Daily Archives: October 17, 2015

Through Monday, October 26 – American Horticultural Society’s 2015 Online Auction

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The not for profit American Horticultural Society offers one of a kind garden experiences all over the United States on its online auction site, and proceeds support AHS educational programs. This week we highlighted one auction item a day selected from hundreds of options. For the full list visit http://www.ahs.org/online-auction.

This is our final promotion for AHS’s auction, and this time it’s a trip to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens hosted by Bob Brackman, Executive Director. Your visit for up to four includes a private tour of the Garden’s 38 acres, including its latest expansion project, lunch with Executive Director Bob Brackman at the Carriage House Bistro on site, and admission to the Garden for up to four

Located in San Antonio’s urban core, the San Antonio Botanical Garden celebrates South Texas – its plantings, its heritage, and its future. Native and adapted plantings give year-round color to the water-saving ethos the Garden exemplifies, from the Texas Native Trail native area to the Desert in Bloom, where cacti and succulents thrive. Designed by Emilio Ambasz, the futuristic Lucile Halsell Conservatory features five glasshouses and will be the focus of the Garden’s new entry plaza. Now underway, expansion plans for the Garden fold an additional eight acres into the Garden’s footprint, with a Family Adventure Garden, and Culinary Garden complete with outdoor kitchen, adding exciting promise to the Garden’s future.

Executive Director of the Botanical Garden, Bob Brackman oversees the public/private partnership between the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Botanical Garden Society. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design. Prior to coming to San Antonio 10 years ago, Bob was VP and Director of the Cheekwood Botanical Garden, 1993-2006. His botanical garden career began in 1981 at the brand-new Dallas Arboretum. Bob has been awarded the Professional Citation of Merit from the American Public Gardens Association.

Best times to visit: Spring and fall are the best times to visit the Garden, which is located just north of downtown San Antonio. While in the city, visitors will want to explore the beautiful San Antonio Riverwalk and the historic Spanish missions (five in total, including the Alamo), now designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tour to be arranged at a mutually agreeable time subject to host’s availability by October 31, 2016.

Wednesday, November 11, 6:00 pm – Shorebird Mysteries

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Join Brad Winn, Director of Shorebird Habitat Management at Manomet, for an inside look at shorebird research unraveling the mystery of hemispheric travel. Brad feels very fortunate to have been able to participate in Manomet’s studies of shorebirds on their Arctic and Subarctic nesting grounds, and has been involved with 12 research expeditions to both eastern and western arctic regions. The most recent was a shorebird nesting survey of the Yukon River Delta, in Southwestern Alaska in May of this year. The Yukon Delta is about the size of Maine, and understanding shorebird use of this remote landscape is a monumental undertaking.

This Athol Bird & Nature Club annual dinner meeting begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11 in Liberty Hall at the Athol Town Hall (584 Main St.), with the program at 7 p.m. Reservations are required for the dinner (members $10, non-members $12); please respond to Cindy Hartwell at 978-544-5783 or cindyhartwell56@gmail.com by Sunday, November 3. No reservations are necessary for the program. The event will also feature our always popular tin can auctions; participants are encouraged to bring an item to donate. Image from the US Fish & Wildlife Service.