Harvard University

Sunday, May 11, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Lilac Sunday

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On May 11, experience the springtime bloom of The Arnold Arboretum’s renowned collection of over 400 lilacs. Visit for tours with Arboretum experts, hands-on children’s programming, dancing, meditation, chalk art, and more. Picnicking in the Arboretum landscape is permitted on this day only.

Located primarily on the edge of Bussey Hill Road in the heart of the landscape, the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum is among the premier collections of these plants in North America. Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arboretum (many of which can also be enjoyed at this time), only the lilac is singled out each year for a daylong celebration.

Pack a picnic and make your way to the lilac collection on Bussey Hill Road.
Register

Perimeter parking is severely limited and thousands are expected to attend Lilac Sunday. Visitors are strongly encouraged to use public transportation. For more information on the days activities, visit https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events-2/lilacs-at-the-arnold-arboretum/

Saturday, May 3, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Early Spring Blooms

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At the beginning of May, flowers are just starting to emerge from the trees and shrubs of the Arboretum: cherry trees, dogwood, redbuds, and magnolias are all blooming this time of year. Join Arboretum docent Paul Eldrenkamp on May 3 at 10 am in front of the Hunnewell Building to see, smell, and learn about these early spring blooms! This tour will include paved roads and woodchip paths. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and closed toe walking shoes. Tours may be canceled in cases of the following weather conditions: severe wind, snow, ice, thunder or lightning events; temperatures over 90 degrees; temperatures below 20 degrees; or other weather events at the discretion of Arboretum staff. In the case of cancelation, you will be contacted by Arboretum staff no later than 2 hours before the start of the event. If you have questions about the status of a program, please email or call the Visitor Center at (617) 384-5209 between 10:00am and 4:00pm. Register at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/early-spring-blooms-302/?occurrence=2025-05-03

Saturday, May 10, 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm – Explorers Garden Tour

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The Explorers Garden rests in a microclimate just below the summit of Bussey Hill. This nearly five-acre site provides ideal growing conditions for many species that have been challenging to grow in less protected areas of the Arboretum. As such, it has proven to be a perfect testing ground for plants collected in the expeditions of E. H. Wilson in the early 1900s to the NACPEC (North America-China Plant Exploration Consortium) expeditions of our own time. Join docent Marie Herbert on May 10 at 1 pm for a guided tour to learn more about some of the plants showcased in this special collection and to hear stories of the plant exploration expeditions that brought them to the Arboretum. This tour will include paved roads and woodchip paths. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and closed toe walking shoes. Tours may be canceled in cases of the following weather conditions: severe wind, snow, ice, thunder or lightning events; temperatures over 90 degrees; temperatures below 20 degrees; or other weather events at the discretion of Arboretum staff. In the case of cancellation, you will be contacted by Arboretum staff no later than 2 hours before the start of the event. If you have questions about the status of a program, please email or call the Visitor Center at (617) 384-5209 between 10:00am and 4:00pm. Free but register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Meet at the Centre Street Gate.

Sunday, May 4, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Conservation in a Changing World

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Part of the mission of the Arnold Arboretum is stewardship of the earth’s botanical diversity and its essential value to humankind. This May 4 one hour tour through the landscape, led by docent Vicki Amalfitano, will highlight important Arboretum historical conservation efforts that have preserved distinct native and exotic species, and current efforts in our living collections to mitigate habitat disruption and climate impact. Learn about plant expeditions to preserve species in the face of climate change and new pathogens, research initiatives, as well as the Arboretum’s green initiatives and local collaborations to improve our urban canopy.

Accessibility: This tour covers slightly over 1 mile in distance over terrain of asphalt, crushed granite, and mulch. Please be sure to dress for the weather and wear comfortable, closed toe footwear you don’t mind getting dirty. Tours may be canceled in cases of the following weather conditions: severe wind, snow, ice, thunder or lightning events; temperatures over 90 degrees; and temperatures below 20 degrees. Tours may be canceled due to other weather events at the discretion of Arboretum staff. In the case of cancelation, you will be contacted by Arboretum staff no later than 2 hours before the start of the event. If you have questions about the status of a program, please email or call the Visitor Center between 10:00am and 4:00pm at (617) 384-5209.

