Here at Cylburn Arboretum, the crisp air, shifting colors, and steady hum of activity remind us of both the beauty of change and the strength of community. This issue of Seasons highlights both of those forces.
You’ll find stories that reflect our ongoing work. We begin at the Vollmer Visitor Center, where we installed new solar, bird-safe film on all of the glass windows, helping to reduce collisions and safeguard migrating species. Some of our dedicated Master Naturalists have been researching and educating about bird strikes, bringing important data and insight to this effort.
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
– John Muir
Master Gardener Viris Neufville and her friend, Linda Wheliham, helped create a “Gardening for the Birds” display at Cylburn’s Bird Glass ribbon cutting event. The Master Gardeners were among many Cylburn partners who participated in the celebration. Their display highlighted how native plants such as gray dogwood, serviceberry, and native grapes support birds including Gray Catbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Northern Cardinals, and Robins.
You’ll also read about our commitment to using the landscape as a classroom in our horticulture work. From the Small Tree Collection to the new City Demonstration Gardens to the Woodland Edge Restoration Project, much of our work is dedicated to showing our visitors what is possible. Many spaces at Cylburn are designed to be more than ornamental; they are meant to be experienced, interpreted, and learned from.
This fall, we’re especially excited to highlight our free dropin programs that make Cylburn even more accessible to the community. Visitors can now join us every Tuesday in the gardens for “Ask a Gardener” opportunities, stop by the City Demonstration Gardens to see featured projects in action, and take part in our long-standing Saturday drop-in programs at the Nature Education Center. Together, these offerings invite everyone to explore, discover, and connect with the Arboretum in new ways.
Fall is also one of our busiest seasons for programs and events, and we hope you’ll join us in the gardens to experience the beauty of the season firsthand.
With gratitude,
Brooke M. Fritz, Executive Director Cylburn
Arboretum Friends
A skipper, part of the order Lepidoptera, pauses on a thistle bloom in the garden.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Hilles Whedbee President
Sandra P. Gohn Vice President
Ramesh Moorthy Secretary
Robert A. Cook Treasurer
Will Clemens
Beverly Davis
Erik Dihle
Patricia Foster
Alan Gilbert
Becky Henry
Mark Gurley
Nancy B. Hill
Mae Hinnant
Douglas Nelson
Daniel Pham
Michael Reamer
Courtney Sawyer
EX OFFICIO
Melissa Grim Chief Horticulturist, Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks
Colleen Vacelet Owner, Intreegue Design
SEASONS is published by Cylburn Arboretum Friends
Written and edited by Brooke M. Fritz Executive Director
Erika Castillo Director of Education
Brent Figlestahler Head Gardener
Bill Geenen | Communication Design Layout and Design
4915 Greenspring Ave. Baltimore, MD 21209
Info@cylburn.org
Phone: (410) 367-2217 Cylburn.org
BIRD GLASS
BIRD-SAFE GLASS AT
THE VOLLMER CENTER
By Brooke Fritz
By Christina Nutile, Park Administrator, Baltimore City Recreation and Parks
According to the American Bird Conservancy, each year an estimated 300 million to 1 billion birds are lost to an invisible threat: glass.
At Cylburn Arboretum, that reality was heartbreakingly close to home. The Vollmer Center, opened in 2010 as a public-facing hub for programs and events, was designed with sweeping glass walls. The glass makes up about 75% of the building’s exterior, looking out toward the arboretum. While beautiful, these windows also posed a deadly hazard. During migration season, my staff members and I estimated 6 to 10 bird strikes a day, often in plain view of visitors. The American Bird Conservancy notes that, while some birds fly away, as many as 50% of those ultimately die from their injuries, even with the care of wildlife rehabilitators.
GLASS
On the left is a picture of my visit to the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park and on the right I am hiking at Killarney National Park
For years, we did what we could from installing Bird Saver curtains to planting trees, but the problem remained. Staff and visitors alike were regularly shaken by the sound and sight of birds colliding with the glass. I knew we had to do better. In 2023, my team began exploring solutions, and, in 2024, I started conversations with Master Naturalists on the property. That work inspired one Master Naturalist, Hilary O’Connor, to take on bird-strike monitoring as her volunteer project.
Hilary reflected, “I was volunteering in the Vollmer Center and would often talk to Christina. Sometimes I would hear a bird strike myself. It was shocking that this problem existed at Cylburn of all places. I was impressed by Christina’s passion for addressing the issue.”
Hilary was also particularly moved by an article about a single day in October 2023, when nearly 1,000 birds died after colliding with the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place in Chicago. The photos were devastating. After a public outcry, that building has since been retrofitted with bird-safe dots.
Motivated to take action, Hilary created a log, so that anyone working in the Vollmer Center could record bird strikes. This helped us better understand the scale of the problem. In the spring, we documented dozens of strikes, though these were only recorded between 10 AM and 2 PM. We know many more likely occurred at dawn and dusk, when staff were not in the building.
