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Farming with Traditional Companion Planting
Corn, beans, and squash—oh my! Our students grew these three staple native American crops, known as the Three Sisters in the Community Farm and Garden this fall using a traditional companion planting method. The Three Sisters Method is one of the oldest natural growing techniques developed by Native Americans. What makes the Three Sisters […]
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Arboretum Scrub Restoration
Fall is the most wonderful time of the year for Florida’s native wildflowers! Particularly during the month of October, the Arboretum natural lands are strikingly spattered with yellows and lavenders. Our campus prescribed burn program has had huge impacts on the reduction of dense saw palmetto and oaks, opening large spaces where native wildflower […]
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Coming Together for the Environment
One of the hallmarks of the UCF Arboretum has always been bringing people together. We strive to foster and develop a deep sense of community around education and the environment. What better way to embody that notion in 2020 than through a Fall pond planting project joining UCF students, faculty, and staff with local, […]
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Sharing a Restoration Success Story
Our Learning by Leading™ (LxL) Urban Horticulture team had a great experience this semester meeting onsite at the Arboretum with representatives from the City of Oviedo Recreation and Parks and Public Works Departments, and Dix.Hite + Partners landscape architects and designers. Several of the students on the horticulture team plan to pursue advanced degrees in […]
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Arboretum Student Spotlight- Meet Alicia
My name is Alicia Lowenstein, and I am one of the Co-coordinators for the Community Farm & Gardens Team. Starting as an intern, the Arb quickly became my home away from home, and my co-workers became my closest friends. My passions include permaculture, farm to table cooking, and learning about Florida’s ecology. From conducting prescribed […]
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November 2020 Message From the UCF Arboretum Director
As we enter the holiday season, people might be struggling to find things to be thankful for in a year that has proven difficult for so many. The corona virus pandemic has put a stress on everyone’s life, and has placed particular strain on those who have lost a loved one, lost their […]
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Student Horticulturists Have Bright Future With Help From Landscaping Company
There’s more to landscaping than pulling weeds and pushing a mower — much more. Experts in logistics, finance, small engine repair, soil chemistry and human resources are all in demand at Baker Commercial Landscaping, a 250-plus employee company that maintains the properties of homes and businesses across Tampa and Orlando, including UCF’s main campus and […]
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Recipe – Vegan Ratatouille & Rice
Vegan Ratatouille & Rice Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Total Time 40 minutes Total Yield 3 servings Calories Per Serving 363 kcal Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 white or yellow onion diced 3 cloves garlic minced 1 medium zucchini diced 1 eggplant diced 1/8 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1 red bell pepper diced 2 Roma tomatoes diced 1 cup white rice 1 and 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth plus more as needed fresh basil for serving Instructions In a […]
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Whittier’s Walk Phase II
Our students are at it again! They cannot be stopped! During the Spring 2020 semester our Learning by Leading™ (LxL) Urban Horticulture Co-coordinators (CoCo’s) worked with their interns to design and plant Phase II of our Whittier’s Walk commemorative garden, using skills they developed while working with our campus landscape architect last fall […]
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UCF Prescribed Burn Team
Spring Break is typically a time when college students leave campus to vacation at beaches and springs to cool down and relax outside, however this year a select group of UCF students chose to stay on campus and turn up the heat! In March 2020, the UCF Arboretum hosted its first S130/S190 Basic Wildland […]
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Community Garden Transition
The original Arboretum Community Garden, which has been a centerpiece of our volunteer program since it was established in 2009, has undergone many changes in the last few years. As we reported previously, due to construction of a new cell tower, we moved the Community Farm and Garden to a new location that is larger […]
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Message from the Director
One thing everyone has had to face in response to the coronavirus pandemic is transition. We’ve transitioned from face-to-face interaction to remote meetings and online interactions, transitioned from working in the office to working at home, and many people have had to face the difficult transition of losing a job or shutting down a business. […]
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Arboretum Donation Inspired By Work of Granddaughter
Kelsie Johnson’s thumb was decidedly not green growing up. So it was all the more surprising to her grandparents when Johnson ‘16 announced she was pursuing horticulture and environmental conservation as a career. “Kelsie has always been outgoing, but never did we picture her becoming involved in the Arboretum program or any of the outdoor […]
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UCF Offers Free Nature-themed VR and AR Applications to Help Students and Those Isolated Because of COVID-19
UCF is offering a free virtual reality environment and augmented reality app to help teachers supplement science lessons and provide some stress relief for those isolated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Maria Harrington, an information scientist and artist, created the applications as a way to advance virtual reality technology, while engaging the public in informal […]
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Epic Games, Maker of Fortnite, Awards UCF Professor Grant to Enhance AR and VR Technology
The company responsible for the online video game hit Fortnite has awarded a UCF assistant professor a grant to develop an immersive technology to take virtual experiences to new levels of reality. Epic Games provided UCF information scientist and artist Maria Harrington a $25,000 grant to expand her cutting-edge augmented and virtual reality work, which […]
