While the Charles River is much cleaner and healthier than it was in its “Dirty Water” days, the work is not done, and the growing threat of climate change brings new challenges. Emily Norton, Executive Director of the Charles River Watershed Association will discuss how a swimmable river can be achieved, and how moderating water management practices will help Eliminate flooding and other climate change driven dangers. This Garden Club of the Back Bay meeting will take place February 3 at 5:30 pm at The Chilton Club, 152 Commonwealth Avenue, and is open to Club members. To join, visit https://bostonflora.com/
Emily Norton has served as Executive Director of the Charles River Watershed Association since 2018. She directs a staff of scientists and advocates focused on protecting and restoring the Charles River and its watershed communities. During her tenure, the organization has more than doubled its staff and has expanded its work in municipal climate resilience, dam removal, reducing invasive species, and more.
Discover the story of James Arnold, for whom the Arnold Arboretum is named, and others whose legacy gifts helped secure its future. In celebration of nearly 154 years of plants and people, join Director of Library and Archives, Lisa Pearson, on January 31 from 11 – 12:30 for a talk on the founding of the Arboretum and how these impactful gifts have allowed it to thrive and grow in perpetuity. Snacks will be provided. This is a Members Only event. To join the Arnold Arboretum, visit https://arboretum.harvard.edu/support/
With more than 400 acres of varied habitat, Innisfree Garden provides refuge for an impressive diversity of wildlife, including as many as five species of owls that may visit, hunt, roost, or nest on the property throughout the year.
Join local scientist, natural historian, and writer-photographer Dr. Loren Merrill online on January 22 for a fascinating exploration of the owls that call the Hudson Valley home and learn about the remarkable adaptations that make these mysterious nighttime hunters so captivating. Register at https://www.innisfreegarden.org/events/owls-2026. $25 for Innisfree members, $35 for nonmembers.
Loren Merrill holds a Ph.D. in animal behavior, wildlife ecology and physiology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and attended Cornell University for his undergraduate degree. He is now a science writer and nature photographer and draws heavily from his background in ecology and natural history. Raised in New England, he has conducted research and photographed wildlife across North America and beyond. Combining scientific insight with a keen eye for the natural world, Loren’s work explores how animals, plants and habitats respond to changing environments and interact in surprising ways. Today, Loren splits his time between Millbrook and Maine, continuing to guide others in observing the living landscape around us.
Over the course of three weeks, explore a range of printmaking techniques with Smithsonian Associates, including monoprints using both acrylic and gel plates, carved linocuts, and striking blue cyanotypes. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to expand your printmaking toolkit, this hands-on class offers an opportunity to connect with natural elements such as branches, leaves, and rocks; experiment with texture, patterns, color; and create a personal portfolio of botanical-inspired prints.
Special Program Information
The instructor is Kathy Beachler.
This program includes 3 sessions, 2 hours each.
General Information
This studio arts program is a Zoom Meeting to allow for patron and instructor interaction online. All Studio Arts programs require an online registration (https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/wild-foliage-in-printmaking) for each participant so that the instructor can provide individual attention to every student registered for the online program. This program will be recorded. Please refer to the "Materials for this program" section on registration page for any applicable supply list information and/or special documents for this program.
View Common FAQs and Policies about our Online Programs on Zoom. $125 for Smithsonian members, $150 for nonmembers.
In this New England Botanical Garden class you will begin by doing tracing from photos onto inking film, explore several inking techniques, including hatching, crosshatching and stippling. Being able to see your photo through the Dura-lar, a polyester film with a matte finish, there is no need to worry about getting the drawing correct.
This online workshop is 4 weeks long, January 24 – February 14. You will meet every Saturday morning for instruction with the teacher. After the morning session you will be given time to continue working on your artwork. In the afternoon each person will schedule a 15 minute one-on-one time with the instructor to talk about your artwork and get personal input. The material is not provided for the course. A material list is available on the registration page, HERE.
