Mr. Arbor's Botanical Walk

Recommended Group Size: 8–12 participants
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Terrain: ★★☆☆☆
Geocache Link: https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC9ARB0

• Recommended Tools & Equipment:
• Smartphone with camera and plant ID app (e.g., Seek or iNaturalist)
• Notepad and pencil
• Compass or GPS app
• Magnifying glass
• UV flashlight (for fun!)
• Comfortable walking shoes

Introduction

Set out on a leafy expedition through the Central Experimental Farm and Dominion Arboretum. Decode plant-based puzzles, identify rare species, and unlock secrets hidden among Ottawa’s oldest trees. Mr. Arbor, a reclusive botanist of legend, left behind a trail of green clues woven into the landscape itself.

Your crew will work in teams to uncover five botanical challenges that ultimately lead to Mr. Arbor’s final cache — a tribute to the knowledge rooted in these historic grounds.

Group Strategy

Split into three small teams:

• Team A: Start at Challenge 1 (The Tree of Names)
• Team B: Start at Challenge 2 (The Hidden Herbarium)
• Team C: Start at Challenge 3 (Pollinator’s Path)

Once each team completes its initial challenge, rotate clockwise. Challenges 1–3 can be done in any order. Everyone must regroup for the final two challenges.

Challenge 1: The Tree of Names

Coordinates: 45.3910, -75.7060

In the Arboretum’s main path stands a massive white oak with a sign. Beneath its leaves, small engraved name tags hang like ornaments. Count the species that begin with the letter “Q.” Use that number to unlock a 4-digit combo on a lockbox hidden nearby.

Challenge 2: The Hidden Herbarium

Coordinates: 45.3917, -75.7045

Behind the greenhouse wall, a faded display contains dried specimens. A riddle is etched on the frame:
“I grow in shade, my bloom is brief, my name foretells a woodland thief.”

Your task is to identify the correct species from a set of leaves nearby using a plant ID app or field guide.

Challenge 3: Pollinator’s Path

Coordinates: 45.3922, -75.7028

This butterfly garden contains signage for native plants. One has a symbol of a bee scratched faintly beside its name. That plant’s Latin name is the password for a locked field journal attached to a nearby bench.

Challenge 4: The Canopy Cipher

Coordinates: 45.3930, -75.7050

All teams now gather under the tallest pine near the water. Above you, wooden birdhouses are nailed to branches — each with a number and a colored dot. Use the sequence of colors and numbers to decode a message painted faintly on a bench slat using a cipher sheet found inside the locked field journal.

Challenge 5: Mr. Arbor’s Final Cache

Coordinates: 45.3938, -75.7039

The decoded message leads to the oldest cedar in the Arboretum. Tucked in a hollow at its base (camouflaged with bark), you’ll find Mr. Arbor’s cache.