Boston Flora

Month: August 2012

  • Sunday, September 9 – Sunday, October 28, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Beginning Art of Bird Carving

    Award winning wildlife artist Laurie Truehart of Royalston will offer a workshop at the Petersham Art Center to teach the art of bird woodcarving. Participants will work with the artist to create a chickadee, studying the basics of carving techniques, as well as proper use and care of carving tools. This intensive course will start Sunday, September 9, and proceed each Sunday through October 28th.

    Laurie has been perfecting the art of carving for over a decade. Her intricate works are true to nature in every exacting detail, down to the feather count on a bird’s wing, yet capture the vibrant poses and flights of the smallest chickadee to the largest owl, swooping to its prey. She has competed in the prestigious Ward Museum World Championship competition in Maryland and the Canadian Wildfowl Carving Championship. Her work has been on display at numerous galleries, including locally at the Millers River Environmental Center and the Gardner Area League of Artists.

    “I have always had a great appreciation for nature’s beauty. My inspirations come from both wild animals and those that I have had the pleasure of knowing,” says Laurie. “Living in Royalston has given me the opportunity to observe wildlife in their natural habitat and those first hand experiences now motivate my artistic expression. My carving includes a variety of wildlife forms, birds of prey, songbirds, and mammals. I like to capture the wild feeling of living forms by rendering them in motion and at rest.”

    The sessions are each Sunday, from 1-4PM, on September 9, 16, 23, 30 and October 7, 14, 21, and 28.  The cost is $120 for PAC members and $135 for nonmembers. There is a materials fee for a wood bird blank and carving tools.

    Call the Petersham Art Center at 978-724-3415 for more information. The Art Center is located off Rt. 32 near the center of Petersham. The Center is open from Wednesday through Sunday, from 1-4PM, for artists’ exhibitions, goods by local crafters and artisans, handmade jewelry and leather goods, books by local authors, antiques, and other treasures.

  • Saturday, September 1, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Sowing Seeds in Autumn

    Don’t let summer’s waning days put an early end to your gardening activity! Come learn which established crops will thrive in your garden through fall, and what you can still plant in September (and even October) in order to maximize your garden’s late-season potential – no greenhouse needed!

    This workshop will focus mainly on cold-hardy plant selection and will also include basic tips on planting cover crops for healthy soil. Approaches for mitigating early frosts will be touched on as well. Individuals with existing gardens as well as those with new gardens built late in the season, or school gardens to be planted when students return, will learn techniques to make the most of their growing space before winter arrives.

    The class will be held Saturday, September 1 from 1 – 3 at Brookline High School, 115 Greenough Street in Brookline. $15 for Brookline High School students and faculty, $25 for Northeast Organic Farming Association members, and $30 for the general public. If you have any questions about this first of NOFA’s Fall Urban Gardening series, contact Drew Love at drew@nofamass.org. Register on line at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/265119.  Photo from www.higgeldygarden.com.

  • Thursday, August 30, 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm – Fisheries & Wildlife Board Meeting and Hearing

    The Fisheries and Wildlife Board August meeting will be held on Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at the UMass Cranberry Experiment Station, 1 State Bog Road, E. Wareham,  MA.  A Public Hearing will be held at the same location at 3:00 pm to establish rules and regulations relative to the fall turkey hunt. The proposed regulations change would open Wildlife Management Zones 10, 11, and 12 to the hunting of wild turkey during the fall season. This will be followed by an Informational Hearing on the 2012-13 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Seasons.  The Fisheries & Wildlife Board will vote on the proposal at the conclusion of the informational hearing in order to meet the filing date as set by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Those seasons (such as the early goose season) which open in September will be set by emergency regulation.  All you bird hunters out there, take notice!  Visit www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/calendar/calendar.htm for updates.

  • Saturday, September 8, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Quabbin to Monadnock: The Athol Link

    On Saturday, September 8, beginning at 9 am, Dan Bolton leads this moderate six-mile hike through an Athol gem, part of the new Quabbin to Monadnock trail system now under development. Meet at the Bearsden parking area, at the end of Bearsden Rd., Athol, with some cars to be left there. Car pool to South Royalston and hike south through the Thousand Acre Brook area and the Bearsden. See great views of the Millers River and Thousand Acre Falls. Bring water and lunch, and dress for the weather, including good footwear. Info: Dan Bolton, 978-895-3979. Part of Athol Bird & Nature Club’s celebration of Athol 2012.

  • Friday, August 31 – Sunday, September 30 – Echoes of the Olmsted Elm: Works from RISD’s 2011 Witness Tree Project

    The Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, in collaboration with the Rhode Island School of Design’s Witness Tree Project and the Friends of Fairsted, is pleased to present an exhibit of artworks produced from the wood of the historic Olmsted Elm that graced the landscape at 99 Warren Street, Brookline, Massachusetts until March 2011, when it succumbed to old age, a serious fungal infection, and exposure in recent years to Dutch elm disease. Echoes of the Olmsted Elm: Works from RISD’s 2011 Witness Tree Project will take place in the rehabilitated barn at Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline from Friday, August 31 through Sunday, September 30. The exhibit will be open to walk-in visitors on Thursday evenings from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. as well as Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The regular on-site tours taking place Wednesday through Sunday will also make stops at the exhibit. Finally, a special opening reception for the public will be held the evening of September 14. For further information, please call 617-566-1689 or visit, www.nps.gov/frla starting in mid-August.

