Howard County Arboreta
Lake Elkhorn, Columbia, MD
- Wilde Lake
- Jackson Pond
- County Office
Complex - Guilford Park
- Centennial Park
- Harwood Park
- Lake Elkhorn
- Howard Community College
- Robinson Nature Center
Forestry Homepage
Tree Sign at
Lake Elkhorn
History
Lake Elkhorn, in the Village of Owen Brown is a 37 acre lake on the Elkhorn Branch of the Little Patuxent River. George Harold Dasher for whom the neighborhood of Dasher Green is named, lived all his life in Howard County, farming the land with his brothers at Elkhorn Farms. The new lake, park and arboretum derive their name from the original Dasher farm.
Lake Elkhorn was created in 1974 by building an earth filled dam, which impounds 225 acre feet of water drawing from a watershed of about 2500 acres. A concrete spillway at one side of the dam permits controlled overflow. At the head of the lake, in what was a marsh, a silt pond with a filter dike was formed. In a cove at the lake's edge, near the Owen Brown Village Center is a major small boat dock which provides boaters with access to the lake.
Dedication
Warren Raymond
1947-2005
This arboretum is dedicated to a friend of both the Howard County Forestry Board and of the Columbia Association. An avid musician and gardener Warren studied at Longwood Gardens to become a Certified Tree Expert and, working for the Columbia Association, became the Assistant Division Director for Open Space. Warren joined the Howard County Forestry Board in 2000 and helped with the planning of this arboretum at Lake Elkhorn. He is fondly remembered by all who knew and worked with him.
On Saturday, April 23, 2005, Maggie Brown, President of the Columbia Association, and Steve Parker, Chairperson for the Howard County Forestry Board, opened the dedication ceremonies at the lake.
Jim Vannoy, representing Jim Robey, the Howard County Executive, presented to Terry Raymond a certificate of appreciation for Warren Raymond's many years of service to the citizens of Howard County and to the Columbia Association.
Chairman of the County Council, Guy Guzzone was present to give an uplifting speech about the importance of trees in the County, and of the importance of the Forestry Board's 'Arboreta without Walls' project.
Assisting with the ribbon cutting were Doug Raymond, Chick Rhodehammil, Terry Raymond, Maggie Brown, Pearl Atkinson-Stewart, Guy Guzzone, Jan Clark, Andy Stack, and Jim Vannoy.
Trees at Lake Elkhorn
As a recreational facility in Columbia, Lake Elkorn has a fine collection of both native and exotic trees and shrubs. Many of the trees below are linked to its ArborTag which describes the distinguishing features of the species. Those pages can be used to make your own laminated tree tags.
| Hazel Alder | Alnus serrulata |
| Green Ash | Fraxinus pennsylvanica |
| White Ash | Fraxinus americana |
| Baldcypress | Taxodium distichum |
| Beech | Fagus grandifolia |
| River Birch | Betula nigra |
| Boxelder | Acer negundo |
| Red Cedar | Juniperus virginiana |
| Black Cherry | Prunus serotina |
| Sweet Cherry | Prunus avium |
| Crab Apple | Malus coronaria |
| Crapemyrtle | Lagerstroemia indica |
| Dogwood | Cornus florida |
| Korean Dogwood | Cornus kousa |
| Redosier Dogwood | Cornus sericea |
| White Fringetree | Chionanthus virginicus |
| Blackgum | Nyssa sylvatica |
| Washington Hawthorn | Crataegus phaenopyrum |
| Eastern Hemlock | Tsuga canadensis |
| Mockernut Hickory | Carya tomentosa |
| Pignut Hickory | Carya glabra |
| Hornbeam | Carpinus caroliniana |
| Black Locust | Robina pseudoacacia |
| Honey Locust | Gleditsia triacanthos |
| Red Maple | Acer rubrum |
| Silver Maple | Acer saccharinum |
| White Mulberry | Morus alba |
| Black Oak | Quercus velutina |
| Pin Oak | Quercus palustris |
| Red Oak | Quercus rubra |
| White Oak | Quercus alba |
| Autumn Olive | Elaeagnus umbellata |
| Virginia Pine | Pinus virginiana |
| London Planetree | Platanus x acerifolia |
| Purple Plum | Prunus cerasifera |
| Norway Spruce | Picea abies |
| Sweetgum | Liquidambar styraciflua |
| Sycamore | Platanus occidentalis |
| Tuliptree | Liriodendron tulipifera |
| Black Walnut | Juglans nigra |
| Black Willow | Salix nigra |
| White Willow | Salix alba |
Focus
Much of the landscape at Lake Elkhorn has been left in its natural state, yet there are over fifty different species of trees around the lake path.
Sometimes called a "Blue Beech", a key feature of the Hornbeam is its beech-like blue-gray smooth bark.It is often a short shrubby tree with strangely muscular or twisted trunks and branches. These twists evolve into vertical ridges.
While related to the birches, not the beeches, the Hornbeam has a beech-like leaf which is pointed and has striking parallel veins. The main difference is that the Hornbeam leaf is doubly serrated with teeth not only at the end of the veins, but between as well.
The flowers are catkins found along the branches, not at the tip like the Hop-Hornbeam. The fruit is a small seed borne on distinctive 3-lobed bracts.
This muscle-bound looking tree has a leaf and flower similar to the Hop-Hornbeam, but the bark and trunk of the Blue Beech are dead giveaways. In autumn the American Hornbeam will turn red-orange and scarlet while the Hop-Hornbeam changes to a clear yellow.
Directions
Directions: From Route 29 take Broken Land Parkway east for about two miles. Take the second entrance into Owen Brown Village on Cradlerock Way. Lake Elkhorn can be seen to the right, opposite the village shopping center. There is parking along Cradlerock. Enjoy the trees!
Contacts
Want to establish an arboretum where you live? Mail your questions to theArboretum Director
Howard County Arboreta
Howard County Forest Conservancy District Board
P.O.Box 819
Clarksville, MD 21029