W. Gordon Belser Arboretum, Teaching botanical garden at University of South Carolina, Columbia, US.
The W. Gordon Belser Arboretum is a 9-acre (3.6 ha) botanical garden and nature preserve managed by the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. A small botanic garden holds shrubs and small trees suited to local home landscapes, while the rest supports southeast native plant communities, including a bald cypress swamp fed by city storm drains and a bog fed by springs.
The site was founded in 1959 when William Gordon Belser donated his land to the University of South Carolina. Since then it has served as a nature preserve and field laboratory for the university.
The name honors William Gordon Belser, a donor who gave his land to the university. Today visitors can see how this place serves as a teaching and research space where students work with local plant species.
The arboretum opens for a free open house on the third Sunday of each month from 1 to 4 p.m.; in spring and fall semesters, USC professors, naturalists or other experts attend. Gates are open on Bloomwood and Wilmot Dr., with parking on both streets. The mulched path is uneven and the terrain hilly, and pets are not permitted.
The terrain shifts from dry sandy ridges to wetlands and contains natural springs that feed a bog and a creek system. These contrasting habitats within a small space show the natural variety of the region.
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