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Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4:45am Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania

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Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania

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Connecting plants, people, and place. The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania is a historic public garden and educational institution.
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10/16/2026

NEXT WEEK: Join us for a spooky storytime! 👻📖

October Storytime
Wednesday, October 21 • 10:30 am
Meet in the Outdoor Classroom
Free with general admission

We will be reading The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams. Wear a costume and make your own scarecrow craft, just in time for Halloween!

10/14/2026

Shown here is a basilica orb weaver (Mecynogea lemniscata) egg sac chain found in our gardens recently. 🕸️

Basilica orb weavers are also known as "add-a-pearl" spiders because the female spider wraps her web tightly around the egg sac to protect it and keeps adding more "pearls" to the chain. The egg sacs will dangle through winter and hatch in spring, producing more basilica orb weavers. These spiders are small and harmless, named for their dome-shaped webs that resemble cathedral ceilings.

10/13/2026

Last chance to register for this week's Tree Canopy Conference! 🌳💧

Water shapes every landscape, sustains every ecosystem, and connects communities to the natural world. Explores the vital relationship between trees and water, from the mechanics of tree physiology to the hydrologic history of our region and everything in between.

This year's speakers include:

Jehane Samaha, U.S. Forest Service

Bryce Bruckner, Philadelphia Water Department

Ari Miller, Hinge Collective

Jamie and Kristin Biddle, Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum

Stephanie Phillips, Riverfront North Partnership

Aric Vanselous, Vermont Willow Nursery

The 2026 Tree Canopy Conference will be held at Haverford College in the Stokes Hall Auditorium and is a partnership between the Morris Arboretum & Gardens and Haverford College Arboretum. Attendees may also enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of Haverford College Arboretum’s extensive tree collection. This year's tour will focus on the Pinetum. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a hands-on project weaving willow rods into a wattle fence!

CEUs available
LEARN MORE → morrisarb.org/conferences

10/09/2026

Don't miss out on next week's virtual talk!

Plant Politics: Images, Knowledge, and Power
A Virtual Lunchtime Conversation
Tuesday, October 13 • 12 – 1 pm
Members: $10 • Non-members: $15
REGISTER → morrisarb.org/lectures

In this interactive conversation, Tracy Qiu (Concordia University) and Catherine Seavitt ( University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design) will explore how botanical knowledge is created, shared, and challenged — revealing deeper stories about exploration, colonialism, science, and whose knowledge is preserved.

Held the day after Indigenous Peoples' Day, this timely conversation invites participants to reconsider the stories we tell (and the ones we don't) and discover how the ways we picture plants continue to shape our relationships with the living world.

10/07/2026

This Saturday, explore the Morris Natural Areas on a guided tour!

The Wetland: A Unique Ecosystem
Saturday, October 10 • 11 am
Free with general admission
Meet at entrance kiosk parking lot

This specialty tour investigates many native plants and trees in the Natural Areas near the Wissahickon Creek. It includes a brief history of the area and describes the nature of the ecosystem. The Wetland provides important resources—water, food, shelter—vital for plants, trees, and wildlife that create an abundant native habitat. This tour is off paved pathways, and visitors are advised to wear walking or hiking shoes.

10/06/2026

ArBOOretum Month: when the trees and shrubs grow eyeballs and observe US for once! 👀🌳

10/01/2026

Visit in October to see acres of vibrant fall foliage, take the perfect selfie at the Pumpkin Cottage, stroll along the Scarecrow Walk, and and join us for spooktacular events for the whole family!

We're kicking things off THIS WEEKEND with two FREE events at the Pumpkin Cottage:

🕷️ Fall First Friday for Kids and Families
Friday 10/2 • 11 am – 12 pm
We'll be reading I'm Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton and you can make your own spider friend to take home.

🪄 Experience the Unexpected
Saturday 10/3 – Sunday 10/4 • 10 am – 12 pm
Join us this weekend as we celebrate October by making magical wands and potions from natural materials to take home with you.

LEARN MORE →
morrisarb.org/arBOOretum

09/30/2026

“It has always been a happy thought to me that the creek runs on all night, new every minute, whether I wish it or know it or care, as a closed book on a shelf continues to whisper to itself its own inexhaustible tale."

– Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

09/29/2026

We're thrilled to partner with University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's Accessing Urban Nature Initiative (AUNI), a research and community engagement project that uses trail cameras across Philadelphia to better understand the wildlife living alongside us and to help build healthier urban ecosystems where people and wildlife can coexist and thrive.

Shown here is wildlife found at the Morris via AUNI's trail cameras in the last year (lots of activity going on behind the scenes!) along with a photo of AUNI staff and Morris Director of Education Bryan Thompsonowak and Natural Areas Manager Ryan Drake.

A major thank you to AUNI and all of the partner organizations for working towards a future where both wildlife and human communities can flourish in our beloved city.

Images courtesy of Penn Vet’s Accessing Urban Nature Initiative.

09/25/2026

LAST WEEKEND for Garden Railway: Revolutionary Philly 🚂📜

See the trains by September 30 — after that, they will take their seasonal rest before returning in November for Holiday Garden Railway!

GET TICKETS → morrisarb.org/get-tickets

Address

100 E Northwestern Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
19118

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4:45am
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm

Website

http://www.morrisarboretum.org/

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