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The Arb: A Gem Revisited

The Arb: A Gem Revisited image The Arb: A Gem Revisited image
Parent Issue
Month
August
Year
1998
Copyright
Creative Commons (Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-alike)
Rights Held By
Agenda Publications
OCR Text

By MICHAEL A. KIELB, Education Coordinator of Nichols Arboretum

Situated on the banks of the Huron River, Nichols Arboretum has offered Ann Arbor residents a green haven for over 90 years. The "Arb," as it is known to its visitors, has grown to 123 acres since its humble origin of 27.5 acres in 1907. The land was donated by Walter and Esther Nichols who farmed the original acreage, producing grapes, plums, and apples. As late as the 1930s, we are told, you could still find a cow or two on Arb property.

The gentle slopes of the Arb snake their way down to the Huron River, covering a descent of approximately 180 feet from Geddes Avenue, with its dramatic vista. These slopes were carved by receding glaciers thousands of years ago, but were more recently planted and delineated by Ossian Cole Simonds as a designed landscape. It is now considered to be one of the premier examples of an historic landscape in the Prairie School of design.

The main valley's large grassy fields emphasize and contrast with the Arb's naturally planted landscapes and gardens. One of the favorite spots for Arb visitors is the Peony Garden. Located near the Washington Heights entrance, just beyond the Ronald McDonald House, the Peony Garden is a blaze of flowers from many historical varieties of this popular plant, blooming from late May until mid-June.

Another favorite and wonderful respite from the summer heat is the Appalachian Glen. The Glen is an approximation of the Appalachian Cove Forest. Large rhododendrons mark the entrance and a variety of rhododendrons and other interesting trees and shrubs are scattered throughout. The Glen's trails wind from the valley's main road up the hillside to just behind the Peony Garden. The development and evolution of the glen has resulted in several species of southern birds appearing regularly and nesting there. Cooper's hawks nest here, as do Carolina wrens. Recently, the Acadian flycatcher, a southern bird barely reaching Michigan as a nesting species, has been spending the summer.

Almost directly across the main valley from the Appalachian Glen is the Magnolia collection. These southern trees are frequently in full bloom in May, with their interesting seed pods ripening over the summer.

A walk along the river will allow you to see some native Michigan floodplain forest. American elm, cottonwood, and a variety of other native trees grow along the river bank. In late March and early April the flowers of the skunk cabbage line the banks, a sure sign that spring is soon to follow.

This is also one of the best areas in the Arb, and southeastern Michigan, to watch for the wealth of neotropical migrant birds that pass through the Arb in May and again in late August and September. It is not uncommon for up to 30 species of warblers to be seen in the spring. While many species are common, such as American redstarts, bay breasted warbler, black-and-white warbler, and others, some rare species are regular visitors to the Arb. The rare Connecticut warbler is a regular visitor in late May, and worm eating warblers are seen in the Arb more often than any other site in Michigan.

The road along the river is also a great place to look for spring wildflowers. Trillium, bloodroot, spring beauty, and adder' s tongue are among the spring ephemerals that dot the landscape from late April into midMay. One interesting low-growing plant with a deep mauve flower is wild ginger. The best place to find this flower is along the road between the Appalachian Glen and the river. The only way to see the flower, however, is to get on your knees and gently lift the plant's leaves since the flower grows barely above the ground surface.

Following the river road east you will find a tall stand of pines to the south; this marks one of the boundaries of Dow Prairie. Dow Prairie was a gift from Detroit Edison, which has had a long association with the Nichols Arboretum. Since the early 1990s, portions of the prairie have been burned annually . The controlled fires are used as a tool by Professor Bob Grese of U-M's School of Natural Resources and Environment in restoring the prairie to a more natural ecosystem. The prairie had been "invaded" by many weed-species, mostly of European origin. These f'oreign plants rapidly expanded to crowd out many of the native prairie grasses and wildflowers. In addition, over time, woody shrubs and saplings had moved from the edges into the prairie itself. The solution to this invasion was simply fire.

Historically, prairies are controlled, and maintained, by wildfïres. We have altered this cycle, thus eliminating most prairie habitats from southern Michigan. The once abundant oak savanna habitat has all but disappeared from the state. Professor Grese has used controlled fires to remove the woody plants and invasive foreign weeds. Deep within the seedbank of the soil, seeds from a long-gone community of native prairie grasses and wildflowers were waiting for this opportunity. With the invasive species removed the prairie grasses returned, and Dow Prairie is ablaze with color in August, as a result of the blazes set in the spring. The prairies once again home to a wide variety of insects, especially butterflies, that had not been here in many years.

Since the Arb is an arboretum, it is fitting that many of the trees are labeled. About 100 trees have identifying numbcred tags, keyed to a pamphlet with map, allowing visitors to identify a wide variety of native and foreign trees on their self-guided tour. The inquisitive visitor can find Michigan native trees such as sugar maple, white ash, black walnut, box eider, eastern white pine, and dozens more. Additionally, other North American species are easily located, including American yellowwood, Kentucky coffee tree, and Engelmann spruce. Finally, an excellent collection of Asian trees are scattered throughout the Arb. These include Chinese chestnut, Japanese pagoda tree, lacebark pine, and Cedar of Lebanon.

The Arboretum is a wonderful green jewel, situated in the heart of an ever-sprawling Ann Arbor. Day to day, throughout the year, the Arb is used by Ann Arbor residents and visitors as a place to walk, run, walk your dog (on a leash), have a picnic, look at wildlife, toss a frisbee, or otherwise escape the urban hassle for a day in the country. Many residents, students, and visitors leave Ann Arbor with fond memories of this beautiful landscape.

Recently, the Arb has moved the historic Burnham House to the Washington Heights entrance. The house, built in 1837 and believed to be the oldest residential building in Ann Arbor, is currently being restored and will be the future home of the James D. Reader, Jr. Urban Environmental Education Center. There will be educational displays, a classroom, wildlife viewing areas, and a gateway landscape garden designed by noted landscape architect, James van Sweden. The Center will be opened in the spring of 1999. Additionally, there is an Adult Education Program starting in September, 1998. This program includes a wide variety of classes with the public at large invited to enroll (see sidebar for fall classes).

There are four entrances to the Arb. Riverview is the eastmost entrance, adjacent to Dow Prairie. The Geddes Avenue entrance is considered by many to be the "main" entrance, and offers an excellent view down the valley towards the river and over to the University of Michigan's North Campus. There is an entrance off Washington Heights, just beyond the Ronald McDonald House which will feature the new Reader Urban Environmental Education Center. Finally, there is the old River Entrance. This entrance is accessible from the parking lot which is below the University of Michigan Hospital. During the week this lot is restricted to employees of the University. However, on weekends it is legal to park here and venture into the Arb.

Visit our web site at www.umich.edu/~snrewww/ arb for information about our docent-led public tours on the third Sunday of every month and to join our volunteer work days and Friends of the Arb. For more information regarding classes or private tours cali Michael Kielb at 936-2652, or leave a message at 763-6632.

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