Daily Archives: May 2, 2015

Sunday, May 3, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – A Walk with Mr. Olmsted Through the Historic Back Bay Fens

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See the Back Bay Fens through the eyes of the man who designed and built it.  Join Frederick Law Olmsted, as portrayed by Gerry Wright, along with an Emerald Necklace docent, as they lead a walk through the historic landscape on Sunday, May 3.  Learn how Mr. Olmsted transformed an area described by a 19th century city engineer as “The foulest marsh and muddy flats to be found anywhere in Massachusetts” into the first link in his chain of parks we know today as the Emerald Necklace.  Hear the story of a remarkable life from the man himself. Meet at 1 pm at the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway.  Free and open to the public, presented by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.

Tuesday, May 12, 7:30 pm – Ant Plant Mutualisms

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May’s meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club will be held Tuesday May 12th at 7:30 PM in room 101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Oxford Street, Cambridge. John Boyle of Harvard University and President of Cambridge Entomological Club will be presenting the 2015 Presidential Address and telling us about Ant Plant Mutualisms. Please note this is the last meeting until October.

Mutualistic symbioses between ants and plants are a common feature of the tropics. Hundreds of different plants throughout the world have evolved cavities in which ant colonies can live, and even special organs that provide food for the ants. In return, the ants protect their trees against the encroachment of other plants and against herbivores–even herbivores as large as giraffe and elephant!

In John’s talk for the CEC, he will present some of the diversity of ant-plant mutualisms, and also discuss his own research into one particular ant-plant, the whistling-thorn acacia, Vachellia drepanolobium. This ant-plant is unusual in that four different ant species compete for space on the tree, and all four ant species appear to cheat on the tree in different ways: some prune off its flowers, others tend sap-sucking scale insects, and so on. He will discuss his research on the colony-level underpinnings of this wide diversity in ant behavior.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 from www.baraza.wildlifedirect.org.