Boston Flora

Month: January 2023

  • Friday, January 20, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Evaluating Nature Images, Online

    In this one-hour program on January 20 from 7 – 8, Rick Cloran (HonFPSA, GMPSA, HonNEC) will delve into the rules and guidelines for nature photography competitions as defined by the PSA-FIAP (Photographic Society of America – International Federation of Photographic Art). He will also share his personal insights on how to approach evaluating and commenting on nature images, and what makes a successful competitive nature photograph stand out. To illustrate his points, Rick will use a variety of images that have or have not achieved success at different levels of competition, including local, interclub, and international exhibitions. The key aspects of successful nature photography will be presented in easily remembered, concise
    points, and reinforced with examples. Rick is a past Chairman of the PSA Nature Division, Director if the PSA Nature Division’s Subject Identification Service, a Commentator for PSA’s ND2 (Nature) Study Group, a frequent judge of Nature International Exhibition sections, and a contributor to the current Nature Definition and the Nature Photography Judge’s Guide.


    What to Bring Download this copy of the 2022 PSA Nature Guidelines. Have it handy. The program is free but registration is required by clicking HERE.

  • Monday, January 23 – Friday, March 31 – Grand Paris Express: Reconfiguring the City through Radical Infrastructure

    The Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) is pleased to announce that the 14th Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design has been awarded to the Grand Paris Express, a large-scale transit project currently being built in and around the Paris metropolitan area. Through carefully articulated design interventions, the Grand Paris Express illustrates the potential for the planning and execution of mobility infrastructure to transform a city and its region. Société du Grand Paris, a national agency responsible for designing, creating, and implementing the Grand Paris Express, will receive the $50,000 USD prize and recognition for the continued stewardship behind the project.

    With 68 new stations and 200 kilometers of additional tracks, as well as extensions of existing metro lines, the Grand Paris Express is currently the largest urban design project in Europe. Its four new lines will circle around the capital and provide connections with Paris’s three airports, developing neighborhoods, business districts, and research clusters. It will service more than 100 municipalities, 165,000 companies, and the daily transport of 2,000,000 commuters. Construction work began mid-June 2016 and is due to last until 2030.

    Grand Paris Express: Reconfiguring the City through Radical Infrastructure, an exhibition coinciding with the prize, will be on display at the Druker Design Gallery from January 23 – March 31. Curated by Joan Busquets, Martin Bucksbaum Professor in Practice of Urban Planning and Design, the exhibition showcases models, renderings, documentary photographs, and video footage of this vast and ambitious urban design project. A public lecture and reception for the exhibition is scheduled for Thursday, March 2 at 6:30 pm at Piper Auditorium. For more information, visit https://urbandesignprize.gsd.harvard.edu/grand-paris-express/

  • Friday, January 20, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Eastern – Opening Reception for “Volumes”with Karlene Jean Kantner

    Berkshire Botanical Garden’s first art exhibition of 2023 features the work of Karlene Jean Kantner. The show, “Volumes,” will include nearly two dozen of her works. It runs in the Leonhardt Galleries from January 20 through February 26.

    The opening reception on Friday, January 20, will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Kantner will give an artist talk in the gallery on Saturday, February 11, at 3 p.m.

    Raised in Montana, a denizen of the outdoors, Kantner began her artistic undertakings as a child making fresh batches of hand-pressed, sunbaked “mud cookies” that looked good enough to eat. After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Montana and teaching art to children for several years, she came East with her partner, Chris Powell, a West Stockbridge native.

    Once settled in the Berkshires, among her first acts was digging out a pit fire oven — that is to say, an open-air fire pit about a foot-and-a-half deep by four-feet wide in which she bakes much of her artwork, turning clay to ceramic. Her pit-firing is limited to Massachusetts’ open-air brush-burning season (from January 15 and May 1). The rest of the season, Kantner uses an electric kiln. 

    But she prefers the pit fire process, in which she places her clay creations directly onto burning coals before she slowly builds the fire again until it’s raging. The process requires care, patience and the thoughtful tolerance that everything could go horribly wrong. Indeed, not all pieces survive the firing process. 

