Arboretum Tours Begin October 19
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 5, 2005
Kathleen McPartland
530-898-4260
Wes Dempsey
530-342-2293
Arboretum Tours Begin October 19
A series of free tree tours is being sponsored by the California State Parks and California State University, Chico to see the fine collection of plants on the campus and at Bidwell Mansion State Park. The walks will start on Wednesday, Oct. 19, and continue every two weeks on Nov. 2, 16, and 30. The easy and informative walks will start at 10 am in front of the Bidwell Mansion and last about one hour.
Each tour will cover a different group of trees with as little repetition as possible. The walks are open to the public. Horticulturist Gary Vercruse and botanist Wes Dempsey, professor emeritus, will lead the first tour.
“A real treat will be seeing a number of trees and shrubs planted by the Bidwells, some of which date to the building of the mansion in 1870,” said Dempsey. “Bidwell notes in his diary for 1880 that he and Annie harvested their first crop of American chestnuts along Sowilleno Avenue, behind the mansion. A few of these rare trees remain and are now producing ripe nuts.” Other Bidwell trees are: tulip tree, pecans, Turkey oak, monkeypuzzle tree, ginkgo and water oak.
On campus around the administration building, there are a number of trees that date to the founding of the University in 1887. These include several London planes and California incense cedars. Recent arboretum additions include bunya-bunya from Australia, black tupelo or sour gum from the southeastern United States, European red beech and red horsechestnut, which is a garden hybrid between the European horsechestnut and the American buckeye.
Along Chico Creek, southeast of the mansion, there is a recent planting of native plants by the California State Parks that include toyon, foothill pine, redbud and California buckeye. Farther along, on campus, there are more California natives planted by the student Arboretum Club.
A nature trail takes you through these plantings on both sides of the creek with 16 numbered stops identifying such plants as mugwort, California chain fern, white alder and California sycamore. A guide to the nature trail, “Campus Creekside Nature Walk,” is available for 50 cents at the Mansion, the biology office in Holt Hall and the Associated Students Bookstore. Also available is a map of the trees of both the campus and the mansion, “Campus Trees,” for $2.
In addition to telling facts about each tree, the leaders of the tour will be happy to answer questions about planting, care, pruning and problem solving. For further information, call them at 898-6222 or 342-2293, or call the Bidwell Mansion State Park at 895-6144.
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