Arboretum

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UC Davis Arboretum

sign1.jpg

According the [WWW]official UC Davis Arboretum site, the UC Davis Arboretum (Known as "The Arbo" to some locals) is:

Might I also add:

Furthermore:

The UC Davis Arboretum occupies 100 acres of land along the south edge of campus, along the banks of the old north channel of Putah Creek.

[WWW]Read a feature story about the Arboretum in Davis Life Magazine.

lakeflowers.jpg25 Oct, 2007 arb_2006_04_28.jpg28-Apr-2006 arb_trees.jpg12-Feb-2005 arb_bridge.jpg12-Feb-2005 sign.jpg

The Waterway

lake_spafford_sign.jpgA sign on the edge of Lake Spafford

This stretch of waterway is now a fairly stagnant pool rather than a working creek and various experiments in aeration can be found along the eastern part of the creek. There is one large, central, lake area, immediately east of Mrak Hall. This lake is commonly referred to as Lake Spafford (location: 38.3215N by 121.4449W) , so named for Lois Spafford. She gave $20,000 to establish the Ed and Lois Spafford Endowed Arboretum Maintenance Fund. Her late husband, F. Edwin Spafford, was ASUCD President in 1953. From 1954 until his retirement in 1987, Ed made many lasting contributions to the University of California and to the Davis campus. Lake Spafford, near Mrak Hall in the UC Davis Arboretum, is named for Ed.

There is a working boat house at the (unnamed?) body of water west of Putah Creek Lodge.

The Plant collections

scarlet_monkeyflwr.jpgOne of the 4000+ plants that inhabits the Arboretum

There are 18 distinct plant groupings in the arboretum, maintained by the 1100+ member [WWW]Friends of the Arboretum group, which is always [WWW]looking for members (which costs money), or you can [WWW]volunteer. The plant collections are:

Arboretum_Map.JPG

Each one features a different set of plants, and all survive or thrive in Davis's moderate Mediterranean climate. The [WWW]map of the gardens will be helpful if you're looking for a specific plant group. As of 1997, the arboretum contained 151 different Plant Families.

Annual events

UC Davis's annual Picnic Day holds one major event in the arboretum: the Picnic Day Battle Of The Bands. Not to be missed!

Other events, focused around the plant and animal life present in the arboretum, are organized by the [WWW]Friends of the Arboretum and are held at regular intervals.

Animal life

Some of the animals that can be spotted in the arboretum include: butterflies, ducks,frogs, geese, cormorants, raptors(hawks), peacocks, Herons & Egrets, rabbits, squirrels, fish, and turtles. See also: Town Wildlife

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This Peahen (female peafowl) can often be seen in and around the Arboretum.

One omnipresent creature in the arboretum area (and the nearby sections of Davis and the UC Davis campus) is the duck.

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An adult male mallard duck in the UC Davis Arboretum

The ducks feed on grubs in the grassy areas surrounding the waterways of the arboretum and on the scummy substance that lines the bottom of the waterways. If grubs and scum were all the ducks had to feed upon, there would be quite a few less of them (see the page on Ducks for info on overfeeding).

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"An adult mallard duck feeding in the UC Davis Arboretum.

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This is sometimes amusing to watch. Not to be outdone, the geese do it too.

A plethora of other wildlife inhabit the arboretum, including bees, pretty butterflies, and fish:

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A butterfly on a rock in the UC Davis Arboretum

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A photo of the Arboretum when it was drained for improvements.

arbofish.jpgYes, fish can survive in the Arboretum waters...

arboretumwatertower.JPGA UC Davis water tower overlooks the Arboretum

What to do there

grapelike_flowers.jpgFragrant flowers. Some type of lilac? Anyone know? (looks like wisteria to me but the leaves are funny)

In addition to the aforementioned romantic walks, the arboretum is also used by inline skaters, bicyclists and runners/joggers. Most of the arboretum is not lit by streetlights at night, but crime in the Davis area is rare and the arboretum is, generally speaking, a safe place to spend time, even after dark. With the arboretum's connection to the South Davis Bike Path, it makes a useful bike-friendly route to the core of the UC Davis campus from South Davis. Many UC Davis students live at Solano Park, a university-run apartment complex at the northeast end of the arboretum.

Additional Arboretum Locations

[WWW]Directions

[WWW]http://www.plants.am is a wiki just like this one with a plant encyclopedia and gardening articles.

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2008-12-22 14:47:30   The arboretum is very pretty but they have a sign for every single redbud tree, while many other species go unnamed. Why is this? —tierramor

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