University of Pennsylvania
OP-T2-20: Wildlife Habitat

Mission of Morris Arboretum The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania is a historic public garden and educational institution. It promotes an understanding of the relationship between plants, people and place through programs that integrate science, art and the humanities. The Arboretum conducts four major activities: education, research, outreach, and horticultural display. As the official Arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania provides research and outreach services to state agencies, community institutions and to citizens of Pennsylvania and beyond. The Morris Arboretum is 92 acres and is located in the Northwestern Philadelphia. Plant Collection More than 12,000 labeled plants of approximately 2,500 types are growing in the Arboretum’s living collection. These include representatives of the temperate floras of North America, Asia, and Europe. This historic collection traces its foundation to John Morris’s interest in plants from around the world, and includes plants collected in China by E.H. Wilson at the turn of the century. Many of the Delaware Valley’s "trees-of-record" (the largest of their kind) are found in the Arboretum. Most notable are the katsura, Engler beech, Bender oak, and trident maple. Morris Arboretum staff members have regularly engaged in plant collecting expeditions in Asia and the United States, increasing the diversity of plants available for today’s urban and community landscapes. Currently plants from 27 countries are represented in the collection with a primary focus on Asian temperate species. Significant plant groups in the Arboretum’s collection include maples, magnolia species, native azaleas, members of the witch hazel family, roses, hollies, and conifers. Birding Morris Arboretum’s natural areas include wetlands, meadows, and the woodlands along the Wissahickon Creek. These areas provide a great habitat for a wide variety of birds year-round. There are resident birds, as well as migrating raptors and warblers to see. Additionally, Out on a Limb, a canonpy walk on the Arboretum grounds, gives you a chance to look for birds on the tree canopy: a great vantage point for viewing birds at treetop level. http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum/birding.shtml

Morris Arboretum Plant Catalog http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum/pdf/PlantCatalogue.pdf