MORGANTOWN — Outdoor enthusiasts will only have short period of time to see spring flowers at the Arboretum in April. Starting Sunday, the WVU Core Arboretum will host Spring Nature Events. Free to the public, the Department of Biology will hold its spring ephemeral wildflower walks. The Mountaineer Audubon will offer guided bird tours.
Zach Fowler, WVU arboretum director, said the programs are a mix of old and new traditions. The flower and bird walks are a longstanding tradition. The WVU Spring Flower Festival is fairly new, going into its second year.
“The idea of that was to have a weekend event that was more of multiple draws, so we could get as many people out to the arboretum to discover the arboretum and see the wildflowers,” said Fowler.
The Flower Festival will feature food trucks, music, tours and games. The festival is free and open to everyone.
The flowers are native-growing, spring ephemeral wildflowers. Fowler said it’s an extravagant and spectacular display. During mid-April, when the flowers are all in bloom, he said it’s the most beautiful place in town.
“If you come there in summer, you can’t even find the leaves or anything of most of those flowers,” he said.
Flower walks be offered at 2 p.m. Sundays, through in April. The Flower Festival will be from 2-6 p.m. April 20. Fowler said the tradition and the festival are in place to have people really fall in love with the display and appreciate what’s right here in
Morgantown.
Birds are also plentiful in the arboretum in springtime. Fowler said it’s primarily because migrant birds are coming back from their winter homes and heading back to breeding territories. Some birds are here to stay, but some are simply passing through and can’t be seen as summer approaches.
“The birds are coming back, the flowers are coming up, so get as many people to the arboretum as possible. That’s basically our mission,” said Fowler.
All tours will meet in the arboretum parking lot. Participants don’t need reservations, and are reminded to dress for the weather and hiking through the woods.
“More and more people are learning that nature appreciation is a part of people’s life and it can help you in a lot of parts of your life to experience nature on a regular basis,” he said.
“It’s good to satisfy your curiosity and just continue to learn about the beautiful things that surround us every year.”
Visit arboretum.wvu.edu for more information.
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