.bsky.social, @harvard.edu, and partners in Mexico published this week on @pnas.org. It reveals what made the mountains of Mexico and Central America a hotspot for oak biodiversity: arb.eco/4tVWclh
Happy Earth Day from The Morton Arboretum! 🌎 🌳
The Arboretum has witnessed the positive outcomes of dedicated collaboration with local partners on active conservation projects around the world, including in Mexico to protect the endangered arroyo oak, pictured. Effective conservation requires global cooperation. (1/2)
As green tips sprout their way to the surface, winter weather can still return. 🌱❄️ 🌷 Here are some tips to protect your plants through the ups and downs of spring weather: https://arb.eco/4rNB2E7. #SpringBlooms #Spring #Plants #PlantHealth #MortonArboretum
Ever wondered why some trees keep their leaves in the winter? Let’s hear from Research Assistant, Brendon Reidy. 🍂 🔗 Learn more: arb.eco/4rdp9qK. #Leaf #Leaves #Marcescence #MortonArboretum #TreeScience
Celebrating #WorldWildlifeDay with some beautiful wildlife at the Arboretum! 🐦 🦌 🐿️ #Wildlife #Animals #MortonArboretum #Nature
Calling all bird watchers! 🐦 Join the Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 13–16. Spend 15+ minutes watching birds, count what you see, and submit to eBird or Merlin to help scientists protect birds worldwide. 🐦🌎 Learn more: https://www.birdcount.org/.
Let’s go, girls! 🙂↕️ Today is #InternationalWomenAndGirlsInScienceDay, and we are celebrating by hearing from just a few of the amazing women scientists at The Morton Arboretum! 👩🔬 Drop a 🔬 in the comments to celebrate women in science—or tag a woman or girl who’s interested in tree science. 💚
Bark is beautiful. 🌳 Come see for yourself! Each species has a characteristic color and texture to its bark. 🌈 Bark isn’t just for looks—it’s a tree’s armor! 💪 🔗 Learn more and discover some distinctive bark textures across the Arboretum: https://arb.eco/3LIvzPX.
With cold temps ahead, you may hear about “exploding trees” — but it’s not that explosive. 🌳❄️ Sudden cold rarely causes this. What’s more common is frost cracking, when bark warms in the sun, then cools and shrinks faster than the inner wood, creating a vertical crack. Learn more: bit.ly/4a9Lb8k.
Snowy songbird trail, @mortonarboretum.bsky.social this morning.
Undergrads: strengthen your research skills with a summer at the Arboretum! Gain the guidance of staff scientists through the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at The Morton Arboretum. Apps due Jan. 31! bit.ly/49t9pZD #SummerInternship #TreeScience #STEM
The Arboretum is pleased to have been mentioned among @wttw.bsky.social’s most-read nature stories in 2025, for an important article on stopping the spread of invasive buckthorn in Chicago-region forests. ICYMI, read more here: bit.ly/4q8xWKE
