At the arboretum

Tour -- Choosing Spring Plants for Your Valley-Wise Garden. 11 a.m. May 12, gazebo, Garrod Drive. Free parking along Garrod Drive and in Lot 55.

Writers in the Garden -- Historian and essayist Jay Feldman, second in a series of talks by local writers. 7 p.m. May 15, Wyatt Deck, adjacent to the redwood grove. Old Davis Road. Parking $6 in Lot 5, Old Davis Road and A Street.

Folk Music Jam Session -- Play or listen. Noon-1 p.m. May 18, Wyatt Deck.

Plant sale -- 9 a.m.-1 p.m., May 19, arboretum nursery off Orchard Road near La Rue Road. Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum receive a 20 percent discount; anyone may join at the gate to get the discount and a free plant. Free parking in Lot 35. Last sale until Oct. 6.

Tour -- A May Walk Under the Redwoods. 11 a.m. May 19, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center. Free parking in Lot 1 and the south entry garage south of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Family program -- Turtle Talk and Tour, with Brad Shaffer, a professor of evolution and ecology, and Bob Thomson, a graduate student, Presentation on their research on the interactions of native and introduced turtles, followed by a tour of turtle basking spots. 2-3:30 p.m. May 20, Wyatt Deck. Free parking in Lot 5, Old Davis Road and A Street.

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

At the raptor center

An open house and Hawk Walk, free and open to the public, are planned May 12 at the California Raptor Center at UC Davis.

The one-hour Hawk Walk, scouting the nearby creekside and farm habitat for bird sightings, is set to begin at 8 a.m. at the raptor center gate. The open house, offering close-up visits with the center's resident birds, plus presentations about raptor biology and ecology, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The center cares for injured raptors, or birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, vultures and owls, rehabilitating and releasing them whenever possible.

How to get there: From Interstate 80, go south on Old Davis Road, cross the railroad tracks and turn left onto the paved levee road immediately before the Putah Creek bridge. Follow the levee road and turn left, down into the parking area. Free parking.

More information: (530) 752-6091.

In the reserve system

Three adventures at Stebbins Cold Canyon and one at Lake Solano are in the offing, courtesy of the UC Davis Natural Reserve System. All of the events are free and open to the public.

At Stebbins Cold Canyon: 8 p.m. May 12, Tour of the Sky -- Star Gazing, with the UC Davis Astronomy Club; 9 a.m. May 19, Basic Botany as a Way to ID Plants; and 9 a.m. May 20, Preserve the Reserve — Promoting Native Vegetation (participants remove invasive plants).

At Lake Solano: 10 a.m. May 20, For the Love of Nature and Children, about how the park's microhabitats can be used to engage schoolchildren in science.

For more information or to arrange reservations, contact Jeff Falyn, (530) 795-3864 or jfalyn@ucdavis.edu.