Daily Archives: April 18, 2024

Friday, May 10 – Saturday, May 11 – Mass Audubon’s Bird-a-thon

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For 40 years, Bird-a-thon has brought birders, nature-lovers, and families together to celebrate nature and raise funds that provide essential year-round support for Mass Audubon’s conservation, nature education, and advocacy work. This year’s event will take place May 10 – May 11.

No matter if you join for the fun of it or for the thrill of competition (or both!), every team member has the opportunity to enjoy birds while raising or donating essential funds for Mass Audubon.

This year, we’re making it easier than ever to participate in Bird-a-thon! You can join one of 11 teams to take part in a series of birding competitions, you can fundraise for your team, you can donate to your favorite team, you can join a Bird-a-thon program, or all of the above!

Be sure to check out the latest guidelines and awards to see what’s new this year. Visit www.massaudubon.org

Sunday, May 12, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Lilac Sunday

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Experience the springtime bloom of our renowned collection of over 400 lilacs. Visit for tours with Arboretum experts, hands-on children’s programming, and more. Picnicking in the Arboretum landscape is permitted on this day only, Sunday, May 12 from 10 – 3.

Located primarily on the edge of Bussey Hill Road in the heart of the landscape, the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum is among the premier collections of these plants in North America. Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arboretum (many of which can also be enjoyed at this time), only the lilac is singled out each year for a daylong celebration.

Pack a picnic and make your way to the lilac collection on Bussey Hill Road. With 407 lilac plants representing 173 taxa (kinds), the Arboretum holds one of the premier lilac collections in North America. Lilac Sunday has been celebrated at the Arnold Arboretum since 1908. Join an Arboretum expert for a guided tour of the lilac collection. Tours depart between 10:00am–2:30pm from Arborway Gate and the Ponds. Access the lilac tour—as well as over 60 additional plants and areas—on our mobile app, Expeditions. The app is available in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese/Mandarin. You can access Expeditions through your smartphone’s internet browser or download the app from the Apple App store and the Google Play store.