Join Mass Audubon volunteer Molly Edmonds on an early morning walk through the Boston Nature Center on Saturday, September 19, from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m., to discover and learn more about birds and birding. Binoculars will be provided, if needed. All ages and birding abilities welcome. $4 for Mass Audubon members, $6 for non-members. For more information, call 617-983-8500, or email bnc@massaudubon.org.
The famed “Stone Show” formerly in Hardwick, Massachusetts, is expanding and moving to Tower Hill Botanic Garden to become “The Sculpture Show.” The show will be larger and more inclusive in every way, with contributions from more than a dozen skilled artists from throughout New England and New York. See stunning works in metal, wood, cast stone and carved stone, set amongst the incomparable beauty of Tower Hill’s exquisite gardens and woodland trails—especially breathtaking during the fall foliage season. The preview party and reception with the artists will be on Friday, September 25, beginning at 5:30pm. Buy Sculpture Show Preview Party tickets. $25 for Tower Hill Members, $30 for non members. Enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvre and a cash bar, and enjoy a guided tour of the show, as the lights are turned on for the first time to illuminate the sculptures for a spectacular effect. We’ll inform you about special related programming throughout this event. The show is co-sponsored by New England Garden Ornaments of Sudbury, Massachusetts, and by Shadows and Light, of Conway, Massachusetts. The show continues and will be open through November 1, from 10 am – 5 pm, and open Wednesday evenings until 8 pm.
Participating Artists I Artists Bios
Tim deChristopher I James DiSilvestro
Thomas Kellner I Wendy Klemperer (photo below)
Jill Nooney I Morris Norvin
Tom O’ Connell I Pat Plourde
Joseph Wheelwright I Carl White
Gampo Wickenheiser I Jerry Williams Jeane Wolfe
Ever wonder how long you could survive in the woods by living off the land? Southeast Massachusetts is home to more than 150 species of wild edibles and late summer is the season of fruits and nuts. From wild grapes and blueberries to hickory nuts and edible roots, you’ll enjoy an all natural snack during your walk with Trustees of Reservations Education Coordinator Linton Harrington, in the Copicut Woods Bioreserve, Indian Town Road, Fall River.
Copicut Woods, located approximately 10 minutes from downtown Fall River, is the southern gateway to the 13,600-acre Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve, which includes state-owned forest and wildlife management areas and the wooded landscape protecting the city’s drinking water supply.
The Bioreserve is large enough to sustain the native biodiversity of this region, from the dominant white pine-oak forest to the rare Atlantic white cedar swamps; from the nearly 100 species of birds to the endangered four-toed salamander. The landscape also has a rich cultural history and offers recreational opportunities suiting a range of interests.
Copicut Woods offers a splendid introduction to the ecological and cultural features of the Bioreserve. Walking trails wind through an array of natural communities and pass vernal pools, Miller Brook, and an abandoned farm settlement. A key attraction is the nearly mile-long Miller Lane, a 150-year-old scenic cart path lined with stone walls and featuring an underpass that enabled livestock to move between fields.
From Copicut Woods, visitors have easy access to adjacent protected land owned by the city and the state, although the unified trail system through the Bioreserve has not yet been designed and marked.
The Bioreserve was established and is managed cooperatively by The Trustees of Reservations, the City of Fall River, and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Department of Conservation and Recreation, and Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
There is no charge for this walk. Call 508-679-2115 for more information, or email bioreserve@ttor.org. Directions are available at www.thetrustees.org.
This 650-acre preserve of maritime hardwoods and wooded swamp is at the heart of an on-going effort to protect a large un-fragmented forest region near the southern New England coast. The primary natural community is coastal oak-holly forest that surrounds a remnant Atlantic white cedar swamp. Autumn color and late season flora of woodlands and edges will be on display, as well as some interesting footprints from the past — cellar holes, bridges, and the remains of a 19th century sawmill. Join the New England Wild Flower Society and Instructor Garry Plunkett for a very interesting hike through Weetamoo Woods in Tiverton, Rhode Island on Sunday, September 27, beginning at 12:30 pm. Limit 15 participants, $20 for members of NEWFS, $25 non members. To register, and for directions, log on to http://www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.
Please join The Herb Society of America (www.herbsociety.org)Â for its 62nd Annual Fair, celebrating herbs. See the glorious garden,and shop at tables featuring fresh herbs and wreaths, jams, jellies and vinegars, potpourri, baked goods, books, plants, and more. We will have a raffle and a delicious herb-filled lunch with our Northeast Unit’s signature Lovage Soup. Admission is free; proceeds support herb gardens in the New York area.
