Welcome to the Sterling Morton Library
The Sterling Morton Library, designed by noted Chicago architect Harry Weese, is located in the Administration and Research Center on the East Side of the Arboretum, just a short walk from the Visitor Center. It is an attractive space, with curved cherry bookcases, glass shelves, a ceiling that appears to float, and its own intimate garden--the May T. Watts Reading Garden-a perfect place to spend a summer's day reading a good book.
Library Notes: Musings from the Sterling Morton Library
Thursday, February 11 , 2010
The Snoring Bird
Today's gathering of Leafing Through the Pages, the book discussion group of the Sterling Morton Library, was a fascinating and insightful discussion of Bernd Heinrich's The Snoring Bird. Heinrich's page-turning memoir led to a thoughtful conversation about survival, biology, family dynamics, history, nature vs. nurture and a host of related topics. Heinrich's frank and compelling tale provided an entry point for the group to explore the intriguing world of the naturalist. Interested in exploring the writings of Heinrich? Stop by the Library and discover:
- Bumblebee economics, 1979. QL568.A6 H39
- In a patch of fireweed, 1984. CT9460.H45 I5
- One man's owl, 1987. QL696.S8 H45
- Ravens in winter, 1989. QL696.P2367 H45
- The hot-blooded insects : strategies and mechanisms of thermoregulation, 1993. QL495 .H38
- A year in the Maine woods, 1994. F26 .H45
- The thermal warriors : strategies of insect survival, 1996. QL495 .H39
- Winter world : the ingenuity of animal survival, 2003. QL753 .H45
- The geese of Beaver Bog, 2004. QL696.A52 H43
- Summer world : a season of bounty, 2009. QL753 .H44
Next month, we will temporarily transform ourselves into a film discussion group. With our start time slightly tweaked, we will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 11 with a viewing -- followed by a discussion -- of the film Enchanted April.
Saturday, January 23 , 2010
Niether snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor...
As I was entering the Arboretum's grounds this Saturday morning, I was musing about that famous motto - Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor ... - and was delighted with all of the intrepid walkers, runners, hikers, and bikers visible near the Arboretum's Visitor Center. There are so many different ways to visit and enjoy our winter landscapes. What a wonderful time of year to travel through the grounds and discover a host of interesting plants, views, birds and tracks. Before you head out for a visit to our winter landscapes, be sure to take one of these guides from the Sterling Morton Library to help you decipher the plants and mysterious tracks that you might see!- Arnosky, Jim. Crinkleroot's book of animal tracking. New York : Bradbury Press, 1989. [J QL768.A75 1989]
- Brown, Lauren. Weeds in winter. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1976. [QK118.B7 1977]
- Halfpenny, James C. Winter: an ecological handbook. Boulder : Johnson Books, 1989. [QH81.H35]
- Heinrich, Bernd. Winter world: the ingenuity of animal survival. New York : Ecco, c2003.[QL753.H45]
- Levine, Carol. A guide to wildflowers in winter. New Haven : Yale University Press, 1995. [QK117.L48]
- Marchand, Peter J. Life in the cold: an introduction to winter ecology. 2nd ed. Hanover : University Press of New England, 1991. [QH543.2.M37 1991]
- Mason, George F. Animals tracks. New York : William Morrow, 1943. [SK282.M3]
- Murie, Olaus J. A field guide to animal tracks. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1963. [SK282.M8]
- Simeone, Vincent A. Wonders of the winter landscape: shrubs and trees to brighten the cold-weather garden. Batavia, Ill. : Ball Pub., c2005.[SB435.S48]
- Smith, Alice Upham. Trees in a winter landscape. New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969. [QK477.S64]
- Trelease, William. Winter botany: an identification guide to native trees and shrubs. 3rd ed. New York : Dover, 1967. [QK477.T84 1967]
The Sterling Morton Library is open Tuesday - Friday from 9 to 5 and Saturday from 10 to 4. Visit soon!
Wednesday, January 20 , 2010
Articles of note in the Sterling Morton Library: January's offerings
These are some recent articles that can be found within the journal collection of the Sterling Morton Library. Please visit the Library to discover the incredible botanical and horticultural resources that await you! If you are unable to visit the Library and interested in reviewing one of these articles, I would be delighted to help you at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
- Baggett, Pam. Swept away : create garden drama with a sweep of a single plant. Horticulture, v. 107, no. 2, p. 42-47.
- Jutras, Pierre, Shiv O. Praqsher, and Guy R. Mehuys. Appraisal of key biotic parameters affecting street tree growth. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, v. 36, no. 1, p. 1-10.
- May, Felix, Volker Grimm and Florian Jeltsch. Reversed effect of grazing on plant diversity: the role of below-ground competition and size symmetry. Oikos, v. 118, no. 12, p. 1830-1843.
- Raffles, Hugh, art by Cornelia Hesse-Honegger. A conjoined fate : a painter challenges the divisions between art and science, safety and risk, humans and insects. Orion, v. 29, no. 1, p. 16-27.
- Simberloff, Daniel. Invasions of plant communities-more of the same, something different, or both? The American Midland Naturalist, v. 163, no. 1, 219-233.