Boston Flora

Category: Exhibit

  • On View: The Rockefeller Beetles

    Over a span of 90 years, banker and philanthropist David Rockefeller collected beetles from around the world, eventually building a personal collection of more than 150,000 specimens. In 2017, his longstanding support for the entomology department of the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology culminated in a gift to the museum of this extraordinary collection. Join the Harvard Museum of Natural History in celebrating this invaluable gift. The small exhibit features hundreds of specimens from Rockefeller’s collection and recounts the story of a man whose childhood pursuit grew into a lifelong passion. Exhibit is on display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge,  in Arthropods: Creatures That Rule.

  • Saturday, May 4, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm, & Sunday, May 5, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Natick’s Art in Bloom

    View the Natick Garden Club’s unique floral arrangements inspired by books and art created by Natick Art Association artists. The exhibit takes place May 4 and 5 in the Morse Room and Lebowitz Meeting Hall at the Morse Institute Library, 14 East Central Street in Natick.

  • Friday, May 24 – Opening of Sculpture at The Mount 2024

    The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts is pleased to announce that the annual outdoor sculpture exhibition produced in the Berkshires by SculptureNow for the past twenty-five years—and at The Mount for the past nine years—has been brought in-house as a formal Mount program, beginning with the 2024 exhibit! Twenty-five sculptures from artists across the region have been selected for The Mount’s annual exhibition.

    With the retirement of SculptureNow’s founder and executive director, Ann Jon, the timing was right for a transition that promises a dynamic future for the further convergence of art and nature in the Berkshires. Below is a selection from Audrey Shachnow’s Golden Pears, which will be on display. For more information visit https://www.edithwharton.org/calendar/sculpture/

  • Friday, May 3, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Cape Ann Blossoms Preview Party

    Join the Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester, on May 3 from 6 – 9 for its signature event of the season, Cape Ann Blossoms. The festive evening will showcase inventive floral displays crafted by North Shore floral designers and artisans. The exhibition will be on view from Saturday, May 4 through Sunday, May 5 at the Museum, from 10 – 5. For tickets and more information visit https://www.capeannmuseum.org/event/cape-ann-blossoms-in-the-galleries-8/

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

    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.

  • Saturday, April 27, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm- Bay State African Violet Society Show & Sale

    What is it about African violets that has attracted so many fans and admirers? African violets are known for their unique features, vibrant colors, and beautiful blooms. The annual judged African violet show and sale by the Bay State African Violet Society, Inc. on April 27 at The New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is a much-anticipated event. See horticultural and design exhibits of African violets grown by members of BSAVS, Inc. and attend lectures/demonstrations. Learn general care of African violets and basic requirements for soil, fertilizer, watering, and light. Discover tips on how and when to re-pot and how to propagate new plants from leaves. There will also be hundreds of gorgeous named African violets for sale! There will also be a demonstration from 1 – 2 on How to Grow African Violets. From fuzzy leaves to friendly flowers, there are many reasons why African violets are among America’s most popular houseplants

    This event is included with General Admission. We recommend purchasing your tickets online in advance to secure your preferred date. You can also buy tickets in person at the Garden. Click here to reserve your tickets in advance.

  • Saturday, April 20 – Monday, May 27 – “Re-Rooted”

    Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 2024 Art/Garden series continues with “Re-Rooted,” an exhibition featuring the drawings of Brooklyn-based artist Ellen Driscoll, who takes her inspiration from the resilience and regenerative power of plants.

    The exhibition runs from April 20 through May 27, in the Leonhardt Galleries. The public is invited to the opening reception on Saturday, April 20, from 5 to 7 p.m.

    “Plants have been on the Earth much longer than human beings — adapting through eons of environmental change,” said Driscoll. “As our environmental crisis becomes ever more urgent, my art takes its inspiration from the quiet work plants do to survive, adapt and heal our planet.” These drawings reflect on the process by which plants use their root system to clean up toxic contaminants in soil, air and water.

    Driscoll’s work is in major collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of Art.  Her awards include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bunting Institute, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Massachusetts Council on the Arts, the LEF Foundation, the Rhode Island Foundation, Anonymous Was a Woman, and a Fine Arts Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. 

    Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Leonhardt Galleries are open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The address: 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, Mass.

  • Through May 15 – Bulbs & Spring Ephemerals

    Don’t miss “Bulbs & Spring Ephemerals” — the MHS Botanical Art Program spring exhibit. Works by 14 artists detail the beauty of early spring blooms. A splendid variety of works will be on display in the Education Building from April 1 through May 15 at the Garden at Elm Bank. Included with Garden Admission. Below: Poet’s Narcissus (Narcissus poeticus) by Pam Harrington

  • Thursday, April 25 – Sunday, April 28 – The 48th Annual Nantucket Daffodil Festival

    There will be a Daffodil Flower Show, a Car Parade and Tailgate, and all manner of daffodil related activities in Nantucket again this month, April 25 – 28. Plan your trip to the Island now. https://daffodilfestival.com/

    The Nantucket Garden Club, in conjunction with the American Daffodil Society, also holds its annual Daffodil Flower Show at Bartlett’s Ocean View Farm the Saturday and Sunday of Daffodil weekend.

    For more information, visit www.nantucketchamber.org Photo below from https://greenwithrenvy.com/nantucket-daffodil-festival-spring/

  • Saturday & Sunday, April 27 & 28, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm – Rise Up Boston: A Climate Event

    Join The Museum of Science on April 27 and 28 for a lively weekend of hands-on activities, enlightening live presentations, climate conversations, and much more! Meet with some of the people who are making a difference addressing climate change at tables throughout the Museum, and talk with Museum educators. This two-day event is all about informing, empowering, and inspiring action. And it’s just the beginning, as we all work together to make a difference!

    The Museum of Science is committed to offering experiences that highlight the impacts of climate change around the world and here at home. We encourage visitors (in-person and online) to learn about the impacts of a changing climate, consider the perspectives of others, become more confident in taking action, and discover ways to be part of the solution through individual and collective action. Event highlights include exhibits on Changing Landscapes, Arctic Adventure: Exploring with Technology, and the Gaia Glob, UK artist Luke Jerram’s awe-inspiring artwork. There will be live presentations and activities as well – explore at www.mos.org