Boston Flora

Month: February 2015

  • Thursday, March 12, 6:00 pm – Perspectives on Place

    The Friends of Fairsted present their spring lecture, Perspectives on Place, on Thursday, March 12 with a reception beginning at 6 pm and lecture at 7 pm at Wheelock College, 43 Hawes Street in Brookline.  Gary Hilderbrand, Principal, Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture, will be the featured speaker. What you see: the tangible, reduced, edited, straightforward reality we build. What you don’t see: what came before, what’s beneath the surface, what’s behind the shapes or patterns, below the horizon, past the view, beyond our capacity to see. Gary Hilderbrand will discuss his firm’s work in the context of their monograph, Visible | Invisible. Moderated by Keith Morgan.  Free but reservations are requested. Seating is limited. Reserve with Friends of Fairsted by emailing friendsoffairsted@gmail.com.

  • Tuesday, March 10, 7:30 pm – The Reintroduction of the American Burying Beetle to Nantucket

    March’s Cambridge Entomological Club meeting will be held Tuesday, March 10th at 7:30 PM in room 101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Oxford Street in Cambridge. Andrew Mckenna-Foster (pictured below,) the Director of Natural Sciences at the Maria Mitchell Association, will be telling us about The Reintroduction of the American Burying Beetle to Nantucket Island.

    The federally endangered American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus (Coleoptera: Silphidae) is the largest of North America’s carrion beetles. Its historical range covered 35 states in the eastern temperate areas of North America, but today, populations remain in only eight states and it is possibly one of the rarest beetle species in the United States. The range of ABBs on the east coast is particularly limited, only surviving naturally on Block Island, RI. In 1994, 48 N. americanus were released on Nantucket Island, MA in a large collaborative effort to build a second east coast population. “As we observed how this new population was settling in on the island, we have adapted our monitoring and reintroduction methodology to efficiently boost the number of wild beetles. After a peak in capture numbers in 2011 (212 beetles), we entered a phase of testing whether the species can survive on the island with little to no assistance. I will talk about what we have learned concerning dispersal, winter survival, reproduction, and ultimately, the probable fate of this population.”

    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.

  • Wednesday, March 11, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – The Brookline Troika: Olmsted, Richardson, Sargent and the Planning of a “Model Community”

    The Massachusetts Historical Society presents The Brookline Troika: Olmsted, Richardson, Sargent and the Planning of a “Model Community” on Wednesday, March 11, at their offices at 1154 Boylston Street, with a reception at 5:30 and lecture at 6:00.  Keith Morgan, Director of Architectural Studies at Boston University is the featured speaker.

    Derived from the recently publish book, Community by Design: The Olmsted Office and the Making of Brookline, Massachusetts, this lecture will explore the close and dynamic relationship of the country’s leading landscape architect, architect, and horticulturalist in the evolution of Boston’s premier suburb. These three men lived within easy walking distance of each other in the Green Hill section of Brookline and used their private residences and landscapes as teaching and professional spaces as well. Their friendships and (occasional) conflicts informed the character of the suburban development for a community that called itself “the richest town in the world” and believed that its model was worthy of emulation.

    Keith N. Morgan is a Professor of the History of Art & Architecture and American & New England Studies at Boston University, where he has taught since 1980. He currently direct BU’s Architectural Studies Program and is a former national president of the Society of Architectural Historians. Written in collaboration with Elizabeth Hope Cushing and Roger Reed, Community by Design was published in 2013 by the University of Massachusetts Press for the Library of American Landscape History and received the Ruth Emery Prize of the Victorian Society in America.

    This series has been made possible by the generous underwriting of Stephen Stimson Associates Landscape Architects and is cosponsored by the Mount Auburn Cemetery and the Nichols House Museum. $10 fee (no charge for Fellows and Members of the MHS, Mount Auburn Cemetery and the Nichols House Museum.) Register online at https://dnbweb1.blackbaud.com/OPXREPHIL/EventDetail.asp?cguid=76FBBAD5-59FC-442D-8347-A5AE40DBF561&eid=50859&sid=28E3AC1C-BE75-4D62-BB6E-EC1C9D0EE6AB

  • Thursday, March 12, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Native Edibles and Herbals

    Whether you are interested in healthy, novel, or unusual foods, or are simply interested in applying botany to your everyday life, this New England Wild Flower Society class will enhance your knowledge of native edibles and herbals. From cucumber root to Oswego tea, wild edibles and medicinal plants are everywhere. In this program, students will learn how to recognize and utilize them. Dan Jaffe and Anna Fialkoff will address safe and sustainable best practices as they explore common, rare, and threatened species for forage and cultivation. The class will be held at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Thursday, March 12, from 10 – 12, and is $26 for NEWFS members, $32 for nonmembers. Register on line at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/native-edibles-and-herbals. Picture from www.earthworkprograms.com.