In June 2025, our “better” arrived. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Maryland Energy Administration, Baltimore Bird Club, Lights Out Baltimore, Baltimore City Department of General Services along with Recreation and Parks, Decorative Films, and AP Corp, the Vollmer Center’s windows were outfitted with a new product called Solyx BSF-DB35 Solar Bird Safety Film. The patterned film follows the American Bird Conservancy recommendation with a 2 X 2 design, making the glass visible to birds while remaining subtle to human eyes.
The results were immediate. Since the installation and even during the peak of migration season, we have recorded only two bird strikes. We’ve even watched birds fly toward the building, stop mid-air, and turn away. It’s incredible. An added benefit for the Vollmer Center is that the building is now noticeably cooler, reducing both energy costs and the need for frequent HVAC service during heat waves. The Baltimore City Department of General Services estimates the change will save about $1,500 annually.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in September to celebrate the installation of a birdsafe film. At the celebration, the Baltimore Bird Club hosted a bird walk. Of the 500 species of birds found along the Atlantic Flyway, 179 species have been recorded at Cylburn. From yearround residents like Cardinals and Chickadees to seasonal migrants like Baltimore Orioles and Blackburnian Warblers, the Arboretum plays a vital role in Baltimore’s ecological fabric.
The bird-safe glass project is the latest chapter in a deep relationship between Cylburn and the region’s birding community. For decades, the Baltimore Bird Club (BBC) and Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS) have called Cylburn home, using its grounds for lectures, meetings and hikes. The Arboretum hosts some of its historic bird collection in the Nature Education Center, the first building on the property to feature bird-safe glass in the CFG Exhibit Hall. According to Lindsay Jacks of Lights Out Baltimore, Cylburn is also the first property in the Recreation and Parks system to install bird-safe glass.
Part of the Baltimore Bird Club’s historic bird collection is displayed in the Nature Education Center.
This was not just a transaction—this project was about people coming together because they care about this place. We are thrilled that our partners are taking the advocacy component seriously and helping to spread the word. At Market Day, Cylburn Master Naturalists, organized and led by Sandy Markowitz, staffed a table to share practical steps homeowners can take at home. As Hilary noted, “In addition to using window decals, you can also draw curtains at night for large glass windows and turn off exterior lights, especially floodlights or uplighting, during peak spring and fall migration periods.”
The urgency of this work stretches far beyond Cylburn. Many strikes happen during migration, but reflective or transparent glass can deceive birds any time of year. The transformation of the Vollmer Center demonstrates how we can make changes in our own lives to better support the environment. The view from our windows is not just a beautiful backdrop for events. If we want to continue enjoying it, we must do the hard work of maintaining balance by protecting the nature and wildlife that also call Cylburn home.
Baltimore Bird Club members spent time looking for birds while they were waiting for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to begin.
CYLBURN’S EDUCATIONAL LANDSCAPES: A Living Classroom Since 1954
By Brooke Fritz, Executive Director
At Cylburn Arboretum, the landscape
has always been more than a backdrop for beauty.
Since the days when it was known as the Cylburn Wildflower Preserve and Garden Center, the grounds have served as a classroom. As early as 1967, Cylburn’s leaders described the site as an “outdoor museum.” “It is requested that leaders of walks stress the point that even fallen vegetation on the ground needs to be left for demonstration and explanation,” read a newsletter from that year. This philosophy, that the entire landscape might be used for teaching, still guides us today in our stumpery, woodland edge and elsewhere.
By the 1970s, Cylburn was a vital access point to nature for Baltimore’s schoolchildren. In a 1971 letter, then-president of Cylburn Arboretum Association, Mrs. T. Frederick Mulvenny, wrote:
“For many city school children a field trip to Cylburn Park is the first time they have been in a woodland or have seen wildflowers native to the area, a heritage that is rightly theirs.”
She went on to note that more than 18,000 students came each year to study trees, wildflowers, and the many species of birds attracted to Cylburn’s woodlands.
The transition to “Cylburn Arboretum” in 1982 reaffirmed this identity. “The change in name is designed to accentuate Cylburn’s unique character among Baltimore’s public parks as a horticultural and educational center rather than a place for picnics and strenuous recreation,” leaders explained in the Members Newsletter that went out the following month. It was a recognition that Cylburn was not simply another city park, but a space where learning and stewardship would always be central.
Cylburn Nature Camp participants help to plant the woodland edge behind the Nature Education Center.
While new projects such as the City Demonstration Gardens and the Woodland Edge Restoration give fresh expression to this idea, the Small Tree Collection remains a vivid example of this legacy of learning. Conceived by Baltimore City’s first chief horticulturist, Gerard Moudry, the collection was designed to be both practical and accessible. It is laid out in neat “library rows” so that Baltimore residents could compare species side by side, just as a reader browses books on a shelf. Trees were planted in pairs of two, so that, even within the
species or cultivar, a visitor could see how a tree might grow or develop differently.
