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Davey Stars in Botanical Park Audio Tour

Vander Veer Botanical Park

Wandering through a wooded path, have you ever looked up into the tall trees and imagined the stories they could tell about their lives and histories, what they've witnessed and lived through? 

Now, on at least one one wooded pathway, you can find out.

Thanks to "Treeology," a cell phone audio tour at Vander Veer Botanical Park, you can get insight on the lives of 12 trees, including a black alder that is listed on the National Register of Big Trees and a new type of disease-resistent elm.

The informational narration comes straight from local Davey Tree Expert Company employees.

Vander Veer Botanical Park is a 33-acre botanical garden in the Vander Veer Park Historic District of Davenport, Iowa.

Check out the story about "Treeology," that appeared in the Quad-City Times, or read it below.

Have you ever been to Davenport's Vander Veer Botanical Park and wondered about the trees you find there? Their names, their histories?

A new cell phone audio tour called "Treeology" will give you the scoop on 12 of them, including a champion black alder that is listed on the National Register of Big Trees and a new type of disease-resistant elm.

Here's how it works: Stop in the conservatory to pick up a map showing tree locations. Start wherever you wish, although you will progress through the park with no backtracking if you go from No. 1 to No. 12 in order. Large signs identify the trees, so if you get in their general area, you will find them.

Then, with your cell phone, dial the number on the sign and you will hear a narration about the trees from employees of Davey Tree, which is sponsoring the program through Sept. 20. A grant of $2,500 paid for the signs and the phone technology.

"It's a way to take elements of the park and make them more accessible to people," said Natasha Sottos, the executive director of The Friends of Vander Veer organization.

It's also a good way for people who are considering a new tree for their yard to check out some possibilities and see what various trees will look like when they're mature.

Complementing the tour are related children's activities and a photosynthesis exhibit inside the conservatory.

Here's a look at eight of the 12 trees featured on the tour:

1. Black alder

Since 1992, this tree has been on the National Register of Big Trees as the largest recorded tree of its species in the United States.

Its height is listed as 72 feet with a circumference of 114 inches. (Go to americanforests.org for more information.)

A way to recognize a black alder is by its catkins, or flowers. They look like miniature pine cones.

2. Elm, "Homestead"

Brady Street was once lined with elms, their canopies meeting in the middle. The trees were killed by Dutch elm disease in the 1950s and ‘60s, but disease-resistant elm hybrids are now available.

Vander Veer has reintroduced the species to the park in a promenade planting along both sides of the sidewalks that extend from the Stone Fountain to the park's southeast and southwest corners.

3. Bald cypress

Many Europeans regard this as perhaps the finest native American tree.

It's a deciduous tree that grows green feathery needles that turn rusty orange-brown before dropping in the fall.

The trees grow between 50 to 70 feet high in a triangular shape. They can be identified by their round seed pods that have been compared with little soccer balls.

4. Ponderosa pines

This clump of tall evergreens at the west entrance has been greeting visitors since the early 1900s. Usually found in mountainous terrain in the western half of the United States, it is an uncommon species for this area. And, frankly, they don't look too good right now, with a fair amount of brown needles.

The tree's prominent bark is one of its most interesting features. It looks like linear platelets with black-lined crevasses.

5. Beeches

Four beeches have been anchors to the park for more than 100 years. They are easily recognized by their smooth, gray bark that, unfortunately, prompts many people to want to carve their initials in it.

6. Nootka falsecypress

Next to the children's sculpture garden, this tree looks like different things to different people. Some say it resembles an arrow shooting upward. Others say it's a person with multiple arms.

Whatever the case, because of its relatively compact growth habit, this evergreen is great for small gardens or tight spaces. It provides welcome height without growing too wide. Its unique form is perfect for focal point plantings and adding structure to the garden.

7. Tulip tree

Part of the magnolia family, this is called a tulip tree because its leaves resemble a tulip - the shape is unmistakable. Because tulip trees grow so fast and high, make sure you choose a location that will hold such a large tree: 80 to 100 feet high and 40 feet wide.

Tulip trees make up the outer row of the double-rowed Grand Allee, or walkway of trees. The inner row is pin oaks.

8. Ginkgo

Ginkgos date to the time of the dinosaurs, more than 150 million years ago. They can easily be identified by their unmistakable fan-shaped leaf.

Ginkgos grow to be very big, so they are not for a small yard. Also, homeowners should be sure to plant a male tree since the seed coat of the female smells very, very bad as it decomposes.

Ginkgo leaves turn golden-yellow in the fall and drop all at once.