Sunday stroll through UC Davis Arboretum (part 2)

Let’s continue our stroll through the UC Davis Arboretum, which began here.

Unlike other botanical gardens affiliated with a university, the UC Davis Arboretum is not in a separate location but fully integrated into the main campus. In fact, it starts right at the edge of downtown so it gets used both by students and the public at large. As I mentioned before, the Arboretum is open 24/7; there are no gates or fences to keep people out. In our small university town, it’s a treasured institution.

Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’

One of the most popular spots on campus right now has got to be this lawn area on the edge of Lake Spafford. The two ‘Autumn Gold’ ginkgo trees are in their full fall glory.

Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’

Zelkova serrata reflected in Lake Spafford

Zelkova serrata

More interesting sights as we continue west towards the Southwestern USA & Mexican Collection:

Arthur Menzies mahonia ( Berberis ×media ‘Arthur Menzies’)

Not sure what this beauty is—possibly a small swamp cypress ( Taxodium distichum)

Small cairns, a barrel cactus and a few agaves: I’m trying to find out what this is all about it

Iconic UC Davis water tower with Ephedra distachya

Opuntia ficus-indica with Ephedra distachya

Yucca baccata

Opuntia engelmannii infested with cochineal scale. This is a common sight in Southern California and Arizona.

When crushed, the cochineal insect releases a scarlet liquid that makes a high-quality dye

Agave deserti forming a trunk, unsightly as it is

Notice the pups growing from the leaf axils

Sweet acacia or huisache ( Vachellia farnesiana, formerly Acacia farnesiana)

UC Davis water tower as seen through a valley oak ( Quercus lobata)

My walking partner on Sunday, my friend Ursula, lives downtown right on the edge of the Arboretum. She runs or rides her bike in the Arboretum several times a week and knows it better than I do. Ursula took me to a small fenced-off garden I had never noticed before, the Animal Science GATEway Garden. This is a collaboration between the Arboretum and the Department of Animal Science. It’s a relatively small space, but very well done.

I love those rusty corrugated metal panels!

Mystery agave. It reminds me of my own Agave mitis ‘Nova’ (which some say is a a hybrid between Agave mitis and Agave montana although that wouldn’t explain the exceptional blue coloration).

Bench made out of what might be the gate from an old cattle chute

Mexican flame vine ( Senecio confusus)

Does anybody know what kind of tree this is?

The Southwestern USA & Mexican Collection is steadily growing. Quite a few agaves have been planted in recent years under or near trees, simulating growing conditions in the oak woodlands of Mexico.