Boston Flora

Month: April 2017

  • Friday, May 5, 6:00 pm – Witness Tree: A Year in the Forest

    Lynda Mapes, 2014-2015 Bullard Fellow in Forest Research, Harvard Forest, and Staff Reporter, The Seattle Times, will appear at the Arnold Arboretum on Friday, May 5 beginning at 6 pm in the Hunnewell Building for a reception, reading, and book signing.

    Ever wonder about the inside of a tree or how a tree functions? Or, what a single tree can tell us about climate? Reporter Lynda Mapes spent a year embedded with scientists at the Harvard Forest to explore a single, 100-year old oak, from the symbiotic relationships in and around its roots and branches to the daily and seasonal changes of the canopy. Hear Lynda speak about her experience studying a rooted tree for a year and how this specimen is one of many in the remarkable, six-state recovery of forests that is underway on former farmland throughout New England. Her book, Witness Tree, will be available for purchase and signing. Free, registration requested at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

  • Tuesday, May 2, 6:00 pm – The Evolution and Migration of the Irish Potato Famine Pathogen: Darwin’s Painfully Interesting Subject

    Jean Beagle Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Plant Pathology and Director of Emerging Plant Disease and Global Food Security, North Carolina State University, will speak on Tuesday, May 2, at the Harvard University Science Center, 1 Oxford Street in Cambridge, in a Harvard Museum of Natural History program entitled The Evolution and Migration of the Irish Potato Famine Pathogen. The culprit behind the nineteenth-century Irish potato famine was Phytophthora infestans, a fungus-like microorganism that causes the disease known as “potato late blight.” New genetic tools have enabled scientists to piece together the evolution of this pathogen and the history of its outbreaks in Ireland. Jean Ristaino will discuss the latest research on P. infestans and describe Charles Darwin’s early role in the search for durable resistance to this serious plant disease. Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. Free and open to the public.

  • Monday, May 1, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm – The Future of Energy: The Energy We Need

    With well-known sources like hydro, wind and solar at the forefront, many countries have made impressive strides transitioning to clean energy. Still, the challenges are immense: Consider that only 13 percent of the electricity produced in the United States comes from renewable sources. As the essential push toward a low-carbon future accelerates, though, how do we balance the benefits with the potential risks to nature? What are the tools—technology, policy, markets and beyond—that will help us produce the clean energy we need in New England and globally, while protecting the health of our rivers and minimizing energy sprawl and other impacts? What role can lesser known renewable sources like biomass and tidal power play? Join the Nature Conservancy at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, 1 Memorial Drive in Cambridge on Monday, May 1 for a panel discussion on The Future of Energy. There will be a reception at 5:30 and talk begins at 6:30. Tickets are $10, and may be reserved online at https://support.nature.org/site/Ticketing?view=Tickets&id=10065

    PANEL INCLUDES:
    Katherine Hamilton, Partner, 38 North Solutions;
    Jessika Trancik, Associate Professor of Energy Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
    Nels Johnson, Director, North America Energy Program, The Nature Conservancy.
    Moderator: Dan Delurey, President, Wedgemere Group

    The Future of Nature Boston Speaker Series is made possible by the generosity of Marilyn and Jay Sarles, Tom Jones, David and Susan Leathers, and Eaglemere Foundation.  Special thanks to media sponsor WBUR.

  • Thursday, May 4, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm- Henry David Thoreau at 200: From Concord to Cape Cod

    American author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is best known for spending one night in jail for nonpayment of the state poll tax, and for living for two years along the shores of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, which sprouted the enduring book Walden. As part of the “Concord Quartet” Thoreau and his contemporaries Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott, revolutionized political, social and literary thinking and became known as “Transcendentalists”.

    Based on several trips to Cape Cod and originally published as a series of articles, Henry David Thoreau’s Cape Cod is a remarkable work that depicts the natural beauty of Cape Cod and the nature that surrounds it. Thoreau, a consummate lover of the outdoors and nature is right at home in the Cape and he details his excitement of the area with naturalist portraits of the indigenous species and animals. Now 200 years after his birth, Thoreau’s essays and books are still being read, and his words are still printed on inspirational posters, greeting cards, and social media graphics. What are his basic philosophies, and how do they resound with us today? On Thursday May 4, beginning at 1 pm at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, you will learn a bit more about this “Transcendentalist” and discuss what threads connect us to him ­ including what he saw and experienced during his trips to Cape Cod.

    Corinne H. Smith is a writer, poet, and outdoor educator. She is the author of Westward I Go Free: Tracing Thoreau’s Last Journey, as well as a biography for middle-schoolers, Henry David Thoreau for Kids: His Life and Ideas, With 21 Activities. Corinne serves as an occasional interpreter and blog writer for Thoreau Farm: The Birthplace of Henry David Thoreau in Concord, MA.