Looking for meaningful ways to engage with native plants beyond your own yard? Wild Ones’ upcoming webinar features Robin Wall Kimmerer, author, botanist, and founder of Plant Baby Plant, and Esther Bonney, youth organizer and founder of Nurture Natives. Drawing on their work in education, storytelling, and youth leadership, they will explore how people of all ages can take part in the native plant movement through shared learning, relationships, and local action. The talk will be online January 21 at 7 pm Eastern, and will be recorded and shared with registrants after the webinar premiere. Suggested donation $10. Register at https://wildones.org/conversation-with-robin-wall-kimmerer-esther-bonney/
Use collage, a highly versatile and accessible art form, to bring the bright nature of spring into your artwork. Sketch birds and nature, then combine your drawings with paint and paper, adding textures to create mixed-media art. Construct your narrative as you alter your work with a range of materials and techniques including photo transfers, layered drawings and paintings, and found objects. All skill levels are welcome. This online Smithsonian Associates class runs from February 11 – March 4, 1:30 – 4 Eastern.
The instructor is Marcie Wolf-Hubbard.
This program includes 4 sessions, 2.5 hours each.
This studio arts program is a Zoom Meeting to allow for patron and instructor interaction online.
All Studio Arts programs require an online registration for each participant so that the instructor can provide individual attention to every student registered for the online program.
This program will be recorded. Please see our FAQ on registration page for recording terms and conditions.
Please refer to the "Materials for this program" section for any applicable supply list information and/or special documents for this program. $145 for Smithsonian members, $160 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/birds-and-nature-in-collage
Stories of horticulture and garden-making are often bound up with stories of empires. From the global trade in plants and the economic imperative behind botanic gardens to the acquired status and symbolism of certain plants and the realities of human exploitation, this series will explore the myriad ways in which economic and political power has influenced the seemingly commonplace activities of gardeners.
This January 8-part online series from The Gardens Trust picks up themes and ideas from the Gardens and Empires conference presented in June 2025 by English Heritage and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in association with the British Library. Some of the speakers from the conference will be expanding on the topics they presented, and additional researchers have been invited to share their perspectives. The series will focus on European empires and will examine their global impact and influence on plants and gardening. We will explore issues from the perspective of both the coloniser and the colonized, of individuals and institutions, of the past and continuing legacies today – and will see both the triumphs and cruelties inherent in the stories around empires, plants and gardening.
This ticket link is for the series of 8 talks at £56 or you may purchase a ticket for individual talks, costing £8. (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 8 for £42). There will be an opportunity for Q & A after each session. Ticket holders can join each session live and/or view a recording for up to 2 weeks afterwards. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk and a link to the recorded session will be sent shortly after each session.
The second lecture takes place January 27. The Hope Botanic Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica were founded in 1873 as a sugar experimentation station. Built on the grounds of the former Hope Plantation, they quickly developed into the primary botanic gardens on the island. Hope was the headquarters of both the Jamaican Botanical Department and the new Department of Agriculture from 1908, acting as an outpost of Kew in Jamaica.
Walter Jekyll praised Hope as ‘a botanical garden made beautiful’ in his Guide to Hope Gardens (1904), signalling that the gardens were also worthy of the tourist gaze. In the ‘New Jamaica’ of the 1890s, the gardens became part of a picturesque vision of the island as a tropical paradise for prospective visitors. Based on archival accounts held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this talk will examine how the role of botanic gardens in the burgeoning Caribbean tourism industry intersected with legacies of enslavement in these colonial spaces.
Dr. Heather Craddock is an environmental historian and Collections Researcher at The National Archives. Her PhD explored colonial histories of Caribbean botanic gardens in the archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and her current research focuses on histories of plants, gardens, forests, and occasionally animals. She co-curated an exhibition on the history of forest conservation and deforestation, entitled ‘Uprooted’, at Kew Gardens in 2023 and has taught English Literature and Environmental Humanities at Brunel University and the University of Roehampton.
This session will be chaired by Dr Caroline Cornish of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Join Art & Soul Clinic at the Boston Public Library, Egleston Square Branch, 2044 Columbus Avenue in Roxbury on January 21 at 4:30 to enjoy an art activity while you sip on a personalized tea blend. Free admission. They host this space for our neighbors to relax, taste new tea flavors, and learn about the medicinal benefits of tea. Featuring artist & herbalist Kanaya @divinehaven334
