Howard County Arboreta
Robinson Nature Center
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Forestry Homepage
History
The Robinson Nature Center is a unique education facility situated on 18 acres of land adjacent to the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. It opened September 10, 2011. It has interactive and multisensory exhibits for all ages, Nature Sphere (digital planetarium), Children's Discovery Room and a couple of miles of wooded trails.
The arboretum was opened in April 2013. It features metal botanical signs for 16 different species and complements the wonderful exhibits in the nature center.
Trees at Robinson Nature Center
The following species were found on the property of the nature center in 2012.Each tree below is linked to its ArborTag which describes the distinguishing features of the species. Those pages can be used to make your own laminated tree tags.
| American Beech | Fagus grandifolia |
| American Holly | Ilex opaca |
| American Hornbeam (Ironwood) | Carpinus caroliniana |
| Bald Cyprus | Taxodium distichum |
| Black Cherry | Prunus serotina |
| Black Gum | Nyssa sylvatica |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia |
| Black Oak | Quercus velutina |
| Black Walnut | Juglans nigra |
| Boxelder Maple | Acer negundo |
| Chinese Chestnut | Castanea mollissima |
| Common Persimmon | Diodpyros virginiana |
| Eastern Hemlock | Tsuga canadensis |
| Eastern Redbud | Cercis canadensis |
| Eastern Redcedar | Juniperus virginiana |
| Flowering Dogwood | Cornus florida |
| Loblolly Pine | Pinus teada |
| Mimosa | Albizia julibrissin |
| Mockernut Hickory | Carya alba |
| Pawpaw | Asimina triloba |
| Red Maple | Acer rubrum |
| River Birch | Betula nigra |
| Sassafras | Sassafras albidum |
| Southern Red Oak | Quercus coccina |
| Swamp White Oak | Quercus bicolor |
| Sweetbay | Magnolia virginiana |
| Sycamore | Platanus occidentalis |
| Tulip Tree | Liriodendron tulipifera |
| Virginia Pine | Pinus virginiana |
| White Fringe Tree | Chionanthus virginicus |
| White Oak | Quercus alba |
More Information
Deciduous trees have broad, flat leaves that fall off at specific times each year. Oak, Maple, and Beech are all examples of broad-leafed deciduous trees.
There are some special exceptions to evergreens and deciduous trees. The Bald Cypress tree has cones and needles, but drops its leaves at a specific time each year. The American Holly is a broad-leaf evergreen tree that produces seeds from berries, instead of cones.
When walking the trails of the James and Anne Robinson Nature Center try and figure out whether the tree is evergreen or deciduous and if it has cones or berries that contain seeds.
Life on the Edge
A habitat is a place where plants and animals can find food, water, shelter, and space. Habitats found at the Robinson Nature Center include forest, stream/river, and garden. An edge is where two habitats overlap allowing for a large diversity of plants and animals. At this forest edge, increased sunlight allows a greater variety of plants to grow. These plants support a number of animals including rabbits, groundhogs, and mice. This large assortment of animals is a food source for predators including fox, owls, and hawks.
The large diversity of plants found in edges supports many pollinators including bees, wasps, and butterflies. These pollinators visit flowers, gathering and dispersing pollen and nectar, which help plants to reproduce. Without these plants, the variety of wildlife would decline; for this reason edges help keep ecosystems healthy.
When walking the trails of the James and Anne Robinson Nature Center, do you see more animals deep in the forest or near the forest edge? Look closely at the trees pictured here. Can you find them along the edge?
From the Bottom Up!
A forest is a complex habitat composed of five different layers. These include the forest floor, herbaceous, shrub, understory, and canopy layers.
The forest floor is composed of living and non-living components. The non-living components include: decomposing leaves, animal droppings (scat), and dead plants and animals. All of these decay on the forest floor creating new soil, and providing nutrients for the plants. Growing out of the forest floor is the herbaceous layer consisting of ferns, grasses, mushrooms, and tree seedlings.
The shrub layer is made up of shrubs and bushes such as Spicebush, Winterberry, and Serviceberry that provide a protective cover for ground nesting birds.
The understory consists of young trees that have adapted to living in the shade of the canopy. Many of the species in the understory of this forest are Eastern Redbud, Mountain Laurel, and Witch Hazel.
The canopy forms a shady, protective umbrella with intertwined branches, twigs, and leaves of taller, mature trees. Most of the trees, such as the Southern Red Oak, identified in this arboretum are considered canopy trees.
When walking the trails of the James and Anne Robinson Nature Center try and locate the different layers of the forest.
Location
James & Anne Robinson Nature CenterHoward County Department of Recreation & Parks
6692 Cedar Lane
Columbia, MD 21044
410-313-0405
Robinson Nature Center is open to the public
Weds - Sat 9 AM - 5 PM and Sun 12 PM - 5 PM.
The Nature Center is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
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