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Programs 

We kicked off June with our 2026 Summer Concert Series.  Red Lion performs Friday, August 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for a nominal fee.  In Our Gallery, John Shelby Schmidt artwork can be viewed August 12 through September 30.  Our free guided tours of the Native Plant Collection, Caroline Black Garden and Campus Tree Collection run June through October and details can be found in the link below.  

Programs

Research

Long term research of The Bolleswood Natural Area, one of the few sites in North America where both forest and vegetation along with bird population have been monitored, has systematically taken place for over 70 years.  Our study of vegetation dynamics on tidal salt marshes of Mamacoke Island Natural Area occurs every two years since the late 1950s.  New London Trees strives to increase New London’s tree population through community planting and care, education, and advocacy by helping the City of New London maintain a detailed inventory of municipal trees and trees planted by New London Trees, as well as removed municipal trees since 2018.  With the help of staff, students, faculty and volunteers these projects are at the core of the Arboretum mission.  Our Connecticut College Arboretum Research Bibliography to 2026 is available for reference.

Great Horned Owl

Publications

Arboretum Bulletins (1-45) are available as pdfs at Connecticut College Digital Commons free of charge and print publications can be purchased by emailing us at arbor@conncoll.edu or using our secure online payment system.  Our Annual Reports are our historical accounts of each academic year and are also available on Digital Commons.  Members receive a print copy in the mail prior to year end.  We also offer many other publications and posters.  Please use the link below for details.  If you have any questions, call our office at 860-439-5020. 

Publications

Resources

The Arboretum encourages ecological landscaping, an approach that emphasizes the environmental consequences of plant choices and management procedures used in creating a landscape.  We encourage and strive to educate our community on the proper techniques of invasive plant removal.  We strongly encourage native plants and decreasing the size of your lawn.  Our new demonstration garden at 33 Gallows Lane will soon be flourishing and we will be hosting many programs for our community members to learn these techniques.

Connecticut Notable Trees, established in 1985, collects and distributes information about Connecticut's largest and most historic trees, both native and introduced.