Light pollution has become a pervasive and ugly consequence of our 24/7 society, and it has grown at the alarming rate of 10% per year over the past decade. Few of us can enjoy a star-spangled night sky any longer, thanks to the glowing pall caused by all the lights that line roadways, parking lots, and backyards. More ominously, a growing body of research finds that excessive light at night disrupts nocturnal ecosystems, sometimes dramatically. It can also inhibit the production of melatonin, a compound produced as we sleep—and only in darkness— that seems to play multiple roles in maintaining general human health.
The situation has not been helped by the widespread rollout of light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. Fortunately, the spread of light pollution can be halted and even reversed. Join Smithsonian Associates and Sky and Telescope magazine’s Kelly Beatty on October 18 at 6:45 Eastern, online, as he discusses how we can safely light up our homes, businesses, and communities without wasting energy, disturbing the neighbors, or creating an unhealthy environment for humans and wildlife. $20 Smithsonian members, $25 nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org
Come learn the basics of UV Resin and make beautiful, trendy, one-of-a-kind pendants with dried flowers and other elements. In this class you will learn how UV Resin works, basic step by step instructions for the best results, and leave with the skills to confidently continue working with resin on your own. You will leave with finished pendants, which can be used for necklaces, jewelry, or keychains. Instructor Linda Snay was born in Connecticut and has always been drawn to the world of art. She discovered watercolors at a young age and was encouraged by art teachers. She studied art in college and went on to graduate from Eastern Connecticut State University with a BA, double major in Studio Art and Art History. After moving to Massachusetts, her career led to positions in education in museums and art centers, and she is currently a teaching artist leading engaging art classes for both children and adults. She works in various media, including watercolor, acrylic, oil, and pastel. She is a member of Arts Worcester and participates regularly in exhibitions in Central Massachusetts. NEBG members $60, nonmembers $75, includes admission to the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. Register at www.nebg.org
Registration is now open for Wright-Locke Farm’s Fall Harvest Supper.
Wright-Locke Farm’s Farm Suppers have become something people really look forward to. Delicious seasonal food, and a gorgeous view as the sun sets, will be enhanced with live music from the Potato Shakers this year. The October theme for the dinner on October 19 at 6:30 is Fall Harvest. Complete information may be found at https://www.wlfarm.org/farm-to-table-suppers/ Sign up early – these dinners sell out.
Join the Athol Bird & Nature Club at 7 pm on October 11 at the Millers River Environmental Center to hear Jim Morelly speak of his extraordinary adventures. What started out as casual hiking in Quabbin turned into a passion. Hiking thousands of miles in the Quabbin Reservoir Reservation, carrying a camera, has presented unique wildlife experiences. Nature can be wonderful, and it can also be hard. Join Jim as he shares some of his most memorable stories. He has had a passion for nature since childhood. Now retired, he spends many days afield hiking, photographing, tracking, and setting camera traps. For more information visit http://www.atholbirdclub.org
Landscape design inspiration begins with observation of diverse natural settings, systems, and functions. We can learn from landscapes such as layered woodlands, succession meadows, and oceanside areas to address a spectrum of gardening conditions. Together we will learn how to partner with natural systems for healthy, beautiful landscapes; mimic nature’s processes in our own gardens; and make ecologically sound plant choices that will attract pollinators throughout the seasons. Join the American Horticultural Association’s Lifelong Learning program on Wednesday, October 18 at 7 pm Eastern online to hear Marie Chieppo speak of these issues. $10 AHS members, $15 nonmembers. Register at www.ahsgardening.org
Marie Chieppo is a landscape designer who works with nature and interconnecting systems to enhance biodiversity and the overall health of the environment. With an initial background in public health policy and research, she has designed beautiful resilient landscapes for over twenty years through her business, EcoPlantPlans. Her most recent work focuses on sustainable solutions for plastic plant containers. Chieppo is an Ecological Landscape Designer and Accredited Organic Land Care Professional.
The 39th Annual Applefest at Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, Massachusetts features all things apple, with local beer, great food, live music, and magnificent foliage. Full pricing and scheduling information may be found at https://www.wachusett.com/applefest-i/
Fall foliage in New England is beautiful, unique, and ecologically important. Specific trees, climate, and weather are all needed to create the wide range of colors we witness. Learn why some trees change color and shed their leaves, and why the display varies from year to year. The colorful foliage display and subsequent leaf drop are part of an annual cycle that maintains ecologically healthy habitats. In this online program you’ll discover the impact climate change is having on foliage, how fallen leaves function in an ecosystem, and how ‘leaving the leaves’ in your yard or neighborhood can help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
This program is one part of a 4-session online Fall Phenomena Series. By registering for the series, you get access to all 4 sessions for the price of 3. You do not need to register for other sessions, or the full series, to enjoy this one. Mass Audubon members $15, nonmembers $20. Register at www.massaudubon.org
The Gardens Trust has created a seven part series on Tuesdays, beginning September 12, to mark 50 years of UNESCO World Heritage, £5 each or all 7 for £28. Starting with an overview of World Heritage values and the changing nature of the UK list, the series will aim to enthuse people about individual sites around Great Britain, highlighting what makes each one exceptional, the advantages and challenges of being inscribed on the list, and the issues around sustainable future management of these global assets. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Register for the complete series HERE, or follow the links on that page to sign up for individual sessions.
