Boston Flora

Month: November 2019

  • Wednesday, January 8 – Wednesday, January 22 – Tasmania by Land and Sea

    Travel with Harvard Alumni, Dartmouth Alumni Travel, MIT Alumni Travel, and National Trust Tours on January 8 – 22. Discover Tasmania, a “curious island at the edge of the world,” with its wild and beautiful landscapes, friendly people with a relaxed island lifestyle, and a haunting history evoked by world-famous convict ruins. It is Australia’s smallest state and the most geographically diverse, with over 40 percent reserved as national parks and world heritage wilderness. On this program, begin in Sydney, Australia’s largest city and the capital of New South Wales. Take a short flight to Tasmania and enter a completely unique and untamed world. Enjoy a seven-night cruise along Tasmania’s rugged coast aboard Coral Discoverer. A true expedition ship, Coral Discoverer’s shallow draught and maneuverability give her an unmatched ability to enter the shallow bays and inlets of Tasmania’s otherwise virtually inaccessible coastline. Become immersed in Tasmania’s breathtaking national parks, dramatic scenery, abundant wildlife, and history. Guided by an expert expedition team, including a Tasmanian specialist, there is no finer way to experience Tasmania’s remote southern coastline than by expedition ship, and no other itinerary with the ability to capitalize on the unique experiences Tasmania offers.

    Optional extensions will be offered to either the Australian Outback with Alice Springs and Uluru, or Queensland and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, longest in the world. For pricing and complete itinerary and information visit alumni.harvard.edu/travel.

  • Wednesday, November 20, 6:30 pm – Sparkling Wine & Thanksgiving Centerpieces

    Gather your friends and join Alice’s Table and host Amy Hineman on November 20 at 6:30 for some Bubbly & Blooms at Boston Bottle, 372 Commercial Street in Boston. You will enjoy a curated wine tasting while you create a beautiful Thanksgiving Centerpiece for your holiday table. Best part? Each guest will get to choose their favorite bottle of wine from the tasting to bring home with them, complimentary with the $85 ticket! To register visit https://alicestable.com/events/sparkling-wine-thanksgiving-centerpieces_1570117744

  • Thursday, November 21, 6:00 pm – The Remarkable Nature of Edward Lear

    Robert McCracken Peck, Curator of Art and Artifacts, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University , will speak at a free public lecture on November 21 at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge.

    Edward Lear (1812–1888), best known for The Owl and the Pussycat and other nonsense poetry, was also an accomplished painter of birds, mammals, reptiles, and landscapes, and an adventurous world traveler. His paintings of parrots, macaws, toucans, owls, and other birds are among the finest ever published. Robert McCracken Peck will discuss the remarkable life and natural history paintings of this beloved children’s writer, who mysteriously abandoned his scientific work soon after achieving preeminence in the field.

    Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage

  • Wednesday, January 15 – Friday, January 31 – Madagascar to Mauritius

    This is an extraordinary cruise for those who love the natural world and all its wonders. The star is Madagascar, a thousand-mile island boasting an impressive variety of spectacular landscapes from pristine coral reefs and coastal mangroves to virgin rain forests and native groves of Baobab trees. Geographically isolated for millions of years, nearly all of Madagascar’s intriguing animals and plants are found nowhere else on Earth, including nearly 100 varieties of lemurs. Madagascar’s people are also unique, having descended from Malay-Polynesian mariners, slaves from Africa, as well as traders from Arabia, India, and Portugal. To maximize the time in Madagascar, this expedition begins with a private charter flight from Johannesburg to Tulear, Madagascar, thus avoiding the two-day crossing of the rough Mozambique Channel by ship.

    Led by a team of expert naturalists, including Former US Ambassador Peter W. Galbraith, enjoy 10 full days of exploring Madagascar’s numerous marine reserves and national parks from the comfort of the newly refurbished, 95-passenger MS Serenissima. Leaving the wonders of Madagascar behind, arrive at Reunion Island, a paradisiacal French outpost, to explore its white-sand beaches, spectacular dormant volcanoes, and Creole character. Disembark on the island of Mauritius, the perfect ending to your voyage, taking in this island’s cultural riches or geologic wonders before transferring to the airport for flights to the U.S. The trip is co-sponsored by Harvard Alumni Travels, the Archaeological Association of America, Dartmouth Alumni Travel, and National Trust Tours. For complete information visit https://alumni.harvard.edu/travel/trips/madagascar-cruise-2020

  • Saturday, November 16, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Geology Walk

    If you think you know all of the history of World’s End in Hingham, step back in time with registered geologist and long-time Trustees volunteer, Les Tyrala, to look for evidence of the ancient igneous bedrock, volcanoes, submarine mudslides, and rugged mountain rivers within this portion of the 400 Millenia old Boston Basin.  Also, we will look for direct evidence of the last period of glaciation that ended about 9,500 years ago here in southeastern New England. The Walk is Saturday, November 16 from 1 – 3, and is free for Trustees members, $5 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/south-of-boston/event-49545.html

    Wear sturdy footwear as the terrain is uneven and rocky along portions of the trails.  This walk is limited to 18 attendees.  Children (11 and older), and dogs on leash, are welcome.

    Parking is expressly prohibited outside of the property’s parking facilities and vehicles parked along Martin’s Lane or other neighborhood streets shall be subject to ticketing and towing at the vehicle owner’s expense.

