Boston Flora

Month: September 2014

  • Thursday, October 16, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Origins and Legacy of the Catskill Forest Preserve

    Dr. Paul K. Barten, Professor and Honors Program Director, Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst will speak on Thursday, October 16, from 7 – 8:30 in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum on the topic of The Origins and Legacy of the Catskill Forest Preserve.  The Catskill Forest Preserve was established in 1885 and protected as “wild forest, forever” with an 1894 amendment to New York’s Constitution. This designation represented a major change in public opinion and political will as well as an early success for the fledgling conservation movement. The landscape paintings of Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, and other Hudson River School artists, the stirring fiction of Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper, and the writings of George Perkins Marsh and John Burroughs had a dramatic and formative influence on societal values and attitudes. This opened a new era in which the damage to forest ecosystems by tanbark peelers, “cut and run” loggers, and market hunters could no longer be reconciled with the “the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run” and a thriving tourism industry. The presentation will conclude with some thoughts on where we appear to be as a nation on the forest preservation—conservation—utilization spectrum in the 21st century.  Fee $5 Arboretum member, $10 nonmember.  Thomas Cole painting of Catskill Creek from www.images.fineartamerica.com. Register online at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1.  

  • Sunday, October 19, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Collections Up Close: Considering Crabapples

    The Arnold Arboretum crabapple collection has long been recognized for its importance to the horticultural and scientific worlds. Because of the Arboretum’s many introductions and broad distribution of both cultivars and previously undiscovered Malus species from wild origin, it has been hailed as the “ ‘Mother Arboretum’ for flowering crabapples” (Fiala 1994). This collection remains popular with Arboretum visitors, especially during spring bloom and fall fruit display. Join the Arboretum on Sunday, October 19 from 1 – 3 in the crabapple collection on Peters Hill to enjoy a fall afternoon amid this historic collection. Activities will include a tour of the collection by our curatorial staff focusing on Arboretum-bred hybrid introductions, and information about pruning techniques and timing. For more information visit www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Wednesday, November 12 – Ecological Landcaping Alliance Season’s End Summit

    Restoring the Beauty and Function of Residential Landscapes is the title of this year’s Ecological Landscaping Alliance Season’s End Summit, to be held Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at the Crane Estate, 290 Argilla Road, Ipswich, Massachusetts.

    $85.00 ELA Member – $110 Non-Member, including Lunch and Networking with Colleagues

    Space is limited – Register today! – See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/11509/#sthash.Gtq3gges.dpuf
    Featuring leading landscape experts who will share their expertise and landscape restoration projects that demonstrate:

    Reestablishing healthy soil and healthy plant communities
    Addressing diminished garden performance
    Restoring ecological function and landscape aesthetics

    The morning presentations will feature case studies representing the beautiful as well as practical aspects of restoration. The afternoon will include a panel discussion on invasive plant control, a tour of the Crane Estate restoration project, and an inspiring wrap-up presentation.

    This educational event will give landscape professionals an opportunity to gather at the end of the season to review and reflect on the season; learn from respected industry leaders; network with other like-minded professionals; and get inspired for the next year – all around the topic of restoration.

  • Wednesday, October 15, 6:00 pm – Adapting Species to a Changing World: The Potential of Genome Editing

    Innovative new technologies may enable scientists to manipulate ancient and modern DNA to safeguard ecosystems from invasive organisms, help species recover their genetic diversity, and address issues of climate change. However, as geneticist George Church, Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, will discuss, while resurrecting mammoths could help maintain the Arctic permafrost, such developments require thoughtful consideration of complex system interactions and potential unintended consequences. This Harvard Museum of Natural History program will take place Wednesday, October 15, beginning at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall at 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge. Free and open to the public. Free event parking available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Saturday, October 11, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Sculpture in the Park

    Attend the opening reception on Saturday, October 11, from 1 – 3 of a temporary outdoor sculpture exhibition sponsored in part by United South End Settlements and the Boston Arts Commission, in coordination with Boston Parks and Recreation Department. On view through October 24, 2014, the exhibition is set in Franklin Square Park, 1536 Washington Street, Boston, in the South End.

    These artworks will serve to engage the public in considering the relationship between art and the environment.

  • Esplanade Association Appoints Tani Marinovich Interim Executive Director

    The Esplanade Association is happy to announce that Tani Marinovich, Director of Development, has been named Interim Executive Director for the organization by the  Board of Directors. Tani has formally been with the Association for over two years, and prior to that co-founded the Friends of the Esplanade Playspace that helped raise $1.2 million to build a state-of-the-art playground in the park. For information on what’s happening on the Esplanade, visit www.esplanadeassociation.org.

