Boston Flora

Month: November 2020

  • Through Wednesday, December 16 at 4:00 pm – Esplanade Association Holiday Auction

    SUPPORT THE PARK YOU LOVE WITH THE ESPLANADE ASSOCIATION 2020 HOLIDAY AUCTION. We are excited to launch our 2020 Holiday Auction including exclusive items and experiences that you can bid on in support of the Esplanade!  This year’s Holiday Auction includes rounds at premier golf courses, a private catered dinner party, round trip airline tickets from JetBlue, time in the Top Golf Swing Suite at Lynx Fitness Club, an overnight stay at the Whitney Hotel, a unique garden tour, and more. Whether you treat yourself, or bid on gifts for family and friends for the holidays, we hope you’ll consider taking part in our Holiday Auction this year to give back to the beautiful park you love. 
    Bidding will run through Wednesday, December 16 at 4:00 pm. New items will be added throughout the length of the auction so make sure to check back to explore new items! Visit https://www.32auctions.com/EAauction

  • Saturday, December 19 – Christmas Bird Count

    Join Athol Bird & Nature Club’s “Citizen Science” project, the longest continuously running bird data in the area. Contact Dave Small for additional information and to participate in this nationwide annual event: 978-413-1772 or Dave@dhsmall.net  Covid-19 rules are in effect National Audubon has issued guidelines which ABNC will use. In preparation zone leaders will need to think about how we can safely work our respective areas. Carpooling will not be allowed and only family members or social pod groups may count together. Social distancing and masking are required. All activities must meet local and state guidelines. With all this in mind feeder watching will be a huge part of this year’s count. Encourage your neighbors to begin feeding the week before the count (if bear activity is low) and consider other ways to safely count our area birds. Unfortunately our morning breakfast and compilation party will not be happening.  We will have a virtual compilation via Zoom so people can log on and relate the days sightings and events.

  • Thursday, December 3, 6:30 pm – The Changing Face of the Blue Hills: Shifting Plant Populations, Online

    On Thursday, December 3, at 6:30 pm, UMass Biology Professor Rick Kesseli will discuss the habitat and biodiversity changes that have occurred in the Blue Hills over the last couple hundred years as well as current trends and impacts that are affecting the region. We will glimpse into the future and look at where these current climate changes might be taking us.

    This presentation is just one in a virtual lecture series by the Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition being held via Zoom on the climate crisis. Visit the website for more information, including all co-sponsors, and for a listing of all the dates and all the lectures being offered. The Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition is comprised of organizations from the communities surrounding the Blue Hills committed to working together to address the challenges of climate change in our communities.  

    Pre-registration on https://friendsofthebluehills.org/climate2020/ is required to receive the link to join the video-conference(s) chosen. Free online event

  • Thursday, December 10, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Holiday Hooch at Home Mixology Class

    Learn to mix festive cocktails perfect for cheering up the long winter evenings. In this virtual version of Boston Community Garden’s popular Garden Mixology class, we’ll use locally grown and foraged ingredients like cranberry and white pine along with classic techniques to create unique, well-balanced cocktails.

    You’ll pick up a bundle of fresh ingredients from one of three locations (JP, Quincy, or Medford) and return home for a Zoom class using your own spirits. The Zoom session will be held December 10 from 6 – 7:30.

    All proceeds directly support Boston Community Gardens. Tickets sales stop at 3pm on Wednesday December 9th. Members get a 20% discount. For any questions, please reach out to mdelima@thetrustees.org. $24 for Trustees members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/58336/

  • Tuesdays, December 1, 8, and 15, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, or Sundays, January 24, 31, and February 7, 10 am – 12:00 noon – The Science of Tree Communication, Online

    Trees may appear to be strong and silent, but they can “talk”—to one another, to other plants, and to animals and insects. Discover how trees communicate via chemical signals in the air (to warn each other of insect attacks), as well as through complex fungal networks underground to transfer nutrients and resources to one another (sometimes to assist sick trees). Steve Kutos will lead this New York Botanical Garden online three part class December 1, 8, and 15 from 6 – 8. $125 for NYBG members, $139 for nonmembers, and to put your name on a waitlist, visit HERE. This series will be repeated January 24 – February 7 from 10 – 12, also online, with Giselle Herrera. To sign up for that series, click HERE . There are available spots for the 2021 dates, but sign up quickly.

