At the arboretum

Folk Music Jam Sessions — Pull out your fiddles, guitars, mandolins, penny whistles, pipes, flutes, squeezeboxes — you name it! — and join your fellow musicians during the lunch hour for a little bluegrass, old-time, blues, Celtic, klezmer and other world music. All skill levels welcome. Listeners, too! Noon Friday, March 18, and April 1, 15 and 29, Wyatt Deck.

Spring in the Native Plant Garden — Learn about local native plants and see the native plant collection in full bloom. 2 p.m. Saturday, March 19, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.

Plant sale preview — See garden plants that will be available at spring plant sales April 2 and 30, and May 14 (see individual listings below). Preview, 2 p.m. Saturday, March 26, Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

Spring in the Storer Garden — Gorgeous spring bloom in this demonstration garden of drought-tolerant, low-maintenance perennials and flowering shrubs. Many of these plants will be for sale at the spring plant sales. 11 a.m. Sunday, March 27, gazebo.

The Sonnet Project — The Davis Shakespeare Ensemble presents "an original love story," based on The Bard's famous sonnets. "Told through music, the narrative follows a writer and his beloved as they struggle against the allure of time and the ever-seductive muse," the ensemble declares on its website. Presented by the ensemble in cooperation with the arboretum. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, March 31-April 2, and 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday, April 3, gazebo.Tickets: $12 adults, $8 students, $5 children 12 and under. Reservations: davis.shakespeare@gmail.com or (661) 304-4341. More information is available online or by e-mail, davis.shakespeare.gmail.com.

Plant sale — Storer Garden Spotlight, emphasizing carefree, low-maintenance gardening, with experienced gardeners on hand to help you choose the best plants for your garden design and conditions. Ten percent discount for members of Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum; new members receive a free plant. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 2, Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

Workshop and special plant sale — Your Sustainable Backyard: Landscaping in California. UC Davis' California Center for Urban Horticulture is presenting this workshop, and, upon its conclusion, the participants are invited to visit the Arboretum Teaching Nursery, to browse, and, if desired, buy plants. The workshop is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 9, in the Ballroom at the Activities and Recreation Center. The plant sale is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m.

The workshop program features Debra Lee Baldwin, photojournalist and author of Designing with Succulents, and Bob Perry, landscape architect and author of the new Landscape Plants for California Gardens, discussing sustainable landscaping and the unique plants that are best for California gardens. Fee: $35, including coffee in the morning, and lunch. Registration and more information.

Plant sale — Gardening for the Senses, featuring plants for color, texture and fragrancewith experienced gardeners on hand to help you choose the best plants for your garden design and conditions. Ten percent discount for members of Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum; new members receive a free plant. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 30, Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

Plant sale — End-of-Season Clearance, featuring reduced prices on exceptional plants, with experienced gardeners on hand to help you choose the best plants for your garden design and conditions. Ten percent discount for members of Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum; new members receive a free plant. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, May 14, Arboretum Teaching Nursery.

All programs are free and open to the public; plant sale admission is free, except for the members-only sale. More information: (530) 752-4880 or arboretum.ucdavis.edu (for directions, click on “Plan Your Visit”).

At Stebbins Cold Canyon

NATURE OUTINGS

• Follow a Raindrop — About a raindrop’s journey through the reserve, in a program exploring such topics as the watershed’s hydrologic cycle, water resources management and water quality. A 1.5-mile (round-trip) walk on the Homestead Trail along Cold Creek and then a two-mile (round-trip) hike up to an overlook with views of the reserve’s watershed, Lake Berryessa, Monticello Dam and Putah Creek. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday. March 20.

• A Gentle Stroll Up the Canyon — With so many kinds of plants in Cold Canyon, you would have a hard time identifying them all. Unless you happened to be botanist Glenn Holstein of the California Native Plant Society, who will lead this leisurely walk on the Homestead Trail. 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, March 26.

• Words Into Images — Look at a scene in nature and allow words to join the images in your mind. Take those words and use them in a pattern to create images. Artist Alison Kent leads this program on the creative process of thought and expression. Please bring your favorite media (pens, or colored pencils and sharpener) and a blank journal. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, March 27.

• Discovering Creek Critters — Hands-on exploration and other activities, focusing what types of things are living in local creeks, how to assess water quality by looking at bugs in the creek, and, most important, how to play safely in the water. A three-hour hike. All ages welcome, with the organizers saying this program is great for children 9 and up. 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 2.

• 4 Perspectives — Learn how to use all of your senses in the canyon. With Barbara Byrne, who uses the senses of touch and sight in exploring plants and flowers; artist Alison Kent, who looks and listens for birds and other animals; Goran Muhlert, a blind hiker and musician who tunes into sounds and smells; and Ann Noble, professor emeritus in the Department of Viticulture and Enology. Noble is the sensory scientist who developed the wine aroma wheel, which can be used by inexperienced wine tasters to train their brains and noses to connect aromas with the appropriate terms. 9 a.m.-noon Sunday, April 3.

NATURE’S THEATRE: Nature Play for Kids

Nature’s Theatre invites children to become part of the story and learn from Mother Nature, Professor Planthead and Tiny and Whiny, to name a few.

Each outing is an opportunity to play outside and learn a little bit more about the secrets of nature. All programs run from 10 a.m. to noon, except Mother Nature and the Toddlers (10-11:30 a.m.)

• Winter Won’t Go (ages 4-8) — Sunday, March 27

• Mother Nature and the Toddlers (ages 1-4) — Sunday, April 3

• Silly Ol’ Professor Planthead (ages 6-10) — Sunday, April 10

• World of the Small (ages 5-10) — Saturday, April 23

• Starwalker and the Planets (ages 6-10) — Saturday, April 30

• Consumasaurus, the Dragon (ages 6-10) — Saturday, May 7

• Nature Heroes (ages 5-10) — Saturday, May 14

• Glug, Glug and the Water Boss (water play for kids, ages 5-10) — Sunday, June 5

SIGN-UPS

All activities are open to the public. Optional fees: $5 per person or $10 per family. Activities fill up fast; reservations are required. E-mail Jeff Falyn, jfalyn@ucdavis.edu, with your name, address, event date, and phone number and-or e-mail address, and indicate whether you need directions. More information, including the complete schedule.