  • Friday, October 17, 9:30 am – Ikebana Demonstration with Yoka Hosono

    Ikebana International Boston Chapter 17 and Sogetsu Massachusetts Chapter present Sogetsu Master Instructor Yoka Hosono from Sogetsu Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, October 17, 2014 at 9:30 AM. This Ikebana Demonstration (Creative Japanese Floral Design) will be held at NewBridge on the Charles, Great Meadow Road, Dedham, Massachusetts, near Exit 17 off Rte 95. Tickets $20 at the door for non-members. Featured Potters: David and Keiko Hergeshimer. For more information, contact: Minal Akkad 508.270.6759 or Tomoko Tanaka 781.237.5739. You may also email them at salonindia@aol.com and tomokot@comcast.net.

  • Tuesdays, October 7 – 21, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Horticultural Techniques

    Good horticultural practices form the backbone of any successful garden. Understanding how to apply these practices is the first step to becoming a horticulturist. In this three-session course at Garden in the Woods, Framingham, the horticulture staff of New England Wild Flower Society will discuss how to plant native plants and choose the right plant for the right place. Students will practice proper techniques for transplanting woody and herbaceous plant material and learn the correct methods for preparing soil, mulching, and watering. Other topics include plant maintenance, pruning techniques, and steps for winterizing the garden and preparing it for spring. Bring a bag lunch. Class will be held October 7, 14 and 21 from 10 – 3.  $231 for NEWFS members, $272 for nonmembers.  Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/horticultural-techniques.

  • Tuesday, January 6 – Saturday, January 10 – 2015 North American Beekeeping Conference & Tradeshow

    The 2015 North American Beekeeping Conference & Tradeshow will be held in Anaheim, California at the Disneyland Hotel, January 6-10, 2015. As always, this conference promises to bring you the most up-to-date information within the beekeeping industry and the latest products and services offered by our many exhibitors and sponsors.
    The 2015 ABF Conference will feature

    Vendor tradeshow with the latest and greatest products and services in the beekeeping industry
    Top-notch general session presentations on Wednesday morning and Thursday
    Two keynote presentations featuring Graham White from Scotland, UK (on Wednesday) and Mark Winston from Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue (on Friday)
    Shared Interest Group (SIG) meetings on Wednesday afternoon followed by the welcome reception with entertainment in the tradeshow
    Track session on Friday morning for Beginning Beekeepers, Serious Sideliners, Commercial Beekeepers and Research presentations
    ABF Business Meeting on Friday afternoon
    20+ workshops on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
    2015 Honey Show
    Various silent and live auctions benefiting the ABF legislative fund and the American Honey Queen program

    Optional Activities to include

    Auxiliary Meeting on Thursday morning
    Social activity on Thursday afternoon/evening
    Foundation luncheon on Friday
    ABF Annual banquet on Saturday evening with the coronation of the 2015 American Honey Queen and Honey Princess

    For complete details visit www.nabeekeepingconference.com.

  • Sunday, October 5, 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Estabrook Woods from Boaz’s Meadow to Bateman’s Pond

    Estabrook Woods, a glacially carved and adorned landscape, is the largest contiguous forested preserve east of Interstate 495 in Massachusetts. Much of the woodland has been undisturbed for more than two centuries. It supports a diversity of locally rare plants and exemplary natural communities. In the fall, the vast hardwood forests, shrub swamps, and boggy kettle holes come into glorious color. Golden canopies of sweet birch and witch-hazel, soggy pockets of vermillion blueberry leaves, white drifts of cotton- grass sedge, and towering bronzed oaks are complemented by woodland asters, goldenrods, and late season fungi. Explore more than 1,200 acres of forest preserve, focusing on its northwestern reaches between Boaz’s Meadow (a beautiful boggy kettle hole) and the overlooks at Bateman’s Pond. This walk, sponsored by New England Wild Flower Society and taking place Sunday, October 5 from 1:30 – 4:30, will cover about 3.5 miles of trails, some of which are rocky and uneven. Sturdy hiking shoes are recommended. Bring a snack, camera, and water bottle. The instructor is Cherrie Corey, and the fee is $28 for NEWFS members, $35 for nonmembers. Image from www.afar.com.  Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/estabrook-woods-from-boaz2019s-meadow-to-bateman2019s-pond.