Morton Arboretum celebrates nature with Arbor Week
Plant a tree, buy a reusable shopping bag, get outside and behold the majesty of the forest: all good ways to celebrate Arbor Day on Friday.
The Morton Arboretum, an outdoor museum in Lisle that's been fostering "green" living since 1922, has a host of special events planned through Sunday to celebrate Arbor Week.
To begin with, all visitors will be admitted free on Arbor Day.
That same day, a tree will be ceremoniously planted at 11 a.m. near the visitor center. Guests are invited to attend.
The gesture is mostly a symbolic one; the nonprofit conservation organization routinely oversees the planting of hundreds of trees every year.
In 2008, the arboretum has set a goal of planting 400 trees, said Gina Tedesco, arboretum spokeswoman. A variety of species will be planted near the entry and throughout the grounds. There's also a woodlands restoration project under way on the east side of the arboretum.
"It's pretty close to what we do every year," she said.
Arboretum staff members are involved in dozens of tree-planting programs supported by schools and municipalities across the Chicago area, said Edith Makra, the arboretum's Community Trees Advocate.
Among other things, Makra said, the events promote a healthy respect for trees at a time when public awareness is crucial.
Tree cover in urban areas, including Chicago, has fallen sharply in recent years, Tedesco said. And that's a trend that needs to be reversed.
Trees are an integral part of the ecosystem, Makra said. They improve air quality, help manage storm water and provide noise buffers.
"They're big filters," she said.
Beyond the hard science, trees are valuable on an aesthetic level, too.
"I've learned never to discount that emotional link with trees," Makra said. "Trees make our communities more comfortable and beautiful -- that's the reason (to plant trees) that anybody, in their gut, would know."
To help promote tree conservation, the arboretum is selling reusable tote bags that carry a message about conservation: "less paper, less plastic, more trees."
Those bags could come in handy at the arboretum's Arbor Day Plant Sale, where 300 varieties of plants, shrubs and trees will be available under a sprawling tent. The sale is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Arboretum members get to attend the sale early, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Friday also marks the unveiling of a nature-themed art exhibit by artist David Rogers. Rogers' giant and intricately detailed sculptures of bugs, from dragonflies to ants to a spindly daddy longlegs, are made from tree branches, roots and saplings and will remain on display through July 20.
Rogers will be on hand to greet visitors and answer questions from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday.
Children who stop by the arboretum Friday through Sunday also can hear bug-themed stories and take part in arts and crafts workshops.
A special exhibit called "The Plant," where children learn about the relationship between plants and bugs, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
If you go
What: Arbor Week
Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle
When: Runs through Sunday
Admission: Free on Friday; $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for ages 3 to 17 Saturday and Sunday for nonmembers; always free for members
Info: (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org