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Beans and Greens Recipe
The Arboretum Community Farm and Gardens grow many delicious produce varieties seasonally. In fall and spring, wonderful leafy greens are at their peak when the days are nice and cool. Escarole, Lacinato Kale, Swiss Chard and Rosemary are just a few of the varieties grown, and the following recipe showcases each of them in a […]
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Tea Recipes
Easing Elderberry Tea Ingredients 2 cups of water 2 TBSP. Elderberry (fresh or dried) 1/2 TSP. Turmeric (fresh or powder) 1/4 TSP. Cinnamon Honey to taste Directions Start by pouring water and elderberries into a saucepan. Next, add your turmeric and cinnamon. Bring this mixture to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Elderberry […]
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Message From the Director
Director’s Message The UCF Arboretum celebrated the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22 by reflecting on how much has changed since the beginning of the semester when we first planned our Earth Week activities. As we adjust to the difficult changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, our primary concern is for […]
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Lifelong Friendship With Arboretum Founder Inspires Donation
A passion for plants is at the root of a recent donation made by Biology faculty member Rani Vajravelu, Ph.D. The donation is made out to the UCF Arboretum in aim of supporting students that are passionate about outdoor plant studies. “I would love the money to help alleviate financial stress on students looking to […]
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Growing Students, Growing Gardens
We embarked on an epic journey at the start of the Spring 2020 semester with great plans for our students to design and plant new gardens for the Arboretum Park and greater UCF campus through our Learning by Leading Program™. This is our second semester for the program at UCF and both the Arboretum Gardens […]
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Continuing Growth in a Difficult Time
Birds chirping, wind blowing through the trees, bees buzzing around—just a few beautiful things you can hear while at the Arboretum during this time when campus is closed. COVID-19 has greatly changed how our community is operating but some Arboretum staff and students are still working to keep the site beautiful and the gardens […]
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New Trail Maps Help Hikers Find Their Way
Visitors to the UCF natural lands will have an easier time finding their way through the campus’s extensive, 13.5-mile nature trail system thanks to our recently upgraded maps, kiosks and trail markers. The main trail kiosks are located near the Timothy Newman Nature Pavilion on Gemini Blvd., behind the softball stadium parking lot, and also […]
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UCF Arboretum Attends Orlando Wetlands Festival To Bring Awareness To Florida’s Environment
By CORYNNE LOVEWELL Members of the UCF Arboretum tabled at the Orlando Wetlands Festival on Saturday afternoon to bring awareness to the community about the impacted wetlands on campus and discuss their mission for years to come. The Orlando Wetlands Festival was open to everyone including local families in order to help them become environmentally […]
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Fighting Fire with Fire: How Controlled Burns Keep Us Safe
BY JENNA MARINA LEE From December through June, visitors to UCF’s main campus may occasionally see large, orange flames licking at trees and incinerating plants near recreational grounds, parking garages or student housing. The scene appears much scarier than what’s actually occurring. These months of the year are UCF’s burn season, which is overseen by […]
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New Alumni Reflect on Journey That Brought Them to Fall ’19 Graduation
As he adjusted his black gown, a yellow tassel dangling out of the corner of his eye, Bepsy Omar Aguasvivas thought about his father’s words: “The hardest thing to do is be born. Everything else is simply a step ahead.” That advice carried Aguasvivas through his academic experience at UCF all the way to Saturday, […]
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Message From the Director
Fall is a time of harvest and giving thanks. In Florida, we are always a little out of sync with the rest of the country when it comes to harvest as many of our crops go in the ground in October and we continue to harvest throughout the winter! While we may be out of […]
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Student Spotlight – Mayerlin Fischbach
Greetings! I’m an undergraduate senior who plans on continuing my formal education for more years to come. I’ve been working at the UCF Arboretum since December of 2017- and can sincerely say I have cherished every moment I spend in our gardens, natural lands and bustling office. It is an absolute joy working with community […]
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10-Year Anniversary Garden Bash
Nature and Knightro—what more could you wish for at the Arboretum Garden Bash Kickoff? Early in the 2019 fall semester, the Arboretum celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the original Community Garden. For the past 10 years, the Arboretum has been using organic practices to grow veggies and herbs for UCF students to teach them about […]
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Reinvigorating UCF Landscapes with the Bee Campus USA team
Our new Bee Campus USA program co-coordinators transformed a rock-covered corner of a campus courtyard into a beautiful pollinator garden! The transformed area is in the courtyard of the business administration 1 building where there were several strips and cutout areas covered in black lava rock. Irrigation heads provided evidence that these areas originally had […]
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Protecting Campus and Community From Wildfire
Fire is a critical component of nearly every ecosystem in the southeastern United States. Central Florida is the lightning capital of the U.S., and historically our frequent thunderstorms ignited fires in the forest. As a result, many of the state’s natural ecosystems would burn every 2-5 years. During periods of extreme dry weather, especially during […]