The UC Davis Arboretum is welcoming spring with a pair of plant sales, one this weekend and the other the first weeked of April. The sales are presented by Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum.

March 14 — Member Appreciation Plant Sale, featuring refreshments, children’s activities and live music. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Admission is free, and limited to members only. If you are not a member, you can sign up and pay at the gate. Every new member receives a free plant and the 10 percent member discount on purchases.

April 4 — Arboretum All-Stars Centennial Celebration and Plant Sale. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Join the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum at the gate and receive a free plant and a 10 percent discount on your purchases. Plant pathology graduate students will be stationed at the Plant Doctor booth, diagnosing plant pests and diseases (bring samples of your problem plants). Also, the UC Davis Environmental Horticulture Club will be selling annuals and starts for your summer vegetable garden. Sale location is the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive south of La Rue Road (this is the new nursery; it is just beyond the Unitrans bus yard and across from the School of Veterinary Medicine). Free parking along Garrod Drive and in Lot 55

MORE AT THE ARBORETUM

Tour — Spring in the California Native Plant Garden. 11 a.m. March 14, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center, Old Davis Road and Mrak Hall Drive. Free parking in Lots 1 and 2, and the south entry garage, south of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Bus trip — San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. 7:45 a.m.–5 p.m. March 18. $55, or $45 for members of Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum; price includes transportation and admission. The flower and garden show’s theme this year is “Sustainable Spaces, Beautiful Places.” Wear comfortable shoes. Bring a bag lunch or eat at the cafe. Advance registration required: (530) 752-4880 or arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

Folk Music Jams — Play or listen. Noon March 20, and April 3 and 17. Wyatt Deck, adjacent to the redwood grove, Old Davis Road. Parking $6 in Lot 5, Old Davis Road and A Street.

Tour — All About Oaks. 2 p.m. March 22, gazebo, Garrod Drive south of La Rue Road. Free parking along Garrod Drive and in Lot 55.

Tour — The Mediterranean in Your Back Yard. 2 p.m. April 5, Arboretum Terrace Garden, Davis Commons shopping center, First and A streets, Davis. Free parking behind the shopping center.

Walk with Warren — With Warren Roberts, arboretum superintendent. Noon April 8, gazebo, Garrod Drive. Parking $6 in Lot 55.

Tour — Spring in the Native Plant Garden. 11 a.m. April 11, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center. Free parking in Lots 1 and 2, and the south entry garage, south of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Arboretum Discovery Day — Nature, Arts and Culture. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 18 (Picnic Day), Wyatt Deck, adjacent to the redwood grove, Old Davis Road. Environmental activities and demonstrations, music and dance performances, and prizes. Take home an eco-pot, home-made with seeds from native California plants. This event is presented by the student group Arboretum Ambassadors. More information: (530) 752-4880 or arboretumambassadors@gmail.com. Please give two weeks notice if special accommodations are required.

Author event — David Fross: California Native Plants for the Garden. Fross, the founder of Native Sons Nursery, Arroyo Grande, co-authored the book with Bart O’Brien and Carol Bornstein. 7 p.m. April 24, Wyatt Theater, Old Davis Road. Parking $6 Lot 5, Old Davis Road and A Street.

Gardeners Fair and Plant Sale — Expert advice and demonstrations from such organizations as TreeDavis, Yolo County Master Gardeners and the California Native Plant Society. Also, plant pathology graduate students will be stationed at the Plant Doctor booth, diagnosing plant pests and diseases (bring samples of your problem plants). And David Fross (see author event listing above) will be signing copies of his book, California Native Plants for the Garden. Plant and garden-themed activities for children. Free native bee houses from the Sacramento Audubon Society, for the first 100 families from the Sacramento Audubon Society. Join the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum at the gate and receive a free plant and a 10 percent discount on your purchases. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. April 25, Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, south of La Rue Road (this is the new nursery; it is just beyond the Unitrans bus yard and across from the School of Veterinary Medicine). Free parking along Garrod Drive and in Lot 55.

Bicycle tour — Slow, easy ride, lasting about an hour, and focusing on campus wildflowers. 11 a.m. April 25, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center, Old Davis Road and Mrak Hall Drive. Free parking in Lots 1 and 2, and the south entry garage south of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Arboretum Adventures — In Search of Elusive Native Ants, with entomology professor Phil Ward. First hour: walking tour in the west end of the arboretum. Second hour (optional): Bring a bicycle for a visit to remote sites.1-3 p.m. April 26, gazebo, Garrod Drive. Free parking along Garrod Drive and in Lot 55.

All events are open to the public. All walking tours are free. More information: (530) 752-4880 or arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

AT STEBBINS COLD CANYON

NATURE OUTINGS

The Flow of Water — 9 a.m.-noon March 15. Learn about the journey of a raindrop through the watershed. Short hike along the Homestead Trail to Cold Creek and then a one-mile trek up to an overlook with panoramic views of the reserve and Lake Berryessa and its dam, and one mile down.

Bobcat Ranch: A Look at Restoration in Practice — 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. March 21. Moderate hike on this 6,800-acre ranch northeast of Stebbins Cold Canyon. The ranch owner, Audubon California, is conserving and restoring the land, and maintaining it as an active cattle ranch. Learn about research and restoration, and habitat and wildlife.

Nature and Culture — 9 a.m.-noon March 28. With instructors from UC Davis’ Nature and Culture Program. Hike at a gradual pace along the Homestead Trail.

NATURE’S THEATER

Ages 1-4: Mother Nature and the Toddlers May 17.

Ages 4-8: Winter Won’t Go March 22, Animal Circle Club April 4, How the Flowers Got Their Colors April 11, To Be a Tree April 19, Birdman May 9.

Ages 6-10: Plant-Plant Club March 29, Trashman May 2, World of the Small May 31.

All Nature’s Theater programs run from 10 a.m. to noon, except for Mother Nature and the Toddlers, 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Stebbins Cold Canyon is a unit of the UC Natural Reserve System. All events are open to the public, and all events in the reserve and on nearby lands are free. Reservations are required for all events, and be advised: events fill up quickly. 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. Complete summer-spring schedule: nrs.ucdavis.edu/stebbins.html.