  • Real Food Challenge Seeks Office Space

    Nina Mukherji is Director of Programs at Real Food Challenge (www.realfoodchallenge.org), and has contacted us with a request. Currently located in Dorchester, they are looking for any space in the Boston that could be the new home office of Real Food Challenge. Real Food Challenge is a network of college and university students organizing to shift food the food at their schools to fair and sustainable sources, collectively creating a better food economy.

    “We have a small core staff and over a dozen organizing fellows around the country. We are growing and moving out of our parent organization, The Food Project, to a new fiscal sponsor, Third Sector New England. As part of the transition, we are looking for a new office space to accommodate 4 full time staff people and up to 5 part-time staff/organizers/interns.”

    Requirements are a central location, accessible to folks on Green, Orange, and Red lines (Downtown, Chinatown, Back Bay, Fenway, Longwood, Harvard Square. Parts of JP or Lower Roxbury)
    800-1000 square feet
    3-4 rooms
    One room that is large enough for 6-8 people to meet in
    A phone connection
    DSL or Cable for wireless
    Access to a kitchen space (nice, but not necessary)
    Windows
    Not too expensive– they’re a small, lean, movement-building machine!

    If you have any suggestions, contact Nina at 617-997-8440, or email her at mukherjin@gmail.com.

  • Tuesday, October 9 – Friday, October 26 – A Madagascar Expedition

    Isolated off the east coast of Africa, Madagascar is an extraordinary country and one of the world’s highest conservation priorities. Here, the proportion of unique species may be incomparable on earth—an evolutionary heritage of tremendous interest to travelers, botanists, conservationists, and scientists, alike. During Pacific Horticulture’s 18-day expedition, led by an outstanding Madagascar guide, you will explore reserves in diverse habitats, including Perinet and Mantadia National Park (below) in the eastern moist montane rainforests; Lokobe Reserve on the island of Nosy Be, some of the last rainforest in the northwest; and renowned Berenty Reserve in the south, which edges the spiny forest with bizarre woody and thorny plants reminiscent of plants in the American desert southwest. We will also see a profusion of lemurs in these reserves, plus chameleons and countless birds unique to the country.

    The Pacific Horticulture Madagascar tour will be escorted by Steve Gerischer, a professional landscape designer and part-time teacher and lecturer, president of the Southern California Horticultural Society, and PHS board member.  For more information contact Betchart Expeditions. Reach them by phone at 800-252-4910 or at Betchart Expeditions.

  • Massachusetts Corn Maze Season

    Soon, you will be able to enjoy what the drought stricken middle of the country can only dream of – getting lost in a corn maze.  Sauchuk Farm, 200 Center Street in Plympton, will honor 100 years of Girl Scouting in its maze opening September 15.  They are now taking group reservations and you may learn more at www.sauchukfarm.net.  West End Creamery & Family Farm (www.westendcreamery.com) at 481 Purgatory Road in Whitinsville will open its corn maze in September or October, and you may call 508-234-2022 to check.  Goss Farm in Dunstable calls its attraction “The Maize” and reminds visitors that this is a real corn field with uneven surfaces, so strollers are not recommended, and dogs and other animals are not allowed unless they are certified service animals.  Find out more at www.gossfarm.com.  Connors Farm is at 30 Valley Road in Danvers, and in addition to the corn maze has a pick your own operation.  Plan your visit at www.connorsfarm.com.  Schartner Farms is located at 211 West Berlin Road in Bolton (www.schartnerfarm.com), and its 2011 season came to an abrupt end due to a Nor’Easter, so they hope this season will be a big success.

  • Saturday, September 15 – Arnold Arboretum Plant Giveaway

    Now is the time to join or renew your membership with the Arnold Arboretum. The plant list for the 2012 Plant Giveaway is now available online. The 2012 event brochure [pdf] will be mailed to members in August, along with tickets and free plant vouchers.

    The Fall Plant Giveaway, held annually in September, celebrates the Arnold Arboretum’s longstanding tradition of sharing and promoting woody plants for temperate climates. In addition to making plant material available to researchers and other botanical institutions, the Arboretum has traditionally distributed plants to members of the Friends of the Arnold Arboretum in recognition of their support. Held annually in September, the Plant Giveaway gives members the opportunity to receive free Arboretum-grown plants as a part of their membership benefits, gain first-hand expert knowledge from our staff, and enjoy the beauty of our landscape during the change of seasons.

    If you have any questions, or would like to join the Friends of the Arnold Arboretum in advance of the 2012 Plant Giveaway, please email membership coordinator Wendy Krauss at membership@arnarb.harvard.edu or call 617.384.5766.

  • Monday, October 15 – Wednesday, October 17 – NER Symposium 2012

    The Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. is hosting the 2012 NER Symposium at the Providence Marriott, One Orms Street, Providence, Rhode Island on October 15 – 17.  Barbara May is the Design instructor.  Her subject will be Innovative Exhibition Tables, and she will also teach an allied subject Viva La Difference.  Barbara, whose home state is Massachusetts, is a past president of National Garden Clubs, Inc.  David Robson is the Horticulture Instructor.  His subjects will be A Different Take on Collections and Displays, as well as Orchid Plants.  He will also teach So You Think You Know the Handbook?  David has been involved with NGC programs for a long time, and currently is an FSS Accrediting Chairman.  He is an Extension Specialist at the University of Illinois in the Pesticide Safety Education Program.  This is his first visit to New England.

    Registrar for the Symposium and the Annual Meeting, which precedes the Symposium, is Vicki Iannuccillo, who may be reached by email at viannucil@aol.com. Symposium Chairman is Sue Redden.