11/25/2009      48°F | Cloudy
The University of Michigan
Arb Parking Tip There are often FREE street parking spaces available on Oswego St. near the Arb's Geddes Street entrance. Click here for a map.
what's in bloom
The Gateway Garden of New World Plants and the Alexandra Hicks Herb Knot Garden at Matthaei offer sensory delights with their profusion of colors and scents.
Check out the bloom calendar.
Looking for a central location to hold a group meeting? How about catching up on some of your reading at a riverside bench? We have some of the University's best study spots.

The steep trail through School Girls' Glen reveals much in its short length. The Glen is a dramatic narrow valley in the most recent glacial moraine, with remnants of an earlier glacial deposit beneath. The current valley bottom shows severe erosion from street run-off, even so the Glen is one of the best natural areas around.
 
School Girls' Glen is dramatic and intriguing year round. Spring finds displays of native wildflowers, such as trilliums, while summer brings refreshing shade. Destructive flash floods are caused by too much storm water - a consequence of little concern when campus expanded into this small watershed in the mid 20th century - but erosion control is now an important ecological issue. Winter snows may block the trail, but when passable, the Glen's tranquility and wonderland qualities are restorative.

School Girls' Glen is at the Nichols Arboretum site.

Working in partnership with the Huron River Watershed Council and with funding from the Great Lakes Commission and the LaCross Endowment, erosion controls and educational materials were created for School Girls' Glen. Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum needs private support and provides donors with many giving opportunities and recognition. For more details, please contact the Development Office at 1-734-615-9475.

back to displays & natural areas

Free e-newsletter
Site designed by Boxcar Studio