WVU Core Arboretum News and Notes
Christmas Bird Count for Kids at WVU Core Arboretum
December 4, 2019
Bring your kids to WVU Core Arboretum on Saturday, December 7, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm to learn about birds, birding, and how to participate in citizen science while spending some time outside on a winter day! We will learn about the Christmas Bird Count--a 120 year old citizen science effort coordinated by the National Audubon Society, then we will do a bird walk and count of our own in the Arboretum. We will also have information available about how to participate in the real Christmas Bird Count the following week. This event is most appropriate for school-age kids, but younger kids are welcome with appropriate supervision. No birding experience is necessary, and first-time birders are encouraged! We will tally our birds and celebrate with hot drinks and snacks after the bird walkers return from their walks. The event will be outside, so please dress for the weather. This event is free and open to everyone, no registration required.
by Zach Fowler
Pawpaw Parties and Pawpaw Festival at WVU Core Arboretum
September 10, 2019
Come to WVU Core Arboretum to taste pawpaws!
The pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is the largest fruit native to West Virginia. Pawpaws have a delicious tropical flavor that some describe as a combination of banana, mango, and pineapple and a smooth, creamy texture. Pawpaws ripen in autumn, and the Arboretum’s trees typically produce enough ripe fruit to gather and share sometime in September.
To celebrate and share this delicious fruit that grows naturally in WV, WVU Core Arboretum hosts Pawpaw Parties every year. Even though pawpaws are fairly common, many people have never tasted a pawpaw, and we hope to change that! Pawpaw Parties are rather informal, but they have become a much-anticipated annual event at WVU Core Arboretum, and this will be our fifth year doing it! A table will be set up in the lawn area at the Arboretum, and all are welcome to stop by and try a pawpaw. Literature about pawpaws and how to grow the pawpaw seeds that will be left after trying the fruit will also be available. Depending on how long the pawpaw season lasts, we will try to host several Pawpaw Parties. Pay attention to the Calendar of Events section of this webpage and our social media pages for more details. Pawpaw Parties are free and open to the public.
Also, on September 28, we are having the second annual WV Pawpaw Festival at the Arboretum! We are collaborating with Neal Peterson from Peterson Pawpaws and local chefs including Marion Ohlinger from Hill and Hollow to present pawpaws to the public in both fresh and prepared versions. We are also going to have live music and fun activities for all at the Pawpaw Festival. More information about the Pawpaw Festival will be posted soon, as we get plans finalized. The Pawpaw Festival is also free and open to the public, and we hope to see you there!
by Zach Fowler
Moth Night 2019 at WVU Core Arboretum
July 13, 2019
National Moth Week is July 20-28, and WVU Core Arboretum is celebrating by inviting everyone to a Moth Night at the Arboretum! Friday, July 26, from 9:00-11:00 pm we will have sheets and lights set up in the Arboretum lawn area to attract moths, and there will be experts on hand to identify the moths that we attract! Last year, we saw more than 75 species of moths and numerous other insects. There is not a formal program for this free event, and all are welcome to stop by any time between 9 and 11 to learn about moths and how to attract and study them. Bring a flashlight. The event will be cancelled if it is raining.by Zach Fowler
Nature Connection at WVU Core Arboretum
May 29, 2019
Local and regional experts on a variety of nature-related subjects give public talks at the Arboretum each summer as part of the WVU Core Arboretum Nature Connection Series. The Nature Connection Series talks happen on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 at the WVU Core Arboretum Amphitheater, starting in early June and continuing through late August. See either our Calendar of Events or Nature Connection Series page for speakers and talk titles. These talks are free and open to the public, and no registration is required. All of the talks are outdoors, so please dress for the weather. Talks will be moved or cancelled if the weather is inclement. Come be a part of the WVU Core Arboretum nature crew!
The 2019 WVU Core Arboretum Nature Connection Series is supported by the WVU Department of Biology, the WVU Core Arboretum Endowment, the Robert C. Cull Outreach Fellowship, and donations from the public. All speakers are volunteers. Thank you to all who support the mission of WVU Core Arboretum!
by Zach Fowler
WVU Core Arboretum Spring Flower Festival 2019
March 25, 2019
Come to WVU Core Arboretum for our second annual Spring Flower Festival on Saturday, April 20, from 2-6 pm! This family-friendly, free event is open to everyone and will showcase the beautiful spring ephemeral wildflower display that happens every year in the Arboretum.We will have wildflower tours, live music, lawn games, nature activities for kids, food trucks, live music and lots of information about other Arboretum programming. These flowers only last a couple weeks every year, so catch them while they’re out!
