Boston Flora

Monday, June 2 (Time to be Announced) – Insectopolis

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Peter Kuper will introduce his new book, INSECTOPOLIS, at the Harvard Bookstore, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge on Monday, June 2. To confirm time, click https://www.harvard.com/events Peter Kuper’s work appears regularly in The New Yorker, The Nation, and Mad , where he has written and illustrated “Spy vs. Spy” for over 26 years. He is the co-founder of World War 3 Illustrated, a political comix magazine now in its 45th year of publication. He has produced over two dozen books including Sticks and Stones (winner of The Society of Illustrators gold medal), The System, Diario de Oaxaca, Ruins (winner of the 2016 Eisner Award) and adaptations of many of Franz Kafka’s works into comics including The Metamorphosis. His most recent graphic novels include Kafkaesque (winner of the 2018 Rueben award and 2022 Lucca award for short stories) and an adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.Translations of his work have appeared in Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Slovenia, China, Brazil, Poland, Sweden, Israel, Germany and Mexico.

Peter has lectured extensively throughout the world and teaches Harvard University’s first class dedicated to graphic novels. He was the 2020-21 Jean Strouse Fellow at The New York Public Library’s Cullman Center and received a 2022 Yaddo residency. His Exhibition INterSECTS: Where Arthropods and Homo sapiens Meet was on display at the New York Public Library Jan. 14- Aug 13th 2022. INSECTOPOLIS, a graphic novel on the history of insects, will be published by W.W. Norton MAY 2025. He is the winner of the 2024 RFK Journalism Award in cartooning.

Tuesdays, May 27, June 24, and July 27, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Climate Change Book Club

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Do you want to know the name of that elusive yellow flower? Are you looking for an excuse to dance in the park like no one is watching? Are you a cardboard sculpture fanatic, looking to make a bumble bee puppet? Frozen with existential dread about the inclement heat and rising tides due to climate emergency?

Join the Greenway Public Art throughout the summer for a series of pop-up art making parties along with a monthly Climate Fiction Book Club hosted by our Eco-Art Cart in Dewey Square! For our first read we will be discussing Octavia E. Butler’s iconic 1993 speculative fiction novel, The Parable of the Sower. This work serves as a main source of inspiration for artist Misa Chhan, who will be installing work in Auntie Kay & Uncle Frank Chin Park on The Greenway later this month. In the novel, which is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth heavily affected by climate change and social inequality, a main tenet of the fictional Earthseed religion is, “All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you. The only lasting truth is Change. God is Change.” The June selection is The Seep by China Porter, and July is Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh.

Come to discuss what you make of these ideas, stay for the community! Make sure to check your local library or independent bookstore to grab your own copy of the book before May 27.

Saturday, May 31, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Tree Identification Walk at the Harvard Forest

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Come learn how to identify trees with Elodie, our Education Assistant at the Harvard Forest. Meet at the Fisher Museum, 324 N. Main Street in Petersham, on May 31 at 1 pm. We will practice basic native tree ID through bark, twig, bug, and leaf while walking the trails at Harvard Forest. Not only will we become more familiar with the trees in our landscape, but we will also learn about the important research at Harvard Forest and what we are discovering about these different species. This will include a 1.5 mile level walk on open trails. Please email Elodie at eeid@fas.harvard.edu for any questions or accessibility needs. RSVP not required. This event will occur rain or shine; it will be canceled in the event of lightning/thunder. https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/event/tree-id-walk/

Sunday, June 1, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm – Green Immersion

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That human beings benefit from exposure to the natural world is well documented, both empirically and experientially, yet our society does not formally acknowledge the importance of connecting with nature. The Japanese concept of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, provides Westerners with a way to reawaken our connection with nature through guided sensory experience. In a similar green immersion at Garden in the Woods, Native Plant Trust writer-editor Jane Roy Brown will guide a contemplative 2 hour walk that includes pauses to write, sketch, and meditate. The event takes place June 1, and is $45. Register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/green-immersion-ss2025/. Thank you Crabtree & Evelyn for the photo.

