Starhill Forest Arboretum

Starhill Forest Arboretum in Petersburg, Illinois, is a 50-acre private botanical garden renowned for its scientific plant collections, especially one of North America’s most comprehensive living oak reference collections. Owned and operated by Edie and Guy Sternberg’s family since 1976, it developed from older forest land and expanded over time into a research landscape with buildings, ponds, trails, and diverse native and cultivated plant areas. Its holdings include about 2,500 accessioned woody taxa and extensive records of each plant’s origin and location, emphasizing research and reference use. Accredited by ArbNet, it became Illinois College’s official arboretum in 2008 and also supports education through internships, tours, and classes.

Athens, Illinois · United States