Programs

Connecticut College Arboretum Assistant Director, Scott D'Agostino, leads a walk through campus to identify trees and shrubs that you can use to add a splash of fall color to your home landscape. During the walk, we will also discuss the physiological reasons why leaves turn color in the fall.

Registration is required as space is limited. Please register HERE.  

Explore the cultural and natural history of Mamacoke Island and the surrounding landscape.  The rocky, wooded, 40 acre island is actually a peninsula that juts out into the Thames River.  It is connected to the mainland by a 4 acre tidal salt marsh.  The shoreline area is known to have been a settlement site by indigenous people going back 5,000 years and the salt marsh was farmed during the first years of colonial times in New London.  Now a natural area within the Connecticut College Arboretum, the tidal and upland areas are designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society.

Hosted by the CT Sea Grant and led by Maggie Redfern, Director of Connecticut College Arboretum

Please note:  This will be a rugged 2 mile walk along a trail on uneven terrain;  participants shoudl dress in long pants and wear appropriate shoes.  No facilities at site.

Cost is $25, register at https://www.thamesriverheritagepark.org/.

The Connecticut College Arboretum, in partnership with Connecticut College faculty and GreenVest, invites the public to a meeting about the Mamacoke Island Aquatic Habitat Resilience (MIAHR) Project — a multi-phase effort to stabilize and enhance Mamacoke Marsh along the lower Thames River in Quaker Hill, CT. As sea levels rise and high energy coastal storms become more frequent, the project aims to strengthen the long-term resiliency of this tidal marsh ecosystem and the surrounding shoreline. The meeting will share progress on site surveys, environmental data analysis, the project's updated design, and offer an opportunity for community members to ask questions and provide input prior to the final design phase. 

LIVING ON THE EDGE: Designing the transition from landscape to forest

The transition zone between a cultivated landscape and a natural forested area provides unique opportunities (and challenges!) in a home landscape. The strategic use of native understory trees and shrubs can provide screening and other important landscape functions as well as expanding your seasonal interest and support for native pollinators/wildlife.

Full-day conference includes morning coffee/continental breakfast, three presentations, lunch, a panel discussion and an optional tour.
Seating is limited. Registration required.
Registration fee is $75.00 or a discounted rate of $60.00 is offered for current members of the Connecticut College Arboretum and Wild Ones.

Connecticut College students, non-profit representatives and/or emerging industry professionals may apply for a limited number of sponsored or discounted registrations by submitting a letter of interest to arbor@conncoll.edu expressing how their attendance to this conference will benefit their professional goals or ecological projects.
 

This festive Arboretum event is a tradition during the holiday season! Assistant Director Scott D'Agostino will lead participants in creating their own holiday wreath using greens cut fresh from the Connecticut College Arboretum.

Bring hand pruners, garden gloves and any decorative items you wish to incorporate into your wreath. Greens, wire and wreath frames will be provided.

Please register HERE.