Under a shining sun, families enjoyed delightfully creative activities on Sunday, April 14 to welcome back redwing blackbirds. Children and parents wore capes, applied temporary tattoos, played a redwing blackbird memory game, went on a StoryWalk, and learned about the songs of various common birds with the help of puppets and real bird calls recorded through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Harvard Museum of Natural History provided specimens of male and female redwing blackbirds so everyone could see these beautiful but elusive birds up close.
Co-sponsored for the first time by the Cambridge Science Festival, the event drew more than 150 children and adults to the Arboretum landscape on a beautiful spring day. Welcome Back Redwing Blackbirds has been so well received that we look forward to making this an annual event!
Share nature and the wonder of discovery with us at the Arboretum. Please join us next month for Flower Power! on May 19.
From “free” to “friend”…
Established in 1911 as the Bulletin of Popular Information, Arnoldia has long been a definitive forum for conversations about temperate woody plants and their landscapes. In 2022, we rolled out a new vision for the magazine as a vigorous forum for tales of plant exploration, behind-the-scenes glimpses of botanical research, and deep dives into the history of gardens, landscapes, and science. The new Arnoldia includes poetry, visual art, and literary essays, following the human imagination wherever it entangles with trees.
It takes resources to gather and nurture these new voices, and we depend on the support of our member-subscribers to make it possible. But membership means more: by becoming a member of the Arnold Arboretum, you help to keep our collection vibrant and our research and educational mission active. Through the pages of Arnoldia, you can take part in the life of this free-to-all landscape whether you live next door or an ocean away.