Friday, january 23, 2026 3 – 4:30 pm danforth campus, building and room tbd Join the WashU Arboretum for a hands-on event focused on identifying winter trees with Tyson Research Center research scientist Erin O’Connell. The event will include a short presentation on identifying trees by their bark, twigs and buds, followed by a tour […]
The crisp, cool autumn air has moved into the Midwest, and the Arboretum’s annual metamorphosis has begun. Leaves have started to turn shades of deep red, radiant yellow, bright orange and more. Heptacodium Miconiodes (Seven-son Flower) – The wine-red-looking flowers are actual sepals, not petals. It had just finished blooming white, and after the petals […]
Thursday, November 6, 2025 9 a.m. Brookings Quad, Hillman Hall Fall is in full swing in St. Louis, making it the perfect time to enjoy the beautiful outdoors amidst seasonal changes. We invite you to join the WashU Arboretum for a special tree-planting event in the historic Brookings Quad and Hillman Hall. You’ll have the […]
WashU research reveals function of red stigmas in wind-pollinated flowers Hazelnuts have long been prized as a tasty and nutritious food. Found in forests statewide in Missouri, they are a favorite wild edible for many people. Squirrels and other small mammals feast on the nuts each fall and winter, as do certain birds and white-tailed […]
Thursday, October 9, 2025 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Meet at the entrance to Graham Chapel Celebrate the fall season with an exploration of edible plants on campus led by Froggi VanRiper. Froggi is a lecturer in Environmental Studies, and a scholar of wild edibles from youth. Froggi has foraged across the US, with a […]
On July 28, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, awarded it the 2025 Excellence in Sustainability Award — a celebration of the dedication to a greener, smarter future. Many thanks to all the amazing caretakers who tend to our trees and green spaces with tenderness and care.
WashU has been recognized as the NACUBO 2025 Excellence in Sustainability Award recipient.
Near Hillman Hall, just steps from Forsyth Boulevard, a garden welcomes visitors into a calming, natural retreat. Nestled among trees, native sweetgrass, and coneflowers, the Buder Circle & Three Sisters Garden offers a tranquil space centered around corn, beans, and squash; plants deeply rooted in Indigenous agricultural traditions. This garden is one of 15 newly […]
June 26 Despite the recent extreme temperatures that have kept the people of WashU mostly inside, the landscape on campus is thriving – east of Lopata Hall, WashU’s daylily collection is in full bloom. WashU boasts more than 200 different varieties of these perennials. Visitors to campus will find them in bloom in June and […]
WashU’s Danforth Campus suffered moderate damage during severe weather in the St. Louis metropolitan area May 16. Crews have been working throughout the weekend to remove fallen trees, assess tree damage and clean-up debris. More information about the WashU Arboretum will be shared at a later date.
May 14 Ashe’s Magnolia Between Rebstock and Wilson, there are a cluster of Ashe’s Magnolia with fragrant, large-cup shaped flowers in bloom. Ashe’s Magnolias are native to North America and much larger than most Magnolia species. Hillman Hall: Calares Garden Terrace Did you know there’s green roof on the third floor of Hillman Hall? Visitors will find […]
May 7 Tulip Poplar Located on the north side of Eads and Ridgley, this Tulip Poplar tree was given to WashU in 1991. It was grown from seed from the original Tulip trees planted by George Washington in 1785 at his Mount Vernon home. Yellowwood The sweet smelling flowers of the Yellowwood tree don’t reliably […]
APRIL 29 Assorted Peonies All of April’s showers will bring WashU lots of flowers. Assorted peony cultivars will bloom in early May across the Danforth Campus. Places to see them:
On Arbor Day, the WashU Arboretum is delighted to share Annie Tian’s winning design for the 2025 Tree of the Year Sticker Design Competition featuring the Bur Oak. Tian is a sophomore studying Communication Design and Neuroscience. When asked about her illustration, she said, “If fairies wore acorn caps, a Bur Oak cupule would definitely […]
NEW DATE 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. SCHNUCK PAVILION 202 The WashU Arboretum and Forest ReLeaf, a local nonprofit, are hosting a TreeKeepers course for the WashU community. The TreeKeepers workshop is a condensed version of Forest ReLeaf’s 6-week tree care course. The workshop will cover the basics of tree biology, identification, planting, and maintenance […]
A one-minute stroll through the WashU Arboretum.
APRIL 24 Red Horsechestnut The Red Horsechestnut on the northeast corner of Olin Library reached peak bloom this week. Learn more about this tree on the campus arbor walk.
