When you go for a Walk with Warren (as in Warren Roberts, the arboretum's superintendent emeritus), you're getting way more than a nature tour. You're also getting an adventure in storytelling and puns. Warren's next walk, noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 11), will take in the west end gardens. Meet at the gazebo.

Come Friday (Sept. 13), the arboretum turns the movie classic The Days of Wine and Roses into "The Night of Wine and Shovels" — for a wine tasting and shovel collection event at the Arboretum Terrace Garden and Lois Crowe Patio (next to Whole Foods Market at the Davis Commons shopping center, First Street and Richards Boulevard). The 6 to 8 p.m. event is limited to members of Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum — including those who sign up at the gate. Suggested donation: $5 or a used shovel (for a public art project).

More about the shovel project and and how you can donate a shovel.

MORE 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 for a little bluegrass, old-time, blues, Celtic, klezmer and other world music. All skill levels welcome. Listeners, too! Noon-1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 and 27, Wyatt Deck.

• Late Summer in the Native Plant Garden — The Mary Wattis Brown Garden of California Native Plants includes many examples of Arboretum All-Stars, recommended for valley-wise gardens. 9:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, meet at the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.

• Butterfly Ecology Talk and Tour — Naturalist Steve Daubert presents this program on the ecological relationship between flowering plants and Lepidoptera, the insect order that includes butterflies. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, starting on the Wyatt Deck.

FALL PLANT SALES

The arboretum announced a theme of "The New Front Yard" for the fall season's two sales: Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 20. More information.

All programs are open to the public, and all are free except the Oct. 5 plant sale, where admission if limited to members, although anyone may join at the gate. More information: (530) 752-4880 or arboretum.ucdavis.edu (for directions, click on “Plan Your Visit”). Keep up with arboretum news by reading The Leaflet e-newsletter. To start receiving it, send an email to arboretum@ucdavis.edu, with “newsletter” in the subject line.

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