  • Wednesday, March 11 & 18, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Getting Started with Home Landscaping

    Learn the basics of landscaping your property. This two-part New England Wild Flower Society class, to be held at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on March 11 and 18, from 6:30 – 8, teaches you how to determine the right plants for the various conditions in different parts of your yard. You will also get tips on planting, watering and keeping your gardens healthy over the long-term using earth-friendly practices that are safe for your family, pets, and the planet. Ellen Sousa, author of The Green Garden, is the instructor, and the fee is $26 for NEWFS members, $32 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/getting-started-with-home-landscaping.

  • Saturday, March 7, 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm – History of Camellias in Boston

    New Englanders have been growing decorative plants for centuries.  Many large estates in the Boston area featured large glass greenhouses and significant collections of camellia trees.  Discover the rich history of camellia cultivation from the late 1700s through the 1900s at this illustrated lecture by Lyman Estate Greenhouse Manager Lynn Ackerman.  The event will take place Saturday, March 7 beginning at 2 pm.  Afterwards, visit the 1804 Lyman Estate Greenhouses and enjoy the large camellia collection in bloom.   $5 for the public, free to Historic New England members.  Registration required by calling 617-994-5912.  Program will take place at the Lyman Estate mansion, 185 Lyman Street in Waltham.  This lecture is part of the camellia blooming season and sale, running through March 15, Wednesdays through Sundays, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm.

  • Thursday, March 5, 6:00 pm – The Revolution in Plant Evolution

    Pamela Soltis, Distinguished Professor and Curator, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, will speak on Thursday, March 5 at 6 pm on The Revolution in Plant Evolution.

    Today’s digital technologies enable museums to “unlock” their cabinets and share their treasures online. Pamela Soltis will discuss the way in which access to digital data and images of natural history collections is becoming a game changer in the understanding of plant evolution. From enabling novel research on plant genetics, to highlighting the roles plants play in nature and how they respond to climate change, museum collections are a key resource, particularly when studying plants that are rare, hard to collect, endangered, or extinct.

    The Evolution Matters Lecture Series is supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. This free program will take place at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street.  Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Thursday, March 12, 10:00 am – Tour of the Waterworks Museum

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s March meeting will be a field trip to the Waterworks Museum, 2450 Beacon Street in Boston. We will be joined by Executive Director Marcis Kempe and architectural historian Dennis DeWitt at the Waterworks Museum, who will discuss Boston’s first water safety laboratory, the landscaping of Boston, and other technological aspects of the creation of Boston’s excellent water system. Car pool notices will be sent to Garden Club of the Back Bay members. Non club members who are interested in joining us at the Museum should email info@bostonflora.com.

  • Tuesday, March 10, 5:15 pm – 7:30 pm – Fear of an Open Beach: The Privatization of the Connecticut Shore and the Fate of Coastal America

    The Massachusetts Historical Society will present a free lecture on Tuesday, March 10 at their offices at Massachusetts Avenue in Boston.  Andrew W. Kahrl of University of Virginia will speak on Fear of an Open Beach: The Privatization of the Connecticut Shore and the Fate of Coastal America.  Comments will be made by Karl Haglund of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. This essay traces the rise of private beaches along the Connecticut shore and the efforts of municipalities to protect exclusionary laws from the effects of civil rights movements. It argues that overdeveloped coastlines have been the product of racial and class segregation; thus, the battle over public access to the nation’s shoreline during the 1970s sheds light on the roots of the environmental crisis facing America’s coast.

    Please rsvp by emailing seminars@masshist.org. You may receive advance copies of the seminar paper.

  • Tuesday, July 14 – Thursday, July 16 – Hydrangeas 2015 International Conference

    HYDRANGEAS, HYDRANGEAS, HYDRANGEAS! The species, cultivars, newest introductions, breeding innovations, cultural issues, and tours of significant private Cape Cod gardens will be part of an International Conference to take place July 14 – 16 at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich. Plus, there will be on-site displays by major hydrangea suppliers, and plant sales stalls by local nurseries featuring hundreds of hydrangeas- all presented and available over three days in the cradle of the genus – Cape Cod.

    Heritage is widely known for rhododendrons, but it also features a growing collection of hydrangeas. In concert with the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society, Heritage is the repository of the Society’s Hydrangea Collection and has continued to expand hydrangea plantings throughout the property.

    Lectures will be held each morning with garden tours in the afternoon. Tuesday and Wednesday tours will feature significant private gardens on the Cape. Keynote Speaker for the conference is Dr. Michael Dirr, who will give a talk on The History of Hydrangeas – Earliest Introductions to Current Developments on Tuesday morning. A host of prominent speakers will present on Tuesday and Wednesday – full details may be found on the website noted below. Thursday will be a full Heritage Day dedicated to tours of all garden areas including the Hydrangea Collection. Thursday evening will feature the Conference banquet followed by an Ice Cream Social and a Question & Answer Forum to conclude the event.

    Cape Cod is a historical treasure trove, a place of incomparable natural beauty, with a maritime climate befitting Hydrangea macrophylla – the crown jewel of the genus – at their blooming peak in July.

    Full registration now through March 31 is $550.  One day registration for July 14 or July 15 only is $250.  Register online, and complete information, may be found at http://www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/hydrangeas2015/.