Published on Show Me Mizzou April 30, 2024
Story by Jack Wax, BS Ed ’73, MS ’76, MA ’87
The trees on campus are hiding a secret. Actually, three secrets. With the right maps, three self-guided tree trails through the Mizzou Botanic Garden reveal themselves.
Each path winds through picture-perfect areas of the 1,252-acre campus garden and offers its own floral settings and varieties of trees. The magnolia butterflies along the Memorial Union route, the golden rain tree along the Jesse Hall trail and the common eastern red cedar growing along the Lowry Mall route add color to trails that include exotic as well as Missouri native trees.
“It’s a great way for people to enjoy the garden and to get a feel for it,” says Chris Starbuck, associate professor emeritus, plant science and technology. “It’s a little intimidating at first to walk through the campus and wonder just what it is that you’re looking at.”
Tree huggers, plant geeks and anyone who enjoys the outdoors can learn more about their favorite trees or find a new favorite by taking a 30-minute stroll along the paths. “Although fall and spring are favorite times to explore the garden, there’s something beautiful to see every season,” Starbuck says.
A map is a must. Maps of each trail and descriptive factsheets are available to download at the Mizzou Botanic Garden website. By following the paths, stopping to read the plaques that identify the trees and reading the accompanying descriptive fact sheets, visitors learn more about the ecosystem that is the Mizzou campus and gain a deeper appreciation of the natural world.
Of the three tree trails, the Jesse Hall Loop is the longest, with 50 identified trees. Starbuck recommends the Memorial Union Loop for first-timers. It’s the shortest trail and is most accessible for people who rely on wheelchairs or have limited mobility. The Lowry Mall Loop (Ellis Library) has fewer labeled trees but does identify 29 of them embedded among an extensive assortment of colorful plants.
Looking for a deeper dive into the garden? In addition to the self-guided trails, visitors can explore on their own the 18 specialty gardens tucked into the Mizzou Botanic Garden or arrange for small-group guided walking tours led by garden volunteers, such as Starbuck, who select routes based on what’s in bloom. This year, a new guided tour is being added to the guides’ repertoire: the Discovery route, which starts across from the student center at the Thomas and Alice Payne Plaza and showcases herbs used in pharmaceuticals.
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