    To learn more, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org

  • Tuesday, January 24, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Natural Community Mapping of the Sanctuaries, Online

    Native Plant Trust owns and conserves seven native plant sanctuaries throughout New England, each of which boasts unique natural communities. Join us online on January 24 at 1 pm for a detailed look at the natural-community mapping process, which encompasses how we research the plants in the field, record them using digital mapping tools, identify and classify the community types, and use the information to create conservation strategies.

    Erik Sechler will speak. Prior to joining Native Plant Trust, Bud worked with Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program as an ecological information specialist and county inventory ecologist, and with New York Natural Heritage Program as an ecologist specializing in natural community ecology, avian habitat ecology, and vegetation mapping. He has more than 10 years’ experience working for a Natural Heritage Program and NatureServe as an ecologist and has also worked with Manomet and The Trustees of Reservations on Martha’s Vineyard. He holds a master’s degree in Conservation Biology from Antioch New England University, where he studied habitat modeling of Louisiana Waterthrush in southern New Hampshire, and a pre-medicine degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His professional interests include avian, natural community and conservation ecology, rare plant ecology, conservation and management, habitat assessment, and invasive plant ecology and management.

    $12 for NPT members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/natural-community-mapping-sanctuaries/

  • Wednesday, January 18, 12:00 noon Eastern – Pollinator Conservation in Working Landscapes with Nick Haddad, Online

    Strategic conservation in farmed and urban landscapes can disproportionately increase biodiversity. Nick Haddad has worked for three decades to understand how to conserve landscapes to benefit pollinators and other species. He has created large experiments to test the role of targeted conservation efforts. For example, landscape corridors through urban and farmed landscapes can create superhighways for plants and animals to increase their presence, abundance, and diversity. Read more about the Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar on January 18 and register HERE.

  • Saturday, January 28, 10:00 am – 11:30 am Eastern – The New Cutting Garden, Online

    Dreaming of a luscious cutting garden that produces blooms all season long? Join Colie Collen, the grower and designer behind Flower Scout, for this comprehensive Berkshire Botanical Garden online course on planning, starting, troubleshooting and maintaining a prolific cut flower garden. 

    Colie Collen, founder, farmer, and designer at Flower Scout, brings her love of all things wild and seasonal to her work. After many years of farming on the West and East Coasts, in 2012 her interest turned to flower production, and subsequently, to design. She seeks to create individual experiences for clients based on the colors, textures and shapes the land, garden and season are creating at a particular moment, with customers’ aesthetic preferences continually in mind.

    The class will take place Saturday, January 28 from 10 – 11:30 and is $15 for BBG members, $18 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/new-cutting-garden-0

  • Wednesday, June 14 – Sunday, June 25 – Cheese Journeys: Alpine Regions of France and Switzerland

    Imagine lounging in a pool with a view of Mont Blanc while sipping a glass of wine and nibbling a perfectly ripe Tomme de Savoie. Dive into the exquisite landscape and food culture of the French Alps with Cheese Journeys’ owner Anna Juhl and David Robinson – cheese expert, buyer, and manager for Formaggio Kitchen – for a once-in-a-lifetime culinary adventure.

    You’ll begin the tour with an epic cave tour in the Jura Mountains to learn about Comté cheese, then head to base camp: a beautifully restored 1,000-year-old chateau overlooking fields and vineyards in the Savoie department of France. You’ll enjoy tastings in the wine cave and aperitifs on the terrace, not to mention gourmet meals in the red dining room, prepared and served by our private chefs. This expedition is all about slowing down and enjoying the natural beauty of France and Switzerland, along with delicious daytrips to meet local artisans who produce the most elegant wines, cheeses, and charcuterie.

    Prepare for scenery that feels like an opera set and traditional meals, like Raclette and fondue, served in actual Alpine chalets. Cheese culture doesn’t get more picturesque than this! This tour has been featured in Condé Nast Traveler. For itinerary and more information, visit www.cheesejourneys.com

  • Wednesday, January 25, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm – 100 Plants to Feed the Monarch Butterflies, Online