(Learn more about the spring ephemeral wildflowers.)
by Zach Fowler
Free, guided walks begin April 7 at WVU Core Arboretum
March 11, 2019
Spring will soon be here! Mark your calendars for the WVU Department of Biology spring ephemeral wildflower walks and the Mountaineer Audubon spring bird walks. These free, guided tours are a spring tradition at WVU Core Arboretum. Last year, in the course of three wildflower walks and four bird walks, over 45 species of plants were seen in bloom and over 70 species of birds were seen and/or heard. The wildflower walks will happen on Sundays in April (April 7, 14, 21, and 28) at 2 pm. The bird walks will be the last two Tuesdays in April and the first two Tuesdays in May (April 23, 30 and May 7, 14) at 7:30 am. All tours will meet in the Arboretum parking lot. Additional free parking is available at the nearby WVU Coliseum. No reservations are needed. Dress appropriately for the weather and for hiking. Additional wildflower tours will be added to the schedule in April, as volunteer tour leaders become available! (Read more about spring ephemeral wildflowers.)
by Zach Fowler
WVU Core Arboretum/WVU Herbarium 2018 Newsletters
Click on the images below to access pdf versions of the newsletters.
Help us with a citizen science bird study!
June 1, 2018
The urban bird demography project seeks to understand patterns of survival and habitat use of urban birds in and around Morgantown, West Virginia. We do so by placing markers on birds that allow us to distinguish among individuals. We then re-sight marked birds and record the location where we found the bird. You can help us re-sight marked birds! Follow the link below to read more about the project and learn how you can help us re-sight marked birds.https://sites.google.com/mix.wvu.edu/urbanbirds/home
by Chris Rota
Chris Rota is an Assistant Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Resources at WVU
WVU Core Arboretum spring ephemeral flower poem
April 28, 2018
The following letter and poem were recently shared with our director as an email from a visitor from China. Please read them; the poem is excellent, and it really captures the ecology of the spring ephemeral wildflowers!
Graduate student research at WVU Core Arboretum
How does wildlife adapt to
urban areas? This is one of the major questions for my dissertation research at
West Virginia University. The secretive and elusive Cooper’s hawk was once only
seen in dense forested areas but is a now a common visitor in our backyards and
city parks. This makes this bird an ideal candidate for understanding how
species are adapting to urban environments. For my research, I have been taking
genetic samples from Cooper’s hawks all across the country to compare those
that nest in urban areas to those that nest in more traditional forested areas.
The Arboretum has been home to a few different species of birds of prey
including red-tailed hawks, barred owls, and Cooper’s hawks. In at least the
last two summers, a breeding pair of Cooper’s hawks have chosen the Arboretum
as the best place to raise their young, and I was lucky enough to catch these
birds to collect genetic samples for my research (the birds were released
unharmed back to their nest). Using these samples, I hope to get a better
understanding of how the genes of wildlife change as a result of living in
close proximity to humans. The Arboretum is home to dozens of species of
wildlife, including the Cooper’s hawk, which makes this place an important safe
haven in an urban jungle.
by Meghan Jensen
Meghan Jensen is a Ph.D. candidate in the Wildlife and Fisheries Program of the WVU Division of Forestry and Natural Resources.
News and Notes Archive
WVU Core Arboretum Calendar of Events
November 6: Work Day Wednesday (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
November 13: Work Day Wednesday (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
November 20: Work Day Wednesday (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
November 27: Work Day Wednesday (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
December 4: Work Day Wednesday (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
December 7: Christmas Bird Count for Kids (9:30 am - 12:30 pm)
December 8: Volunteer Work Day (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
December 11: Work Day Wednesday (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
December 18: Work Day Wednesday (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
WVU Core Arboretum Trail Map
Trail Map (pdf) | Trail Descriptions
Directions to WVU Core Arboretum
The WVU Core Arboretum is located adjacent to the WVU Coliseum and directly across
Monongahela Blvd. from the WVU Creative Arts Center.