Boston Flora

Category: Field Trip

  • Sunday, August 15, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Walk with Natives

    Imagine traveling back in time 100, 200, even 2,000 years! What did this landscape look like? Would the same kinds of trees growing in the Arboretum now have grown here then? Take a walk back in time at the Arnold Arboretum on Sunday, August 15 with docent David Tarbet to explore trees and their uses. This tour, from 1 – 2:30 pm,  expands on the Walk with Natives self-guided tour, available in Silva and in the Visitor Center.  Free, no registration required.  For more information log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Saturday, August 14, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Bonsai West Tour

    The Bonsai West collection is one of the oldest historic collections of bonsai in the country.  Michael Levin, owner and founder of Bonsai West, will talk about these trees – several over one hundred years old – and the original artists who created them.  The stories of Mr. Levin’s 28 years of growing bonsai and creating this beautiful nursery, and his experiences with the original artists and the history and culture of this ancient art coalesce during this fascinating tour, sponsored by Tower Hill Botanic Garden.  Levin also discusses basic bonsai care techniques and growing your own bonsai.  $15 for Tower Hill members, $20 for nonmembers.  You may register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Tuesday, August 10, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Urban Arboretum Tree Walk

    Join the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy on Tuesday, August 10 for the next installment of the Greenway’s Horticulture Series: Urban Arboretum Tree Walk.  come along this walk to learn about sizes, blooms, and leaf shapes that one can enjoy in the park, or plant at home.  Assemble at the Greenway Tent, at Dewey Square, near the South Station MBTA.  Free.  For more information, log on to www.rosekennedygreenway.org.

  • Wednesday, August 4, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Kitchen Tour 2010

    Mark your calendars, call your friends, and order your advance tickets for the 2010 Merryspring Kitchen Tour on Wednesday, August 4.  This year’s Tour showcases innovative kitchen design and innovative garden cuisine that you won’t want to miss.  Because the Kitchen Tour is the major fundraiser of the year for Merryspring Nature Center, 30 Conway Road, Camden, Maine, your ticket purchase supports the park year round.   Merryspring is a non-profit, privately-owned 66 acre park and education center in Camden and Rockport, Maine, with nature trails and gardens open to the public every day, free of charge.  This member supported organization offers talks, classes and workshops throughout the year.  Advance price $25, $30 day of Tour.  You may visit any individual kitchen for $10.  You may order tickets by calling 207-236-2239, or by emailing info@merryspring.org.  For a complete listing of venues, log on to www.merryspring.org. Photo courtesy of Country Living magazine.

  • Sunday, August 15, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm – Survey of New England Ferns in Maine

    Don Lubin and Ray Abair of the New England Wild Flower Society have offered this workshop annually since 1999, but never before in Maine. They begin with a review of our fern flora, the 68 species that are native to New England. After an introductory discussion, they display photographs, drawings, and frond silhouettes. Field ID techniques are reviewed.  An outdoor field session follows with a  visit to many ferns on the Delta Institute property, located in Bowdoin, Maine, then Lycopodiella club-moss (below)  and other taxa at a nearby quarry. Geared to students with some experience and comfort in fern taxonomy. Bring a bag lunch and a hand lens.  The class will be held Sunday, August 15, from 10 – 4:30, and will cost $72 for NEWFS members, and $85 for nonmembers.  Register at www.newfs.org.

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  • Saturday, August 7, 12:15 pm – 2:00 pm – A Bug’s Life

    Join scientist Jessica Rykken in collecting and examining bugs native to the Boston Harbor Islands on Saturday, August 7, beginning at 12:15 am. This trip to Spectacle Island will leave from 1 Long Wharf, and is free.  Recommended for adults and for children ages 10 and up (and the non-squeamish). For more information, log on to www.bostonharborislands.org, or call 617-223-8108.  You may also email Rebecca Smerling at rsmerling@islandalliance.org.

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  • Thursday, July 29, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Bikes@Night

    Join the Boston Preservation Alliance members as they team up with Urban AdvenTours to ride the night away and explore Boston on two wheels.  The Bikes@Night tour will show you the city as the sun goes down and the lights come up, focusing on Boston’s beautiful and historic waterfront. Watch the sun set over Boston Harbor, hear about architecture and history, and enjoy a delightful summer night in Boston.  The ride will include:
    • Long Wharf: once the busiest pier in the busiest port in America during early colonial times and now home to the New England Aquarium.
    • The Rose Kennedy Greenway: the 1.5-mile-long long series of parks and public spaces that now exists where the elevated Central Artery once stood.
    • Fan Pier: the historic location of railway lines that linked Boston to the rest of the country and where you can now take in the modern architecture of the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Moakley Court House.
    • The North End: the city’s oldest residential community full of late 19th and early 20th century architecture (and arguably the best restaurants!)