    For more information please call: 508-896-3867, ext. 133. Free with admission.  The Museum’s address is 869 Main Street (Route 6A) in Brewster.

     

  • Saturday, April 29, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, April 30, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – African Violet Show

    Come to Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30, and enjoy a juried show put on by the Bay State African Violet Society. The Bay State African Violet Society was organized in 1959, as an affiliate of the African Violet Society of America (AVSA), the national organization for African Violet enthusiasts. BSAVS provides a forum for lovers of African violets to share their interest in the propagation and culture of these beautiful gesneriads. Free with admission to Tower Hill. Image from www.nsdu.edu.

  • Thursday, April 27, 7:00 pm – Preparing the Garden for Spring and Summer

    Spring is a busy time of year and often essential chores get lost in the craziness. In this Massachusetts Horticultural Society talk on Thursday, April 27 at 7 pm, Charlie Nardozzi will walk us through, step by step, plant by plant, the various gardening chores that should be done and how to do them. From pruning to dividing, planting to lawn care, Charlie will make sure you have a list of tasks to take home. His latest book, New England Month by Month Gardening, released in 2016, will be on hand for sales and signing.

    Charlie Nardozzi is a nationally recognized garden writer, speaker, radio, and television personality. He has worked for more than 25 years bringing expert gardening information to home gardeners through radio, television, talks, tours, on-line, and the printed page. Charlie delights in making gardening information simple, easy, fun and accessible to everyone. Learn more about Charlie at www.GardeningWithCharlie.com.

    Mass Hort Member Cost: $12; Non Member Cost $20. Register online at www.masshort.org.

  • Wednesday, May 3, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Conifer Pollination: Sex Among Evergreens

    Andrew Leslie, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown University, will speak at the Weld Hill Building of the Arnold Arboretum on Wednesday, May 3 at 6:30 pm on the topic of Conifer Pollination: Sex Among Evergreens. Cones scattered on the ground beneath an evergreen; hemlock seedlings sprouting through duff…it is easy to find evidence that conifers reproduce. But how do they do it? Andrew  will explain conifer reproduction with a close look at pollen. He will begin in the Weld Hill Lecture Hall and then walk to explore the Arboretum’s conifer collection. Fee $5 Arboretum member, $10 nonmember.

    Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277. Image from media.growsonyou.com.

  • Sunday, April 23, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Urban Forests: A Natural History of Trees and People in the American Cityscape

    Urban Forests is a celebration of urban trees and the Americans – presidents, plant explorers, visionaries, citizen activists, scientists, nurserymen, and tree nerds – whose arboreal passions have shaped and ornamented the nation’s cities, from Jefferson’s day to the present.

    Jill Jonnes is the author of Urban Forests, Conquering Gotham, Empires of Light, and South Bronx Rising. She is the founder of the Baltimore Tree Trust. She was named a National Endowment for the Humanities scholar and has received several grants from the Ford Foundation. She will speak on Sunday, April 23 from 1 – 2 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston. THBG members $7, nonmembers $20. Register online at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—urban-forests-a-natural-history-of-trees-and-people-in-the-american-cityscape-talk–book-signing

  • Tuesday, April 25, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Bees in Springtime

    Bees pollinate dozens of plants that bloom in the springtime, so now is the time to set up beehives in gardens, on rooftops, at home or even at work. Engage with bee expert Noah Wilson-Rich, Ph.D. and a beekeepers from The Best Bees Company to learn how to set up habitat in springtime with bees in mind. This Massachusetts Horticultural Society event will take place at the Gardens at Elm Bank on Tuesday, April 25 from 1:30 – 3.

    Noah Wilson-Rich, Ph.D. is a biologist, professor, New York Times & Los Angeles Times contributor, two-time TEDx speaker, beekeeper, uncle, and author of The Bee: A Natural History published by Princeton University Press. Noah’s research focuses on bee immunology. Noah is the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of The Best Bees Company, a beekeeping service that delivers, installs, and manages beehives for residential and commercial properties nation-wide. Proceeds from The Best Bees Company go toward research to improve bee health. This research is based out of the Urban Beekeeping Laboratory and Bee Sanctuary, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in Boston’s South End.

    Mass Hort Member Cost: $12; Non Member Cost $20. Register online at www.masshort.org.

  • Tuesday, May 2, 9:30 am – Ikebana Demonstration

    Ikebana International Boston Chapter #17 announces a demonstration by Grand Master Ingrid Luders, Ohara School of Ikebana, to take place Tuesday, May 2 in the Hunnewell Carriage House at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.  Tickets are $20 at the door.  Containers by potters David and Keiko Hergesheimer.  For more information contact Kaye Vosburgh at vosburghk@aol.com, or call her at 617-916-1944.