Location:
John Jay HomesteadContact Person: Betsy Rolls
Contact Phone #: 914.273.2155
Contact Email: brolls@optonline.net
On Saturday, September 26, from 10 – 2, join Sonia Baerhuk, lead grounds-person, for a tour of the extensive campus at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, the country’s first school for the visually impaired, founded in 1832. The school’s sustainable garden highlights range from the leaf and fallen tree composting systems to a tropical “Cathedral†greenhouse that operates without the use of chemicals. See the two recently installed rain gardens funded by a grant from the Watertown Community Foundation, as well as orchards that grow with biological controls and visit several native plant gardens. The smells, textures and sounds in the various gardens enrich the lives of students, staff and visitors. Bring a bag lunch. Sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society, $35 for NEWFS members, $42 for nonmembers, limited to 20 participants. For more information, directions, and to register, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.
The Blue Hills Reservation is the largest preserved natural area in eastern Massachusetts. It has quite a few spots that are rich in ferns. Join the New England Wild Flower Society and instructors Don Lubin and Raymond Abair on Saturday, September 26 at 11 am. They plan to travel a new route and see more than a dozen fern species, including dramatic large displays of Virginia chain fern, ostrich fern (below), and Christmas ferns. Wear long pants for poison ivy and bring a lunch and hand lens. Participants limited to 15, fee $32 for members of NEWFS, $36 for nonmembers. To register, call 508-877-7630, or log on to www.newfs.org.
Take a special Curator’s tour through New England garden history on Wednesday, September 23 beginning at 10:00 a.m. as the New England Wildflower Society explores the site that Garden Design magazine recognized as one of four sites in the world teaching about change over time in an original landscape. Gardens range from native landscapes and 17th century raised-bed kitchen gardens to high Victorian gardens/hothouse, immigrant gardens, a 100 year-old Colonial  Revival garden, and a Victory Garden from World War II. The tour focuses on garden trends and historic design as well as heirloom plants and historic use. Teaching gardens include a Victorian Children’s Garden, Herb garden and heritage orchards. Participants have access to heirloom seeds from the gardens as we progress through the historic and cultural landscapes. Tour does not include admission to the museum, but participants are encouraged to stay for lunch and an afternoon visit to the site. John Forti will lead the group, limited to 20 participants, and the fee is $18 for NEWFS members and $22 for nonmembers. To register, and get directions, log on to www.newfs.org or call 508-877-7630.
Visit two of the area’s finest fall gardens in their autumn glory. The Dover garden sits on an acre of land, not far from the Charles River, with rich alluvial soil and plenty of moisture and light. With these ingredients, Carrie Waterman has created an outstanding naturalistic garden, which has evolved to accommodate the owner’s passions for plant propagation, native plants and color. Plants with long bloom times and handsome foliage fill the mixed borders which peak in fall splendor. In nearby Needham, discover a fall garden that glows in the autumn light, highlighting a collection of brilliant maples, golden birches and deciduous confers, beech, bamboos and grasses of every type. Using variation in foliage size, color, and texture, Ellen Lathi has achieved a bold and colorful effect for four-season interest. Natural stone, a bog filled with large-leafed plants, and a stream add to the fall scene. Both gardeners are fans of serendipity and love to see the native plants, with the help of the birds, spread themselves around and get comfortable! Many Garden Club of the Back Bay members may remember seeing Ellen Lahti’s slide presentation at The Country Club last year, sponsored by The Boston Committee. This tour is presented by The New England Wild Flower Society, and will cost $30 if a NEWFS member, $36 if a non member. To register, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.
Sponsored by the Friends of the South End (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), this self-guided walking tour on Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20, features whimsical fairy houses built by families, children, garden clubs and local artisans. The tour will include Strawbery Banke, Prescott Park, the Governor John Langdon House and the Wentworth Gardner and Tobias Lear Houses. Excerpts from “Fairy Houses – The Ballet” will also be presented. Visitors are invited to build an entire Fairy House Village on Peirce Island using only natural materials. Advance ticket prices: Adults – $10, Seniors – $8, Children -Â $4; Day of Event, Adults $15, Seniors $10, Children – $5. Free parking is available on Peirce Island. For up-to-date information, and to purchase tickets, visit www.fairyhouses.com.
