| Since 1980 I have given tours, lectures, and slide-shows about Seattle plants. Exploring Seattle, documenting plant occurrence, noting flowering and fruiting times, tasting edibles, and teaching others, is a joy. Tours allow people to benefit personally from my learning. Due to the official pandemic restrictions, no tours were offered in 2020, or the first half of 2021. In 2022, I led seven tours --I was too busy to lead more. In 2023 eight. As 2024 proceeds, I will keep adding tours to this page . . . During most years, I lead 13 to 16 of these tours. |
| TIME: It varies. Most tours are on Sundays from 3:00 to 5:00. Dress for the weather, and be prepared to be walking for nearly all of the two hours. Usually at the end of the tour I ask if anyone cares to join me to sit down somewhere nearby for rest, chatting, a bite to eat and a drink. |
| WHAT TO BRING: Whatever you prefer, such as notebooks, cameras, tape recorders, bags to put samples in, fieldguides. Please, no dogs. |
| NO IFS, ANDS or BUTS: Tours are conducted even if it rains or if there is a low turnout. Registrants will be called if an emergency occurs. |
| SIZE LIMIT: Tours are limited to 15 participants (only 10 for edible plant ones). First come, first served. For tours that sell out, additional ones may be scheduled. Moreover, custom tours can be arranged for your group. |
COST: The cost per participant is $10 (i.e., $9.07 plus $.93 sales tax). Payment by cash or checks only. If you prepay for a tour, but miss it, you receive credit for a future one.
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Details and registration: For additional information, or to register, call Arthur Lee Jacobson at (206) 328-TREE (328-8733).
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Note: The first 15 people who register for a tour, fill it. If you don't want to commit yourself now, you can always wait, then call at the last moment to see if space remains. Most tours will have space available even on the very day they are scheduled.
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| Sunday, October 20, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00. |
| Capitol Hill Trees |
Seattle's premier neighborhood for old, large, diverse
shade and ornamental trees. See street trees, mansion
specimens, and delight in some of Seattle's finest
vintage architecture. Bright and varied autumnal color on trees will
offer many lovely scenes. We will not ignore lovely shrubs, either.Meet at 19th Ave E & E Aloha St (SE corner). When done, we can visit and eat at a nearby place on 19th or 15th.
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Atlas Cedar (photo by ALJ)
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| Sunday, September 22 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Fee $10 |
| Ravenna Park tree & plant tour |
Ravenna Park is primarily a wooded, moist ravine. Learn about both native and non-native trees, shrubs, ferns, wildflowers, weeds, etc. Notes about natural history and human uses such as edible berries and summer greens. Meet at at the south end, on NE 55th St east of Ravenna Place NE. After we are done, anyone who wants is welcome to join me at a nearby University Village restaurant to sit down, eat, drink and converse.
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Salal berries, ripe and edible (photo by ALJ)
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| Sunday, August 25, 10:00 am. - noon. Fee $10 |
| Seattle University trees |
Seattle University's beautiful landscape was designed artfully by the Kubota family. Ciscoe Morris was head gardener there for decades. 70 different trees are cited in my book Trees of Seattle, including the largest Summer Passion evergreen Dogwood. We will see an immense red oak, a blooming Heptacodium, and suchlike noteworthy shrubs and flowers. Those attendees interested, may join me for lunch afterward. Meet at 11th Ave & E Madison St entrance.
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ExBucklandia Tree at Seattle U (photo by ALJ)
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| Sunday, July 21, 10:00 a.m. - noon |
| UW Medicinal Herb Garden & vicinity |
The enormous U.W. campus has tremendous diversity of landscape plants, and good wild plant variety. Many rare trees and shrubs were planted by forestry professors, botanists, and the gardening staff. This tour features the Medicinal Herb Garden and nearby forestry buildings. The Garden, despite its name, also has shrubs and trees as well as herbs, dye plants, fiber plants, edible plants, offering the most concentrated diversity of plant species per acre in the entire city! This tour will include both wild (weedy) and cultivated species. Meet at Rainier Vista & Stevens Way. When done, anyone is welcome to join me to eat lunch and chat somewhere on The Ave.
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U.W. Medicinal Herb Garden (photo by ALJ)
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| Sunday, June 23, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
| Meridian Park, Good Shepherd Center & vicinity |
Wallingford's Good Shepherd Center is a local mecca of plant diversity. Many rare species were planted by Gil Schieber, and Seattle Tilth gardeners. This tour will include both wild (weedy) and planted species. Trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, annuals. Many flowers will be blooming, a few berries and fruits will be ripe and colorful. The Tilth garden and adjacent P-Patch will be full of luxurious produce to admire. Meet at the east (main) entrance of the Good Shepherd Center (4649 Sunnyside Ave N). Afterward, anyone interested can join me for a drink and conversation somewhere on nearby 45th Street.
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Pineapple Guava (photo by ALJ)
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| Sunday, May 19, 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. |
| Capitol Hill to U District |
A long walk of at least 4 miles from Sound Transit's Link light-rail Capitol Hill station to the U District. On this tour, we depart from the southeast corner of Broadway & E John St at 2:00, meander north over Capitol Hill, through wooded Interlaken Park and Montlake neighborhood, looking both at plantings and wild plants and trees, on our way to the U District. The walk begins with an uphill climb to 15th Ave E; thereafter it is flat or downhill the rest of the way. You will see the city's tallest redwood, tallest red maple, largest manzanita, and the like. Upon finishing at U District, attendees can ride Sound Transit anywhere they care to; if we want, we can first sit at a pub to chat, too.
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huge Manzanita tree in Montlake (photo by ALJ)
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| Sunday, April 21, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00. |
| Edible Plants |
Food prices are rising. Some foods are getting scarce. And this will worsen. So, more of us must garden, and forage. On this walk you will learn about both wild and cultivated edible plants. At this season, greens abound; berries are later. Meet at Washington Park Arboretum, outside the Graham Visitor center restrooms. Wear shoes that can get wet or muddy. The tour will start and end in the arboretum, but may go outside into Montlake neighborhood.
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miner's lettuce in bloom (photo by ALJ)
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| Friday, March 22, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30. |
| Green Lake trees |
In 1992, I published the book
Trees of Green Lake. Then, 162 different kinds of trees
circled the lake; now over 200 exist (listed on my website here).
This tour will not get all the way around
the lake. It will loop around the north and northwest
part. But we will see the best trees. Many trees will be lovely in flowers and fresh greenery. I last led this tour in 2019. We may need a bit more than 2 hours. Meet between the path and big parking lot on the E shore. Afterward, anyone is welcome to join me for lunch at nearby Rosita's Mexican Grill.
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Green Lake in spring (photo by ALJ)
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