  • Thursday, December 3, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Ecological Gardening Webinar

    Wondering when to cut back perennials, and how long into autumn perennials, trees, and shrubs can be planted or pruned? Want to know about the most wildlife-friendly approach? Anna Fialkoff of the Native Plant Trust explains how to transition a garden into winter dormancy while balancing winter and spring preparation, beauty, and wildlife value. Take three live webinars to earn one elective certificate class. This session takes place Thursday, December 3 from 6:30 – 7:30 Eastern time and is $12 for NPT members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org. Image from gardengatemagazine.com.

  • Monday, December 7 – Thursday, December 17 – Pruning Trees & Shrubs: From Malicious to Magnificent On Demand Webinar

    Rehabilitating poorly pruned plants back into pleasant landscape contributors is a science and an art. It takes both understanding clients and firm hands on the loppers and pruning saw. It also requires a little risk taking and an understanding of the principles of plant physiology and growth. Join Erik Draper, Assistant Professor, Ohio State University Extension, and the Massachusetts Arborists Association as they review limitations of corrective pruning practices, as well as basic principles of plant physiology that determine how plants grow. Learn how and where to begin correcting poorly pruned plants. $24 for MAA members, $44 for nonmembers. The online webinar will be available for viewing from December 7 – December 17, at your convenience. Register at https://massarbor.org/meetinginfo.php?id=61&ts=1601401949

  • Friday, December 4, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Introduction to Integrative Pest Management, Online

    Integrative Pest Management is an objective & dynamic pest management decision-making tool involving the selection, integration, and implementation of pest control based on predicted economic, ecological, and sociological consequences. This December 4 Berkshire Botanical Garden online presentation from 5:30 – 7:30 will review the components and steps involved in implementing an IPM program. Online registration for this program is temporarily unavailable. Please call 413 354-8410 to register. 

  • Friday, November 27 – Sunday, January 3, 4:00 pm – 9:30 pm (closed December 25) – ZooLights

    ZooLights, presented by National Grid at the Stone Zoo, is set to dazzle visitors of all ages this holiday season! This winter wonderland will take you on a one-way stroll through the Zoo, along tree-lined paths lit by twinkling lights. Spanning the Zoo’s 26 acres, walk through the beautifully lit Yukon Creek and see black bears, a bald eagle, Canada lynx, arctic foxes, and even reindeer!

    This year, experience that magic of several beautiful large-scale lantern displays around the Zoo, lighting up the night sky. While Santa will be too busy at the North Pole to attend ZooLights this year, our bright nights of sparkling lights are sure to get everyone in the holiday spirit!  Tickets range from $12.95 – $13.95. Register at https://www.zoonewengland.org/engage/zoolights

    Ticket buyer and associated guests commit to the following guidelines:
    • FACE COVERINGS ARE REQUIRED: Guests must wear a face mask/covering in compliance with the MA Department of Public Health Guidelines.
      • Please note: Children under two are not required to wear a face covering.
    • Maintain social distance of 6 feet between other guests not in your party.
    • Enter the Zoo at the time listed on ticket. Please arrive no more than 5 minutes before your assigned time.
    • Respect Zoo rules to protect humans and animals.

  • MassWildlife’s Habitat Restoration

    MassWildlife leads a restoration project on state land in Belchertown to provide habitat for rare plants and wildlife, game birds, and other wildlife. Recent visitors to MassWildlife’s Herman Covey Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Belchertown may have noticed increased forestry activities. These activities are part of a multi-year large-scale natural community restoration project designed to improve habitat for wildlife on the WMA and enhance recreation opportunities. At the same time, this project benefits Northampton’s Cooley Dickinson Hospital in the form of renewable locally-sourced energy to power their facility.

    The natural communities of woodlands, barrens, and grasslands that are being created at Herman Covey WMA will provide excellent habitat for game birds like ruffed grouse and wild turkey, less common birds such as eastern towhee and prairie warbler, and the rarer eastern whip-poor-will which is listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. These species thrive in open and sunlit environments with sandy and loamy soils. Unfortunately, these habitats are declining due to development and an interruption of the natural processes like wild fires that once kept them open. In response, the plants and wildlife that depend on these same habitats to survive and thrive have also declined. 

    After a thorough evaluation and planning process, MassWildlife developed a habitat management plan for the Herman Covey WMA to restore open habitats. The initial phase of this habitat restoration began in 2015 with invasive plant control, mowing, and replanting of native warm season grasses. To learn more, visit https://www.mass.gov/news/habitat-restoration-benefits-wildlife-and-local-hospital