  • Sunday, November 24, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Thanksgiving Candle Ring

    Betsy Williams will conduct a Thanksgiving Candle Ring workshop on November 24 from 12:30 – 3 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston. Decorate your Thanksgiving table with a lush wreath of boxwood, flowers and berries accented with seasonal fruits, vegetables, nuts and preserved leaves . Working in a base of wet floral foam attached to a plastic tray, we will combine flowers and leaves in rich autumn colors with vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries to create a striking harvest centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. Properly cared for, your candle ring will last through December. When Thanksgiving is over, replace the harvest accents with winter holiday decorations. The finished ring measures about 15″ across. The center can comfortably hold candles or a compote. Be sure to bring floral scissors and an apron. Fee ($80 for Tower Hill members, $94 for nonmembers) includes all materials.

    Betsy Williams teaches, lectures and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A gardener and herb grower since 1972, Betsy trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral and gardening skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore and seasonal celebrations. Betsy is the author of several books on the uses and stories of herbs and flowers. She has appeared on the Discovery Channel and greater Boston cable stations as well as local and national radio talk shows. Betsy lectures and teaches locally and nationally.

  • Wednesday, November 13, 6:00 pm – Voyager, Visitors, and Home

    Join Dale Monette on November 13 as he debuts his newest book of wildlife images, Voyagers, Visitors and Home. This book focuses on birds that visit New England just for a stopover during migration, birds that spend months here, or birds and mammals that live here and call New England home. The project was five years in the making and many miles traveled, not to mention the gallons of blood lost to mosquitoes in ponds and swamps! Here are the images and the stories behind them. Also included is a section on the successful bald eagle introduction as a nesting species to Massachusetts that took place at The Quabbin Reservoir during the 1980’s by MassWildlife. From great gray owls to red-backed voles come by and see what, where and who I found in my travels around New England.. This is also the annual dinner meeting of the Athol Bird & Nature Club, which will be held again at the Athol American Legion.

    Reservations are required for the dinner and must be received by Tuesday, November 6. There will be two dinner options available for a $15.00 donation, stuffed chicken or vegetarian lasagna, please indicate your preference when making the reservation. To reserve your meal call and pay in advance by credit card: Online Reservation  Pay at the door (cash or check to ABNC). Call Cindy Hartwell at 978-828-7665,  or email cindyhartwell56@gmail.com She will call or email you back with a confirmation of your reservation. No reservations are necessary for the program. The event will also feature our always popular tin can auction; participants are encouraged to bring not more than 3 (or items that can be bundled to three items) to donate.

  • Thursday, November 21, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Daniel Urban Kiley Lecture: Michelle Delk

    Michelle Delk is a passionate champion and designer of the urban public realm. Based in New York City, Michelle is a Partner and Landscape Architect with Snøhetta. Her work is trans-disciplinary, evocative, and representative of a simple foundational premise shared with Snøhetta: to create places that enhance the positive relationships between people and their environments. Both aspirational and pragmatic, her work reveals and complements the sublime qualities of embedded beauty and rational functionality within the constructed environment.

    Michelle’s enthusiasm is reflected in her commitment to design and leadership within her firm and community. She is an active board member for the Urban Design Forum in New York City, a member of The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s Stewardship Council, and lectures at conferences, universities, and communities throughout the world. Since 2001, her range of work around North America spans from small urban plazas to public parks and large-scale master plans. Currently, she leads several efforts with Snøhetta, including the design of the Willamette Falls Riverwalk in Oregon (below), a transformation of a 22-acre post-industrial site; as well as a re-imagining of the 20-acre Blaisdell Center in Central Honolulu; and the re-imagined design of a significant public plaza in midtown Manhattan.

    This November 21 program in Gund Hall Piper Auditorium at the Harvard Graduate School of Design begins at 6:30 and is supported by the Daniel Urban Kiley Lecture Fund. It is free and open to the public.

    Anyone requiring accessibility accommodations should contact the events office at (617) 496-2414 or events@gsd.harvard.edu.

  • Friday, November 15, 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm – Plant Adaptations

    Have you ever wondered why plants look the way they do? Every feature of the plant is a result of an adaptation designed to afford reproductive, environmental or cultural success. This November 15 class co-sponsored by The Native Plant Trust and the Ecological Landscape Alliance will explore the myriad ways plants have adapted to different habitats, soil types, pollination and dispersal schemes. You will not look at plants the same way again. The session will take place at Garden in the Woods. 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham, and is $30 for sponsor members, $36 for the general public. Uli Lorimer, Director of Horticulture at The Native Plant Trust, will lead the class. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/class-plant-adaptations/

  • Saturday, November 16, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Heritage New England Cooking

    Cast your mind back to the time when Farm-to-Table meals were from your farm and on your table. You would be familiar with terroir because it was all over the knees of your britches. Come to Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Teaching Kitchen on November 16 at 10 am to learn the simple but tasty approach to farmhouse cuisine of 150 or more years ago. Participants will experience such dishes as stewed soup, Johnnie Cake, herbed farmers’ cheese and more. Learn the secrets of selecting and caring for cast iron cookware and its health benefits. Hands-on participation is encouraged so bring a sense of curiosity and adventure and be willing to help with the process. Local ingredients will be sourced. History can definitely be fun, when you eat it!

    Instructor Dennis Picard has 42 years’ experience in Public History at such museums as Old Sturbridge Village and Hancock Shaker Village. He has taught fireplace and cast iron cooking for many years and is the author of three cookbooks. He is also president of the Board of Directors of the Pioneer Valley History Network and a member of the editorial board of the Country School Journal and grants committee of the Country School Association of America.

    Cooking classes are sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace. BBG members $55, nonmembers $65. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/heritage-new-england-cooking