    A book about planting for monarchs (and for motivated readers and gardeners) is not quite as wondrous as monarchs and their individual life cycles, their host relationship with milkweeds, or their annual migrations in North America, but it is something of a miracle. Only a few decades ago, the concept of creating native-plant gardens was just beginning to gain traction. Fortunately, with wider awareness, the movement has grown. In addition to monarch and milkweed life history, the threats to monarchs and the best practices for supporting this North American royalty, we’ll cover selecting plants, designing habitat, site preparation, planting, follow up management and monitoring – including how to contribute to monarch conservation through community science projects. This webinar on January 25 beginning at noon is sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance, and registration can be accomplished at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/monarch-butterfly/

    Presenter Stephanie Frischie provides pollinator and beneficial insect habitat expertise in Canada, the U.S. and Latin America for a range of land use types – farms, the energy infrastructure, natural areas, and urban green spaces. She also works with the native seed industry and researchers to plan and develop seed supply of important plant species for creating and restoring habitat. Ms. Frischie volunteers as a rare plant monitor with Plants of Concern and is the secretary of the International Network for Seed-based Restoration.

  • Monday, January 16, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Eastern – Gardens of Peace: Brookwood and the Railway Cemeteries, Online

    In this second in the Gardens Trust series of talks by Sheldon K. Goodman of the Cemetery Club, we will learn about Brookwood and the Railway Cemeteries.

    Brookwood Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the western hemisphere. From the walled-off mini-cemeteries of City Churches to leaf-littered prairies containing the anonymous dead: Brookwood is the closest thing we have today to a Victorian cemetery as it was meant to be.

    Landscaped by pedigree men, including a gardener who would go on to implement designs in Sandringham and of whom Edward VII would describe as “a gentleman not to be described as inexpensive”, Brookwood’s beauty achieved what many of the suburban cemeteries could not – it could maintain its park like elegance against the threat of urban sprawl but still be close enough to London via its deathly railway service from London Waterloo.

    In this talk Sheldon will explore the founding men and the garden designs that influenced the aesthetic of the cemetery and how these influence the ongoing restoration of the cemetery today, from the creation of a wetland area and returning long forgotten parts of the cemetery back into public use, as well as other cemeteries with railway links and their own landscaping

    Sheldon K Goodman is a public historian, tour guide, heritage professional and founder of Cemetery Club, which seeks to show cemeteries as ‘Museums of People’ that are full of social history rather than as morbid, mournful spaces to be avoided. As a heritage communicator, he has worked with museums and other heritage spaces, including co-developing the first event to celebrate queer history in a historic cemetery (the first in the U.K) entitled ‘Queerly Departed’ for the Royal Parks, with successful sequels for Arnos Vale and Birmingham Jewellery Quarters Cemeteries Trust. He has also worked with the Brunel Museum, created visual content for Schools Out UK and has given talks at the National Archives and at the BBC. Sheldon is also a qualified City of Westminster guide and regularly leads walks around the British Museum and London’s pubs. £5, through Eventbrite. Register HERE. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and a link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards.

  • Thursday, January 19, 5:00 am – 6:30 am – Country Life: 50 Years of Revolutions in Garden Design, Online

    For 125 years, the weekly magazine Country Life has enjoyed worldwide renown for its coverage of English country houses and gardens. Notably, from its launch in 1897, the magazine recorded the changes and dramatic events which took place during the first half-century of its existence. Alongside, it revealed corresponding changes in garden tastes and ambitions. This Gardens Trust online talk on January 19 gives us an insight into some of the horticultural highlights of the first 50 years, via a cast of characters involved with, or championed by, the influential magazine. Between the last years of Queen Victoria’s reign and the close of the Second World War, English gardens reflected changing priorities in design and upkeep as well as the broadening interests of the readership. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk (If you do not receive this link please contact us), and a link to the recorded session will be sent shortly after each session and will be available for 1 week. £5 Register HERE

    Kathryn Bradley-Hole is a lifelong gardener and inveterate traveller and was for 18 years the Gardens Editor of Country Life magazine. She is the author of numerous books, including the acclaimed English Gardens from the archives of Country Life (Rizzoli International Publications, 2019), Villa Gardens of the Mediterranean from the archives of Country Life (Aurum Press, 2006) and, recently published, The Naturally Beautiful Garden (Rizzoli International Publications, 2021), which explores contemporary naturalistic gardens across the world. For some 30 years a popular writer for the national and international press, she enjoys growing food and herbs for the kitchen and flowers for wildlife enhancement.

    Heale Water, Val Corbett, ©Country Life