Daily Archives: October 2, 2013

Friday, October 4, 6:45 pm – Deer, Forests, and People: Understanding and Managing Socioecological Systems

October 2, 2013 by Boston Flora

The New England Botanical Club will present Tom Rawinski, Botanist, USDA Forest Service, Durham, New Hampshire, on Friday, October 4.Â Tom will speak on Deer, Forests, and People: Understanding and Managing Socioecological Systems, beginning at 6:45 pm at Harvard University, Cambridge, in the Haller Lecture Hall (Room 102), Geological Museum, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge (door to the right of the Harvard Museum of Natural History entrance.)Â For information on the New England botanical Club, visit www.rhodora.org. Picture below from www.animalliberationfront.com.

Friday, October 18 – Sunday, October 20, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Fall Orchid Sale

October 2, 2013 by Boston Flora

Celebrate orchid-blooming season Friday, October 18 – Sunday, October 20 at the Lyman Estate Greenhouse, 185 Lyman Street in Waltham. Hundreds of orchid plants are for sale, including many hard-to-find varieties. Visit the greenhouses and enjoy gorgeous floral colors, shapes, and scents. Among the many varieties on display and for sale are cattleyas, laelias, oncidiums, Paphiopedilums, and Phalaenopsis. Their long-lasting blooms make orchids a dramatic addition to any indoor environment. This adaptable species can grow in a variety of home conditions. Staff are on hand to offer expert advice. Historic New England Garden and Landscape members receive a 15% discount on purchases at the greenhouses. Free admission. Please call 781-891-1985 for more information.Â Image from www.flowerpicturegallery.com.

Tuesday, October 8, 7:30 pm – Queens, Potential Queens, and Temporary Workers in a Tropical Paper Wasp Species

October 2, 2013 by Boston Flora

The next meeting of the Cambridge Entomological ClubÂ will be held on Tuesday, October 8 at 7:30 PM in in room 101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge. Shantanu Shukla will present a talk entitled “Queens, potential queens, and temporary workers in a tropical paper wasp species”.

Ropalidia marginata is a primitively eusocial wasp from southern and south-eastern Asia. Queens and the workers are morphologically similar, and reproductive castes are flexible. Queens are the sole egg layers in the colony, but workers retain the capacity to fully develop ovaries and become queens. What distinguishes this species is that the queen is not the dominant female, but is meek and docile. How then does the queen maintain her reproductive dominance? How does the colony regulate its maintenance and care? If workers are capable of becoming queens, why donâ€™t they do so?Â Dr. Shukla will demonstrate how he has used behavioral experiments to elucidate the mysteries of these complex and fascinating social insects.

The meeting is free and open to the public. Snacks will be provided and you are also welcome to join us at 6:00 PM for an informal pre-meeting dinner at Cambridge Common. Image below from www.treknature.com.