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Crosby Arboretum

The Crosby Arboretum is an area of over 100 acres maintained by Mississippi State University for preserving, protecting and displaying plants native to the Pearl River Drainage Basin Ecosystem. There is a small entrance fee.  It has an excellent trail system with interpretive markers for self-guided tours. Guided tours are also available so if interested, contact the visitor’s center.  Of particular interest to birders are the wet pine savannahs and pine flat woods. They are carefully maintained by controlled burns that replicate the naturally recurring wildfires fostering this remarkable ecosystem and its inhabitants, including the much sought after Henslow’s Sparrow. This species winters in recently burned pine savannah from roughly the time herbaceous growth reappears (about a year) until the time woody growth begins to take over (three to five years).  Due to the Arboretum’s burn cycle, prime habitat is usually available every winter. Another winter target bird, Sedge Wren, can be found in the boggy meadows. Brown-headed Nuthatch is present year-round in the pine groves.