This method turns a walk among the trees into a leafy classroom. Visitors can see at a glance the difference in canopy shape, bark texture, seasonal color, and growth habits. For homeowners, it provides real-life examples of how a tree might look in their own yards. For students, landscapers, and designers, it serves as a living reference library. On a visit in October, for example, one
might notice the extraordinary range of fruit colors among crabapple varieties.
More than a display of plants, the collection represents the philosophy that horticulture is best learned through direct encounters with the landscape. Cylburn Arboretum Friends continues Moudry’s approach today serving as a resource for Baltimore City homeowners. This is one of two locations on the property where we continue to observe the library row planting style. Our horticultural team tends the Small Tree Collection with selective curation, pruning, and planting, preserving it as both a beautiful landscape and an enduring teaching tool.
Cylburn’s collections demonstrate that public gardens are not only ornamental spaces but also laboratories for learning. As Mr. Moudry envisioned, every visitor who pauses to compare
bark patterns, notice seasonal shifts, or study the form of a tree becomes part of that ongoing classroom. Just as the 1967 newsletter reminded leaders to treat fallen leaves as teaching tools, and as Mrs. Mulvenny noted in 1971 when children were encountering wildflowers for the first time, the Moudry trees embodied the idea that the landscape itself could be the teacher.
Today, that philosophy continues to guide Cylburn Arboretum Friends. From the preservation of the Small Tree Collection to the creation of new demonstration gardens, the principle is the same: Cylburn’s value lies not only in its beauty but also in its ability to spark curiosity, invite observation, and nurture a deeper connection between Baltimore City residents and the natural world.
Wednesday Walk participants learn in Cylburn's tree collections.
A SPOTLIGHT ON FREE DROP-IN PROGRAMS at Cylburn Arboretum
Top left: Tree Time participants make a bird feeder. Top right: Cylburn Garden Educator Ron works in the gardens.
Bottom: Cylburn Garden Educator Rose assists Head Gardener Fig during a bamboo fence–making drop-in demonstration.
Cylburn’s free drop-in programs are designed to bring learning and discovery to everyone who visits our campus. From “Ask a Gardener” opportunities on Tuesdays to Saturday programs in the Nature Education Center (NEC), each gathering offers a chance to explore something new. One upcoming highlight: Learn all about the birds of Cylburn and their feathers. As migration season comes to an end and our winter birds begin settling in, they drop lots of feathers. Drop-in participants at the NEC will learn about the different bird species found at Cylburn, discover how different feather shapes impact flight, and get an up-close look with our microscopes at the structures that make feathers flight ready.
On Tuesdays between 10 AM and 1 PM, visitors can stop by the gardens surrounding the Cylburn Mansion to connect with our Garden Educators. Watch them at work, ask your gardening questions, and gather tips on how we care for plants throughout the seasons. These sessions are informal, welcoming, and open to all ages. They also reveal the often-invisible hands that make Cylburn so beautiful. As with all our drop-in sessions, these are free, and no registration is required.
Finally, don’t miss the drop-in sessions scheduled in our newly hardscaped City Demonstration Gardens, located behind the Mansion. With five distinct gardens, each designed around a unique theme and purpose, there’s always something to see and learn. Earlier this fall, visitors watched as a bamboo fence went up in Garden 4 and a garden tuteur took shape in Garden 2. Upcoming demonstrations will feature Yakisugi, the traditional Japanese technique of burning wood to preserve and protect it (Nov. 20 from 10AM-1PM), and practical skills such as saw-cutting concrete, scheduled for December. These sessions are a great way to gain inspiration and ideas you can bring back to your own garden projects.
Woodland Sprites
Have you spotted our Woodland Sprites? Created by a CAF Arts Committee Member, Aaron Smith, of Idle Hand Studio, these hand-carved wooden figures are hidden along the trails for visitors to discover. Our Sprites are ready to spark curiosity, play, and wonder as you journey along our paths. These magical beings, rooted in folklore across cultures, stand at the threshold between humans, nature, and the supernatural. Learn more about each of them in the Nature Education Center!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
NEC DROP-IN PROGRAMMING EVERY SATURDAY AT 11AM
November 4: “Recycled Landscapes” Lecture
November 5 & 12: Strolling Through Nature
November 11 & 20: Children’s Tree Time
November 13: Gardener’s Workshop
November 19: Wednesday Walk
December 6: HOLIDAY GREEN SALE!
THANK YOU
We can’t thank you enough for being part of our community at Cylburn Arboretum
Friends—your support and participation is the foundation of our success.
Looking for more ways to be involved?
An alley of pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens) trees at Cylburn take on their golden fall color before shedding their soft needles.