TUESDAY, April 22, 2025 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. MEET AT the brookings Arch Celebrate Earth Day on the Danforth Campus with a plant identification arbor walk. Participants will learn basic techniques for plant identification and be given resources for how to tackle tougher plant IDs. The walk will take place over an approximately 1.5-mile […]
After days of rain, the trees and blooms in the WashU Arboretum are showing off! If you’re on campus this week, here’s what you may see… Serviceberries Serviceberries are in bloom all over campus, with five delicate strap-shaped petals on each flower and graceful, leaning trunks. Some of the best displays of gathered serviceberries are […]
Week of March 31 Japanese Flowering Crabapple The Japanese Flowering Crabapple on the northeast corner of Olin Library will reach peak bloom this week. Learn more about this tree on the campus arbor walk.
Week of March 24 Last week marked the official start to spring, and campus has begun to bloom with colors and scents of the season. Below are locations of where to find the most recent blooms in the WashU Arboretum. Okame and Yoshino Cherry Tree Allées Both cherry tree allées (tree lined corridors) on the […]
FRIDAY, April 4, 2025 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. MEET in Schnuck Pavilion 202 Ever wonder which plants encountered in your daily life you can or cannot eat? Join Dr. Froggi VanRiper and Arboretum team member, Michael Barash, for this interactive tour highlighting edible or medicinal spring plant species that can be found in the […]
FRIDAY, March 28, 2025 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. McDonnell 362 The WashU Arboretum and Forest ReLeaf, a local nonprofit, are hosting an abridged TreeKeepers course for current students interested in learning everything there is to know about trees. This class is designed for any student with an interest in trees, regardless of experience level, […]
2024 was a year of growth, change, and opportunity for the WashU Arboretum. The highlight for the year was WashU’s recognition as a Level III Arboretum under the ArbNet certification – a rare achievement. Currently, less than 100 arboreta in the world have a Level III or Level IV designation—fewer than 20 of those are […]
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. South of Fraternity Row Learn about willows, one of the most diverse species collections in the WashU Arboretum, while helping our Arboretum team set up herbivore deterrents for this year’s crop of willow sprouts. Willow branches from last year will be woven and wrapped around […]
Cohosted with the Center for the Environment for Environmental Research & Creativity Week
Sunday, February 23, 2025 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Burning Kumquat, Wallace Drive (behind Alumni House, across from Butterfly Garden) Visit the Burning Kumquat garden between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 23rd to witness the final stage of the maple tapping process — boiling the maple sap! Come by to enjoy the […]
Do you have an oak that you study under? A magnolia whose flowers you adore? A ginkgo you hold your nose around but still cherish? Visit the Arboretum table at the times and places below to write a letter to your favorite tree! This is the third year of the Love Letters to Trees campaign, […]
A new and improved Mudd Field is coming to WashU in 2028. Read more »
Friday, January 31, 2025 3 PM to 4:30 PM Danforth University Center (DUC), Room 248 6475 Forsyth, St. Louis, Missouri 63130 Join the WashU Arboretum for a hands-on lesson about identifying winter trees with Tyson research scientist Erin O’Connell. The event will involve a short presentation on how to identify trees based on characteristics like bark, […]
The WashU Arboretum is now welcoming design submissions from WashU students for the 2025 Arboretum token, featuring this year’s Tree of the Year, Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa). Design requirements: Submission Deadline: January 31, 2025 All current Washington University students, graduate and undergraduate, are welcome to submit their art for the Arboretum’s third annual Tree of the Year […]
The WashU Arboretum recently received Level III accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. Campus will be adding more trees near new ArtSci building. Read more »
Stan Braude, a professor of practice in biology in Arts & Sciences and the curator of the WashU arboretum, died at home Saturday, June 1, 2024, after a short illness. He was 62.
In February 2023, WashU students were invited to write notes, poems or love letters to their favorite tree on campus. Hundreds of students filled out valentines cards that were hung from the branches of their favorite trees early on the morning of Valentine’s Day. Did the Valentine’s cards increase awareness of the Arboretum? One hundred and […]
A clone of the felled tree will grow where the original stood for more than 100 years
Arboretum curator Stan Braude shares his goal for the campus landscape as well as for those who enjoy it.
Buder Center hosted planting ceremony led by Native American people
WashU has been awarded a Level 2 accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum for achieving standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.
Washington University in St. Louis has again earned Tree Campus USA status from the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management.
An official Tree Campus USA school, university boasts 4,200 trees on 169 acres
Washington University in St. Louis has been awarded a Level 1 accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum for achieving standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.
East end transformation will feature 350 new trees
WashU receives plaque designating the tree’s historical significance
A collaborative effort between students, staff and the University administration has resulted in the planned planting of 11 trees on the Hilltop Campus to mark Earth Day 2006.