James G. Kaskey Park (BioPond)

The James G. Kaskey Memorial Garden, otherwise known as the BioPond, is a cool, woodland oasis where over five hundred trees thrive in the middle of a bustling urban campus. Dr. John M. MacFarlane, Professor of Botany, advocated for its creation as a teaching garden for students in 1897. It remains a teaching garden for not only emerging young biologists, but also environmental scientists, landscape designers, and artists. At almost 3 acres, this hidden corner of campus off Hamilton Walk features a small pond surrounded by undulating footpaths through peaceful gardens, light-filled clearings, and naturalized areas of small trees and shrubs. The space is also a refuge for a diversity of bird species, while an aquatic pond is a home to frogs, crayfish, and other wildlife. Read more about the history of this park by clicking here.

Plants in this garden include:
dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra)
white sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
black birch (Betula lenta)
paw paw (Asimina triloba)
blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium)
spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
hosta (Hosta sp.)
black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale)
resurrection lily (Lycoris squamigera)
dwarf native iris (Iris lacustris)
Chinese mayapple (Podophyllum versipelle)
comfrey (Comfrey symphytum)