Week Six covers Studley Royal Park. Studley Royal Park, including the ruins of Fountains Abbey, became one of the first places in the UK to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. It owes its originality and striking beauty to the fact that a humanized landscape was created around the largest medieval ruins in the United Kingdom. The use of these features, combined with the planning of the water garden itself, is a true masterpiece of human creative genius. The water garden is one of the few great 18th-century gardens to have survived well in its original form.
The ruins of Fountains Abbey, the Jacobean Fountains Hall and Burges’s miniature neo-Gothic masterpiece St Mary’s Church unite with the water gardens and deer park to form one harmonious whole. Together, they illustrate the power of medieval monasticism and the taste and wealth of the European upper classes in the 18th century.
Mark Newman MA MCIfA FSA has been the National Trust’s Archaeologist since 1988. A graduate of Birmingham University, he provides archaeological advice and support to around 75 NT properties in Yorkshire and the North-East. He is author of Wonder of the North (NT/Boydell, 2015), a definitive history of the estate (and is working on a new edition).
Sarah France has been World Heritage Coordinator at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal since 2010. Before that Sarah spent almost 20 years working in planning and heritage for National Parks across the UK. Her current role is to coordinate delivery of the World Heritage Management Plan and deliver conservation projects. Recently she worked with Nidderdale AONB and other partners to develop the Skell Valley Project and the successful bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a £1.4m grant.
Pen and ink, among the most versatile and useful media, can be used to create high quality, easily reproducible drawings. Learn how to produce different strokes and how to create tone by using stipple, line, and crosshatch techniques. Carol Ann Morley will present a six part class, online, for the New York Botanic Garden Prerequisite: Botanical Drawing IIor equivalent. Please note, this course requires the purchase of materials. Please refer to the materials list on the registration page for more information. NYBG members $460, nonmembers $505. Click HERE for complete schedule and information.
Take deep breaths, slow down and leave your “to do” list behind. Experience the therapeutic benefits of horticulture while creating an everlasting arrangement with natural dried floral materials. You can choose to design your arrangement from a rich variety of plant materials including colorful roses, fragrant lavender, eucalyptus, yarrow, feathery grasses, statice, lotus pods and woodland moss. Feel calm and refreshed with positive energy by focusing on being in the moment and engaging each of your five senses one at a time – sight, touch, sound, smell and taste – while interacting with sensory rich plant materials.
Our New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill class on October 14 from 1 – 3 will include an overview of the therapeutic benefits and power of horticulture to understand why and how it can be used personally, and for people of all ages and abilities. We will discuss the difference between therapeutic horticulture and horticultural therapy. You will learn about benefits including increased relaxation, decreased anxiety, stress relief, sensory stimulation, hope, improved cognitive abilities, engagement in life, connectedness, and physical exercise. It will be clear how plants and the natural world give you support when life gets overwhelmingly busy or stressful. We will spend approximately 40 minutes delving into this.
You will spend approximately 80 minutes designing and making a unique medium size arrangement that will last for years, in a container with antique-like design. When you bring it home, you can place in your kitchen, dining room, family or living room, hallway, or any other welcoming space. It can also make a lovely gift. Join Deborah Krause, Horticultural Therapist, in these relaxing sessions where you may leave with a smile, feeling of calm and peace, and pride in your creation.
Deborah Krause is a Registered Horticultural Therapist. She is passionate about wellness and the therapeutic benefits of horticulture for people of all ages and abilities. She has served in various capacities in the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) and the Northeast Horticultural Therapy Network (NEHTN), which she co-founded, and currently is on the Board of Directors. Deborah developed the horticultural therapy program at Perkins School for the Blind and was the horticultural therapist and coordinator of the horticulture center there for 40 years. She is currently a Program Coordinator at The Nature Connection whose mission is to improve the wellbeing of individuals and communities through the therapeutic use of nature. Deborah is the horticulture educator at the Memorial Spaulding School Garden where students grow produce to donate to food pantries. She presents webinars for AARP on adaptive gardening as we age. Deborah consults with non-profit organizations to design and facilitate therapeutic and educational horticulture and nature programs. Deborah’s popular classes for adults creating sensory rich seasonal flower and plant arrangements have focused on relaxation, stress reduction and positive thinking and she is honored and happy to continue to bring this to Tower Hill.
$ 85 Member Adult; $ 100 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden. All materials will be provided. Register at www.nebg.org
