The Cofrin Memorial Arboretum 290 acres (120 hectares) surrounds the

University of Wisconsin–Green Bay The University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UW–Green Bay, UWGB, or Green Bay) is a public university in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1965, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System. As of fall 2024, student enrollment h ...

campus in

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

, United States. Its six miles (10 km) of trails are open to the public. Today's Arboretum began in 1971, when a long-range campus plan was drawn up, recommending the creation of a park-like arboretum and trail system. In 1975, a major contribution in honor of John and Austin Cofrin enabled development of the trails, additional property, and improvements in the botanical plantings. At present the Arboretum contains the following areas: ; Keith White Prairie : 8.5 acres (3.4) maintained through prescribed burns. Grasses include

big bluestem ''Andropogon gerardi'', commonly known as big bluestem, is a species of tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and grassland regions of central and eastern North America. It is also known as tall bluestem, bluejoint, and turkeyfoot. Taxon ...

, Indian grass, and

switch grass ''Panicum virgatum'', commonly known as switchgrass, is a perennial warm season bunchgrass native to North America, where it occurs naturally from 55th parallel north, 55°N latitude in Canada southwards into the United States and Mexico. Switch ...

. Flower species include yellow cone flower, prairie dock,

lupin ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet, is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centres of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centres occur in No ...

, black-eyed Susan, spiderwort, and false indigo. ; Mahon Woods : a remnant of the indigenous forests, with 59 species of trees and shrubs including oaks (''

Quercus alba ''Quercus alba'', the white oak, is one of the preeminent hardwoods of eastern and central North America. It is a long-lived oak, native to eastern and central North America and found from Minnesota, Ontario, Quebec, and southern Maine south as ...

'', ''

Quercus rubra ''Quercus rubra'', the northern red oak, is an oak tree in the red oak group (''Quercus'' section ''Lobatae''). It is a native of North America, in the eastern and central United States and southeast and south-central Canada. It has been intro ...

''), sugar maple (''

Acer saccharum ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the p ...

''), and white pines (''

Pinus strobus ''Pinus strobus'', commonly called the eastern white pine, northern white pine, white pine, Weymouth pine (British), and soft pine is a large pine native to eastern North America. It occurs from Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland, Canada, west ...

''). Other species include trillium (''

Trillium grandiflorum ''Trillium grandiflorum'', the white trillium, large-flowered trillium, great white trillium, white wake-robin or , is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Melanthiaceae. A monocotyledonous, herbaceous plant, herbaceou ...

''), trout lilies ('' Erythronium americanum'', ''

Erythronium albidum ''Erythronium albidum'', the white fawnlily or white trout lily, is a small herbaceous geophyte in the lily family. It is also known as adder's tongue, white dog's-tooth violet, serpent's tongue, trout lily, deer tongue, creeklily and yellow s ...

''), violets (''

Viola sororia ''Viola sororia'' ( ), known commonly as the common blue violet, is a short-stemmed herbaceous Perennial plant, perennial plant native to eastern North America. It is known by a number of common names, including common meadow violet, purple viole ...

'', '' Viola pubescens''), and toothworts ('' Dentaria laciniata'', '' Dentaria diphylla''). ;

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is an approximately discontinuous, arc-shaped but generally northward-facing escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States. The escarpment begins south of Lake Ontario and circumscribes the top of the Great Lake ...

: white cedar trees. ; Northern Barrens : An artificially developed sandy habitat for plant species that cannot flourish in the clay soils of the campus. ; Oak Savanna : scattered oak trees within fields of grasses and herbs. ; Paul Sager Tract : 20 acres (8 hectares) including small natural springs, 2 ponds, and associated wetlands. ; Succession Plots : 13 experimental plots ranging in age from 2 to 17 years of natural succession. At present, its plants include, in rough order of succession: lamb's quarters (''

Chenopodium album ''Chenopodium album'' is a fast-growing annual plant in the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae. Though cultivated in some regions, the plant is elsewhere considered a weed. Common names include lamb's quarters, melde, goosefoot, wild spinach a ...

''), ragweed (''

Ambrosia artemisiifolia ''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'', with the common names common ragweed, annual ragweed, and low ragweed, is a species of the genus ''Ambrosia'' native to regions of the Americas. Taxonomy The species name, ''artemisiifolia'', is given because the lea ...

''), foxtail grass ('' Setaria glauca''), bluegrass (''

Poa pratensis ''Poa pratensis'', commonly known as Kentucky bluegrass (or blue grass), smooth meadow-grass, or common meadow-grass, is a perennial species of grass native to practically all of Europe, North Asia and the mountains of Algeria, Morocco, and Tuni ...

''), quackgrass ('' Agropyron repens''), smooth brome (''

Bromus inermis ''Bromus inermis'' is a species of the true grass family (Poaceae). This rhizomatous grass is native to Europe and considered invasive in North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hem ...

''), goldenrods ('' Solidago canadensis'', '' Solidago graminifolia'') asters ('' Aster novae-angliae'', '' Aster ericoides''), box elder (''

Acer negundo ''Acer negundo'', also known as the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America from Canada to Honduras. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, ash-like compound l ...

''), cottonwood ('' Populus deltoides''), quaking aspen (''

Populus tremuloides ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen,

''), sugar maple (''

''), American beech (''

Fagus grandifolia Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted species i ...

''), eastern hemlock (''

Tsuga canadensis ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a Pinophyta, coniferous tree native plant, native to eastern North America. ...

'') and yellow birch (''

Betula alleghaniensis ''Betula alleghaniensis'', the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the pa ...

'').

References

External links

The Colfrin Center For Biodiversity - University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
Arboreta in Wisconsin Botanical gardens in Wisconsin Culture of Green Bay, Wisconsin Protected areas of Brown County, Wisconsin {{arboretum-stub

See also

References

External links