Daily Archives: May 30, 2013

Splatter Spotter

May 30, 2013 by Boston Flora

The United States has 6.5 million kilometers of public roads that are used by approximately 255 million vehicles annually. Road corridors cover approximately 1% of the surface of the United States, but the ecological impacts extend well beyond these actual road surfaces. A minimum of 19% of the terrestrial United States is directly affected by roads, and 22% of the United States appears to be ecologically altered by our road network. Roads alter species interactions, animal behavior, soil characteristics, hydrology, and vegetative cover. The magnitude of these effects is correlated with proximity to the road surface, but extends throughout a â€œroad effect zoneâ€. The Splatter Spotter app developed by California State University for iPhones is designed to allow you to help scientists track where road kill is the most common, allowing us to better design roads and crossing structures to minimize the harm to animals and the hazards to drivers.Â To download, visit www.roadkill.csuci.edu.

Saturday, June 8, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Talk and Taste: Cooking with Strawberries

May 30, 2013 by Boston Flora

Tufts University, in partnership with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, will present Talk and Taste: Cooking with Strawberries, a lecture on the health benefits of strawberries, preparation of berry salad (wheatberries, strawberries and balsamic), gardening tips, and tasting, on Saturday, June 8, from 2 – 3:30 at the Jean Mayer USDA HNRCA at Tufts University, Mezzanine Level, 711 Washington Street in Boston.Â Registration is limited to 70 people on EventBrite (search for Talk and Taste).Â The event features Dr. Barbara Shukitt-Hale, Research Psychologist, USDA, Tim Nourse of Nourse Berry Farms in Whately, Massachusetts, and Rolando Robledo, Chef at Clover Food Lab in Boston.Â Event includes a prize drawing.

Tuesday, June 11, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Woody Vines for the Garden

May 30, 2013 by Boston Flora

Effective landscape design includes creative development of vertical space, and vines should be considered from the outset. While touring the Leventritt Garden of Shrubs and Vines, horticulturist Jen Kettell will introduce you to an array of woody vines. She will explain their various growth habits and attachment mechanisms which determine how they are best used in the garden. Focusing on floral, foliar, and fruiting characteristics, sheâ€™ll recommend vines for a variety of situations. Fee $20 Arnold Arboretum member, $25 nonmember. Meet at the Dana Greenhouse Classroom at the Arnold Arboretum on Tuesday, June 11, from 6 – 8 pm. Register at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.