Each month we offer a variety of programs to inspire, teach and engage. All Connecticut College Arboretum programs are open to the public and many of our programs are free or available at a discounted rate with membership and for current Connecticut College students. Some programs require registration to confirm your spot. Email arbor@conncoll.edu if you need assistance.

Connecticut College is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy community. 

 

FEATURED PROGRAM:

The Life and Work of James Sweeney

Friday, April 3

5:30 p.m.

COST: FREE

Registration Requested

LOCATION: New London City Hall, Council Chambers, 3rd Floor

This program is hosted by New London Landmarks

Architect James Sweeney designed many prominent buildings in New London and its vicinity at the turn of the twentieth century but is relatively unknown today. Join us inside Sweeney’s most well-known building for a presentation by Arboretum Director, Maggie Redfern to learn about his enduring structures, those lost and others threatened with demolition.

Plein-Air Painting Workshop with Katie Fogg

Tuesday, April 28
[Rain Date: Tuesday, May 26] 

5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

COST: $70 members/$80 non-members
Materials provided.
Registration Required.

REGISTER HERE

Join us for an afternoon of painting in nature at the Connecticut College Arboretum with local artist Katie Fogg. Working outdoors, we will explore simple painting techniques while observing the landscape, light, and color around us.

Website: www.katiefogg.com
Instagram: @katiefogg

 

Orchids for Beginners

Wednesday, April 29
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

COST: $10 members/$15 non-members
Registration Required.

REGISTER HERE

Growing orchids in your home can be easy and rewarding with their long-lasting flowers. Participants will learn what care and conditions their orchids need to thrive and re-bloom, tour the Connecticut College greenhouse orchid collection and take part in a repotting workshop.  Registrants are invited to bring in their own plants to learn how to repot or to diagnose plant problems.
 
Workshop leader Lydia Pan is a retired biomedical research scientist who has been an orchid hobbyist for over 40 years, ever since she began to grow orchids during graduate studies in San Diego. Over the years, she learned by reading and talking to expert growers, also by trial and error, which orchids would grow and flower without a greenhouse in New England.  Her plants have won several “Best in Class” awards at American Orchid Society (AOS)-affiliated orchid society shows and two have received flower quality awards from the AOS.  In addition to her interest in growing orchids, Lydia is an ardent ecological gardener, President of the Wild Ones Mountain Laurel Chapter and a long-time volunteer with the Connecticut College Arboretum.

Annual Wildflower Walk 

Friday, May 1

12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m.

COST: FREE! 
Space is limited. Registration Requested. 

REGISTER HERE

On a slope just south of the Laurel Walk lies the Edgerton and Stengel Wildflower Garden, containing over 75 species of wildflowers. Some of the flowers you can expect to see include: Jack-in-the-pulpit, Virginia Blue Bells, Wild Geranium, Solomon’s Seal and Trillium. Join Connecticut College Arboretum Director Maggie Redfern on a 45-minute walk through the Wildflower Garden and learn about our ephemeral treasures.

Spring Bird Walk— Goodwin Natural Area

Saturday, May 23

9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

COST: $10 -or- FREE for Ct College Arboretum or CT Audubon Society members
Space is limited. Registration Required. 

REGISTER HERE

The Connecticut College Arboretum provides an urban oasis for migrating songbirds with its diverse habitats. We’ll walk through the Goodwin Natural Area to look for the songbirds singing from the forests, swallows foraging over the pond and wetlands, and more. The walk will be approximately 1-1.5 miles on level dirt and grassy terrain. 

This program is held in partnership with the Connecticut Audubon Society

Logo of the Connecticut Audubon Society

 

 

In Our Gallery

March

John H. Sargent Nature Photography Exhibit

Free and open to the public.

An exhibit of nature photography by John H. Sargent is on display in the Connecticut College Arboretum Gallery through the end of March.

About the Artist and the Exhibit

John H. Sargent has been living and working as an artist in Southeastern Connecticut for more than thirty-five years and is a keen observer of the birds and plants that inhabit the lands, waters and skies of the region. Though his primary artistic pursuit is landscape painting, he is also interested in nature photography. The photos in this exhibit were all taken in the Connecticut College Arboretum’s Native Plant Collection, Goodwin Natural Area, and Mamacoke Natural Area.

John has worked in many mediums, including digital photography, traditional Chinese painting, acrylic, oil, watercolor painting and nature printing. He was an art teacher at the Williams School in New London from 1983 until 2006. From 2006 until 2012 he was an Artist in Residence at the ISAAC School, a charter school middle school in New London. Currently he works out of his home studio in Quaker Hill mostly creating paintings for display in the workplaces of non-profit organizations. To learn more about John’s artwork please visit his website at http://www.johnhsargent.com

The Connecticut College Arboretum Gallery is located in the Arboretum Center for Education & Research (ACER) building at 33 Gallows Lane New London CT 06320.

The gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For information about exhibiting your artwork in the Connecticut College Arboretum gallery space, please email arbor@conncoll.edu. The Connecticut College Arboretum gallery space displays nature-related art. Any medium type will be considered. 

FREE Guided Tours

Tours start at 10 a.m. on the first and second Sunday of each month from May thru October.

Our free guided tours are open to the public and pre-registration is not required. 

Native Plant Collection (1st Sunday of the month)

Tours of the Native Plant Collection meet at the entrance gate to the Native Plant Collection located on Williams Street across from the Williams Street entrance to the Connecticut College main campus.

2026 tour dates: May 3, June 7, July 5, August 2, September 6, October 4

Caroline Black Garden (2nd Sunday of the month)

Tours of the Caroline Black Garden meet at the entrance to the Caroline Black Garden located on behind the Vinal Cottage across Mohegan Avenue from the main entrance to the Connecticut College campus. Access to the parking area behind Vinal Cottage is located at 4 Winchester Avenue.

2026 tour dates: May 10, June 14, July 12, August 9, September 13, October 11

Campus Tree Collection (3rd Sunday on select months)

Learn about the incredible variety of native and landscape specimen trees planted throughout the main campus of Connecticut College. Tours of the Campus Tree Collection meet at the New London Hall Greenhouse (by the blue sculpture).

2026 tour dates: May 17, June 21, October 18

 

 

Visit us on facebook @ConnecticutCollegeArboretum to stay up to date on our programs and events. To receive advance notice of programs you can sign up to get our monthly email newsletter on the Arboretum home page. You don't have to be a member to receive notifications but we would appreciate your support of becoming a member if you are not one already.