Celebration offers plenty for nature lovers

The Summer Sesquicentennial Celebration Aug. 21-22 at UW–Madison will feature several tours, open houses and other activities that may be of interest to gardeners and other nature lovers. The following events are all scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 22:

See also: Sesquicentennial Celebration parking tips

• Nature walks through one of the most well-known natural areas on the Madison campus, Picnic Point: Presented by the Campus Natural Areas Committee, the walks will reflect on the ecology and cultural history of this treasured landscape. 9, 10 and 11 a.m. at the circle parking lot next to the 1918 Marsh, just across from the entrance to Picnic Point.
• Informal tours of Allen Centennial Gardens: These 22 gardens on 2.5 acres serve as an outdoor classroom for students and a valuable resource for gardeners. This year, the gardens feature a number of present-day cultivars of species popular in the nursery trade around the turn of the century, and believed to have been in ornamental use 150 years ago. Among them are Grandpa Ott’s morning glories, scented geraniums, Violet Queen cleome and Lord Nelson sweet peas. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Babcock and Observatory drives.
• Open house, D.C. Smith Instructional Greenhouse: This two-year-old, high-tech facility features a 1,400-square-foot conservatory filled with mature ornamental plants and 11 bays, each about 500 square feet, where students can control and monitor light, temperature and humidity independently. It has won several awards for its architectural design and interior landscaping. Visitors receive a free birch sapling, rhododendron or blueberry plant while supplies last. Free plants will also be given away at the Stock Pavilion. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Babcock and Linden drives.
• Informal tours, Botany Garden and Greenhouses: This relatively “secret” garden, used for teaching and research, showcases 386 species from 68 families of flowering plants, and provides a quiet place of beauty for students, employees and visitors to enjoy. The eight-room greenhouse contains more than 1,000 species from aquatic, desert and tropical plant communities. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., along University Avenue behind Birge Hall.
• Open house, Wisconsin State Herbarium: This museum collection, spanning 150 years, is an international resource that houses the world’s largest collection of Wisconsin plants, with most of the world’s flora also well represented. More than a million specimens have been pressed, dried and labeled for use in scientific research, teaching and public service activities. 1-5 p.m., main lobby in Birge Hall on Bascom Hill.
• Bus tours, Arboretum: 90-minute tours led by Arboretum director Greg Armstrong will include brief stops to get a closer look at interesting natural features and plantings in the Arboretum. 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., departing from the front of the Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St.
• Campus Tree Walk: Participants will visit the spot where John Muir had his first botany lesson, see the oldest tree on campus (300 years old), and hear the story of the Bascom elms. 1:30 p.m., departing from the Campus Assistance and Visitor Center at the Red Gym, 716 Langdon St.
• Freshwater Research: Discover the Science of Limnology: Discover a teeming world beneath the surface of Lake Mendota. 1-5 p.m., Alumni Pier at the Memorial Union Terrace.

A complete listing of Summer Celebration events can be found at http://www.uw150.wisc.edu/summer/. Printed schedules will be available beginning the week of Aug. 8 at several locations on and off campus, including many food stores. On Aug. 22, campus visitors will find schedules at information stands at the University Bay Drive fields, the Stock Pavilion and Library Mall.