Hike with an ecologist and take in the changing colors of The Morton Arboretum’s trees. This seasonal stroll will give you the chance to view fall color and learn what seasonal changes trees go through each year. You’ll get a chance to hear about:
- why leaves change color and drop.
- what discoveries scientists are making about these changes.
- why some seasons have great fall color and others don’t.
- what the timing of fall color can tell us about the bigger picture of our climate and local environment.
This program meets in person at the Arboretum.
Instructor: Brendon Reidy, phenology research coordinator, The Morton Arboretum, Christy Rollinson, PhD, forest ecologist, The Morton Arboretum
Age: 16 and older
Course number: N091
Brendon Reidy, phenology research coordinator, The Morton Arboretum
Brendon Reidy has been working in the forest ecology lab at The Morton Arboretum since spring 2018. In his role as the phenology research coordinator, he works to improve communication and coordination of volunteers for the Arboretum’s phenology monitoring program. Prior to joining the Arboretum staff, he worked for the Downers Grove Park District as a naturalist and as the volunteer coordinator for the Lyman Woods and William F. Sherman Interpretive Center. He received his degree from Northeastern Illinois University and completed internships at the Field Museum and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. As a naturalist and outreach specialist, Reidy has a broad and varied skill set that comes in handy for helping develop educational and volunteer engagement programming.
Christy Rollinson, PhD, forest ecologist, The Morton Arboretum
Dr. Christine Rollinson is a forest ecologist who studies how climate and human management cause change in trees and forests through time. Much of her research uses citizen science observations of seasonal patterns (phenology) and tree ring data to look at past, present, and future patterns of change.
What to Know
This program meets outdoors. Please dress for the weather.
Wear comfortable shoes. Plan to walk more than a mile over uneven terrain.
Program Schedule
Section A: Friday, October 20, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Section B: Saturday, October 28, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Gateway to Tree Science (Parking Lot 8)
