University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum

The university decided to re-establish natural habitats on an area of farmland by Lake Wingra and so the arboretum was founded in 1934. This was pioneering work in the field of restoration ecology and the arboretum holds an important collection of restored ecosystems.  The arboretum comprises prairie, wetlands, conifer and deciduous forests.  The Longenecker Gardens is a 50 acre area notable for its lilacs and flower crabapples.