Sunday, June 8, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Garden Tour with Jess Zander

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Tour a celebrity garden on Sunday, June 8, from 3 – 5 pm. Social media favorite and founder of You Can Do It Gardening, Jess Zander is opening the gate to her stunning home garden, and you are invited. To support on of her favorite nonprofits, Wright-Locke Farm, Jess is offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at the garden she’s lovingly cultivated over the past 15 years. As a dedicated farm board member, Jess dreamed up this unique opportunity for fellow garden lovers to explore what’s blooming, discover her favorite plants, and get inspired by her evolving garden projects. Light refreshments will be served, and all proceeds go directly to Wright-Locke Farm. $75. Register at https://www.wlfarm.org/garden-tour/

Saturday, May 31, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Dragonfly Field Trip

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Join Athol Bird & Nature Club President Dave Small on May 31 in search of early season dragonflies (and butterflies) starting at the Mount Grace Land Trust Eagle Reserve in Royalston, Massachusetts. As time allows, a look at nearby Birch Hill WMA and Millers River will be included. Meet at 10 am at the parking area for Birch Hill opposite 69 Winchendon Road in Royalston. There are no facilities in the general area, so please be self-contained with food, water, snacks, insect repellant, sunscreen, binoculars, camera, bug net, and shoes for wading in shallow water. The program is free and open to all. For additional information contact Dave Small at Dave@atholbirdclub.org

Saturday, June 7, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Eco-tour – Native Shrubs and Shrublands: Lessons from Nature

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The Ecological Landscape Alliance will sponsor a tour on June 7 at 10:30 am in Brimfield. Join Dan Wilder for a tour of one of his favorite (and unknown) sites with fantastic shrub diversity in Brimfield, Massachusetts. We will explore a shrub-dominated community to discuss the role of shrubs in natural landscapes and see what lessons we can employ in residential landscapes. Location will be confirmed after reservation. Dan Jaffe Wilder is an ecologist, horticulturist, and botanist with over fifteen years’ experience working with native plants and their associated ecology. His work has ranged from classrooms to nurseries to botanical gardens to wildlife refuges specializing in native plant ecology, propagation, wildlife habitat construction, and native edible landscapes. Dan is currently the Director of Applied Ecology for the Norcross Wildlife Foundation whose mission is to protect, enhance, and expand wildlife through conservation, education, and support. A prolific photographer and author Dan’s book Native Plants for New England Gardens was released in 2018.

FREE for ELA members $10 for non-members. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/eco-tournative-shrubs-and-shrublandslessons-from-nature/

Sunday, June 1 and Saturday, June 21 – Garden Conservancy Open Days with COG Design: Save the Dates

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Join The Garden Conservancy on Sunday, June 1 for a special partnership with COG Design. The three sites are Hood Bike Park, Charlestown, from 10-12, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, from 2-4, and COG designer Shoma Haque’s Jamaica Plain garden from 10-4. Tickets and complete information will be available at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/. On June 21, head to New Bedford to Abolition Row Park from 12 – 2.

Thursday, May 28, 7:00 pm – Creating an Eco-Friendly Urban Garden

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Unlock the secrets to developing an eco-friendly garden in even the smallest spaces with our comprehensive presentation. Dive into essential gardening basics, innovative design strategies, and sustainable plant selections to transform your urban environment into a green sanctuary.

Join the Burlington Garden Club on May 28 at 7 pm in the Murray-Kelly Room at 61 Center Street in Burlington for a free lecture by Master Gardener Shoma Haque. Tailored for both beginner and intermediate gardeners, we’ll explore solutions to common gardening challenges while offering fresh perspectives on maintaining lawns in an environmentally-conscious way. Join us to cultivate your green thumb and create a vibrant, sustainable garden that thrives in any urban setting.