Trees! Spring 2023

Saturday, June 10 – Alachua Villa, Alachua

We planted seventeen trees, bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), live oaks (Quercus virginiana) and southern magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora), near the Alachua Villas Apartment Complex, 14000 NW 154th Ave, Alachua.

Saturday, May 6 (The Great American Cleanup®) – Alachua

In celebration of the 25th Annual Great American Cleanup®, we planted thirty trees (sweet viburnums, Viburnum oderatissimum, and live oaks, Quercus virginiana), and took part in a trash pickup and ground cover cleanup near the intersection of Main Street and Peggy Road, in downtown Alachua.

Saturday, April 22 (Earth Day) – Cuscowilla Nature and Retreat Center

In celebration of Earth Day, we joined up with Friends of Cuscowilla to plant nine trees – spruce pines (Pinus glauca), sparkleberries (Vaccinium arborveum), and southern magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora), and more than 150 perennial flowers, bushes, and grasses on the grounds of the Cuscowilla Nature and Retreat Center. The family-friendly celebration included guided birding walks, archery, historical reenactments, disc golf, music, tours of the Center, and the participation of several local food trucks.

Friday, January 20 – Jonesville Park, Gainesville

We celebrated Florida’s Arbor Day at Jonesville Park with opening remarks by officials of the Alachua County Department of Land Conservation and Management, an Arbor Day Proclamation by officials of the Alachua County Commission, a poetry reading in honor of our arboreal kin, and a workshop in best tree planting practices. After the ceremony and workshop, we planted eight trees, Shumard oaks (Quercus shumardii) and magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora).

Photographs by A. Ewert-Harpold, T. Harpold, C. Houder, D. Jordan, H.H. Rays, S. Xie, and D. Zhu. / CC BY