The garden features core collections of oaks, carnivorous plants, and native azaleas. Visitors will find representations of Alabama’s coastal dunes, blackbelt prairies, longleaf pine savannah’s, pitcher plant bogs, and shaded slopes from north Alabama. All of the installations are used to teach the volume and value of the immense biodiversity that grows in Alabama. The Davis Arboretum boasts almost 900 trees, and the total collection of trees and woody plants includes examples of more than 300 different species. The species can be divided into three primary groups: oak trees, large trees, and small trees and shrubs. The oak tree collection includes examples of all 39 species native to the Southeastern U.S. In addition to a nationally recognized collection of oak trees are 116 species of other large trees, and 167 species of small trees and shrubs. As a means of educating the public and Auburn University students on the species found in the Davis Arboretum, brochures containing maps of species locations in the garden are available. Anyone interested in taking a tour can pick up a brochure at the Davis Arboretum Pavilion. The Davis Arboretum also serves as a testing ground for sustainable practices, and visitors can take an 11-stop, self-guided tour, “Managing Stormwater the way Nature Does.” The tour, which is also guided by a brochure that can be picked up at the Davis Arboretum Pavilion, illustrates many aspects of water movement, as well as sustainable water management techniques that can be incorporated into the landscape and allow water to slow down, spread out, and soak in slowly. The garden also offers educational programming for all ages in the community, and it serves as an extension of the classroom for most of the colleges on the Auburn University campus. Throughout the year, the Davis Arboretum hosts workshops, presentations, guided tours and events that celebrate the biodiversity and natural heritage of the Southeastern U.S. For more information on the Davis Arboretum, go to www.auburn.edu/arboretum.