Meet at 2 pm at the Hunnewell Visitor Center. These walks are free but space is limited. Register at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/conservation_in_a_changing_world/?occurrence=2025-05-04&time=1746367200

Fagus sylvatica ‘tortuosa’ 2420-A

Thursday, October 11, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Arnold Arboretum’s Inaugural Young Friends Evening

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The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is thrilled to announce its inaugural Young Friends event on Thursday, October 10 from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm in the Leventritt Garden. The evening will feature festivities and activities in the landscape after dark – a time when the Arboretum is usually closed to the visiting public. Designed to appeal to those 21 – 40 or who are young at heart, this event is a premier opportunity to immerse yourself in the plants, purpose, and peacefulness of the Arnold Arboretum, with other metropolitan nature enthusiasts. You will be supporting your urban oasis. This is a 21 and older event. $75 for members, $110 for nonmembers. Register HERE.

Saturday, September 7, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Native Wildflower Identification

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How can you tell different goldenrods apart? How can you use shape and scent to identify a plant? And what exactly is that aster in your backyard? Join Arnold Arboretum Horticulturist Brendan Keegan for a Native Wildflower Identification class to answer these questions and more, and find out which ones to plant in your garden along the way. This program takes place at the pollinator meadow at Weld Hill, a haven for native wildflowers at the Arboretum. The program is on Saturday, September 7 at 2 pm. Register at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/

Sunday, September 1, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Plant Foraging at the Arnold Arboretum

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Did you know you can eat staghorn sumac berries? What about stinging nettle? Join local foraging expert Tyler Akabane at the Centre Street Gate of the Arnold Arboretum on Sunday, September 1 at 2 pm for a plant foraging walk to look for wild edibles in the Arboretum landscape, and learn how to identify and safely prepare a wide variety of wild edible plants. Register at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/

Tuesday, August 20, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – The Tree Collectors, Online

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When Amy Stewart discovered a community of tree collectors, she expected to meet horticultural fanatics driven to plant every species of oak or maple. What she discovered was that the urge to collect trees springs from something deeper and more profound, whether it is a longing for community, a vision for the future, or a path to healing and reconciliation. In her new book, The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession, Stewart brings us fifty vignettes of remarkable people whose lives have been transformed by their obsessive passion for trees. Join us for a virtual book talk with New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart as she takes us through her remarkable new work.

Amy Stewart is the New York Times bestselling author of The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and several other popular nonfiction titles about the natural world. She’s also written seven novels in her beloved Kopp Sisters series, based on the true story of one of America’s first female deputy sheriffs. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

This Arnold Arboretum program takes place virtually at 7 pm Eastern on August 20.

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On View: The Rockefeller Beetles

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Over a span of 90 years, banker and philanthropist David Rockefeller collected beetles from around the world, eventually building a personal collection of more than 150,000 specimens. In 2017, his longstanding support for the entomology department of the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology culminated in a gift to the museum of this extraordinary collection. Join the Harvard Museum of Natural History in celebrating this invaluable gift. The small exhibit features hundreds of specimens from Rockefeller’s collection and recounts the story of a man whose childhood pursuit grew into a lifelong passion. Exhibit is on display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge,  in Arthropods: Creatures That Rule.

Wednesday, May 8, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Members-Only Tour of Spruce Cones at Arnold Arboretum with Ned Friedman

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If you haven’t joined the Arnold Arboretum yet, now is the time. In early May when crowds head to the lilac collection to see the beautiful spring flowers, something incredible is taking place below the radar, deep in the conifer collection. Spruce cones are just starting to emerge from their buds and they are not the shades of brown and grey that we know well: these young cones are vibrantly yellow, red, lime green, and pink. Join Arboretum Director Ned Friedman for a tour of the spruce collection to see this rainbow of young cones at their peak. There is even an opportunity to join virtually! Meet at the Walker Street Gate. Register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu