The Hickories – Carya sp. While oaks may be our primary focus at Starhill Forest Arboretum, we could hardly call ourselves stewards of an oak-hickory forest without giving the genus Carya—the hickories—a strong presence in our collection. The genus Carya
FEATURED TREE: The Remarkable ‘New Madrid’ Hybrid Oak A little over 25 years ago, a simple stop at a rest area near New Madrid, Missouri, sparked the discovery of one of Starhill Forest Arboretum’s most beloved oak selections—the New Madrid
FEATURED TREE: Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) (A version of this article first appeared in our fall 2023 newsletter) Interest in pawpaws has been steadily rising in recent years—and for good reason. This small to medium-sized understory tree produces North America’s largest
FEATURED TREE Post oak (Quercus stellata) is a hardy, slow-growing tree in the white oak group, known for its resilience and stunning fall color. It thrives in poor, dry soils and grows in conditions where other trees might struggle. Although
Proper pruning techniques to get young trees off to a great start (This article was first published in our Spring 2020 Newsletter) We’re wrapping up another annual pruning cycle at the Arboretum. The majority of our pruning is completed in
This article was first shared in our Fall 2015 newsletter: An exciting opportunity to add an extremely rare tree species to the Starhill Forest collection arose this year. The Florida torreya (Torreya taxifolia) is a critically endangered small tree in
FEATURED TREE: Hawthorns (Crataegus sp.) I like to think of myself as skilled at tree identification, but I’m not sure I will ever become a true hawthorn expert beyond recognizing the most common native Crataegus species. Keying out a hawthorn
In case your memory of 2007 and 2011 has faded, you will be able to repeat both years in 2024. This coming year we will see the synchronized emergence of two of the most damaging periodical cicada broods, for the
BLACKJACK OAK There are few Illinois native oaks one might consider small or even medium in size, but blackjack oak fits the bill. Commonly found growing in poor soil, particularly xeric sandy or rocky sites throughout west-central into southern Illinois,
Did you buy a live Christmas tree this year? If you lived in the Menard county area 30-35 years ago, you might have bought one here at Starhill Forest! The Sternbergs planted 16 different species of conifers, beginning not long