    Ride departs from Urban AdvenTours, 103 Atlantic Avenue and participants should arrive by 5:30 p.m. for a 6 p.m. departure.  Cost: This event is $30 for Alliance members/$37 for non-members and includes: bike, helmet, water bottle, and tour guide. You may purchase tickets securely via PayPal at www.bostonpreservation.org or make a check payable to: Boston Preservation Alliance, Old City Hall, 45 School Street, Boston, MA 02108.

    RSVP: Space is limited and reservations are required by July 25th.  Contact Christine Piontek at cpiontek@bostonpreservation.org or call 617-367-2458 to RSVP or for more information.

    Urban AdvenTours - Bikes@Night - 7.15.10 - 6 PM

  • Sunday, August 8, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Sin and Flesh Brook

    We just couldn’t resist reporting on this New England Wild Flower Society field trip in Tiverton, Rhode Island on Sunday, August 8, from 9 – noon.  The loveliness of this meandering brook belies its lurid name, given to it in colonial times following a bloody encounter between resident Pocasset Indians and a Quaker preacher in transit to Newport, RI. The stream flows through a beautiful eighty-acre maritime hardwood forest, Fort Barton Woods, a site reeking with history and plant diversity. Streamside wetlands, vernal pools, and glacial upland soils provide an opportunity to see an impressive array of wild flowers and ferns. The terrain is rugged so the walk will require good stamina, and participants should dress for muggy, August forest conditions.  Garry Plunkett will lead, and the fee is $24 for NEWFS  members and $27 for nonmembers.  Directions and registration will be found at www.newfs.org.

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  • Saturday, August 7, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Shrubs Revisited

    What is woody, short and multi-stemmed? …When it comes to knowledge, it’s use it or lose it. Here is a chance to review 20-25 of the shrubs covered in New England Wild Flower Society’s core course “Native New England Shrubs” during a different season of the year. You will also learn several shrubs not covered in the core course. Instructor Roland “Boot” Boutwell might even add in a few summer wildflowers. And, if you haven’t taken the shrubs core course, this class will provide a good introduction to our New England shrubs. Our field site, the Horn Pond Conservation Land in Woburn, Massachusetts, is an area both rich and diverse and is one of NEWFS research botanist Arthur Haines’ favorite field sites. As you stroll throughout the property, you will focus on a few of the key ID characteristics and learn a bit about the natural history of each shrub. Bring a hand lens and your shrub cards, if you have them, as well as a bag lunch. $44 for NEWFS members, $52 for nonmembers.  Register at www.newfs.org.

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  • Tuesday, July 27, 6:30 pm – Wild Harvest: Foraging Food from Fields and Forests

    Enjoy nature’s harvest without fussing with plant pots, grow lamps and watering. Join plant enthusiast and past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Russ Cohen for a workshop including how to identify, collect and prepare food from the wild.

    Did you know that New England is home to over 150 species of edible wild plants and dozens of species of edible mushrooms? What about the reported fact that many are more nutritious and flavorful than their cultivated counterparts? If this is news to you, then you must plan to join Slow Foods Boston and  The Appalachian Mountain Club at 4 Joy Street in Beacon Hill on Tuesday, July 27th at 6:30pm for a little enlightening.

    Russ Cohen, expert forager and author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, will present a 90-minute slide show and question and answer period. He will cover over 70(!!) of the tastiest species the region has to offer. These range from plants you know well, like Daisies and Dandelions, to plants that you may never have even heard of, like Calamus and Carrion Flower.

    He’ll include information on about a dozen of the tastiest (and easiest to recognize) mushroom species, from Morels in the spring, Black Chanterelles (below) in the summer and Hen of the Woods mushrooms in the fall.

    Information covered will include identification tips, edible portions, seasons of availability and preparation methods, along with general guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. And just ‘cuz we’re special, Russ promises to bring along a foraged goodie or two to taste!

    Cost for the evening’s presentation is only $5, and pre-registration is appreciated at www.slowfoodboston.com. Many thanks to our co-hosts, the Appalachian Mountain Club Boston Chapter Young Members Committee.

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