Please join President Bonnie Rosenthall and the GCFM Board of Directors for the Annual Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Fall Conference on October 30 from 8 – 3 at the Hilton Boston/Dedham, 25 Allied Drive in Dedham, Massachusetts. $60. Register at https://www.gcfm.org/events-1/gcfm-fall-conference-2019
Want to fight climate change? Clean Water Action, Sustainable Milton and others are working to pass strong climate legislation for Massachusetts.
We want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invest in renewable energy and clean transportation. Come find out about carbon pricing, one of the main bills that could help move Massachusetts towards a green economy.
Forum on Climate Action and Carbon Pricing will take place October 10, 2019, 6:45-8:45 pm at Milton Public Library, Keyes Community Room, 476 Canton Avenue, Milton. Light refreshments will be served, and there will be opportunity for discussion and action. For more information of if you plan to attend, please contact lspark@cleanwater.org or 617-338-8131 x 210.
The next meeting of the Charlesgate Alliance will be held Tuesday, October 15th, in the Estabrooks Room at the Harvard Club, 374 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, beginning at 6:30 pm. The plans for Charlesgate Park will be discussed. For more information visit charlesgatealliance@gmail.com.
The Annual Meeting of the Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens will take place on September 30, beginning with a reception at 4 pm in the Global Flora conservatory (which won’t be open to the general public until next year, so this is special), followed by the meeting at 4:30. Hear the Friends’ accomplishments over the last year, and help plan for an exciting year ahead. Free, but rsvp required by emailing wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu, or by calling 781-283-3094.
On Wednesday, September 25 at 6 pm, you are invited to a neighborhood reception introducing the Planned Restoration of Arlington Street Church, at the Arlington Street Church on the corner of Arlington and Boylston Streets in Back Bay. Learn about the vision for the preservation of this beautiful building which was designed originally to be “The Cornerstone of the Back Bay” For more information visit http://ascboston.org.
Each native plant species has a suite of host-specific insects that depend on it for food. Even allowing a single “weed” to grow in your garden can significantly increase its habitat value, and choosing to plant native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers will cause your yard to teem with life. Using a number of common New England plants as examples, Charley Eiseman will introduce us to some of these insects, their natural history, and signs of their presence to look for on their host plants. His close-up photos will provide an unusual perspective on the tiny animals that are going about their lives right under our noses. Charley Eiseman is a freelance naturalist, conducting plant and wildlife surveys for various nonprofits, state agencies, and universities throughout New England. He has co-taught an “Ecology Through Animal Tracking” course in various incarnations since 2004, and since 2018 he has been teaching week-long field seminars on insect tracks and sign at the Eagle Hill Institute in Maine. He holds an MS from the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program and a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation and Management from the University of Massachusetts. Charley is the lead author of Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates (Stackpole Books, 2010) and Leafminers of North America (self-published e-book, 2019), and he has coauthored over 30 scientific papers, including the description of over 60 new insect species. http://charleyeiseman.com/ . This lecture, on October 9 beginning at 7 pm, will take place at the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol. Free and open to the public. For more information visit http://atholbirdclub.org.
The October meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay will take place Tuesday, October 1, beginning at 10 am at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston.
Marie Law Adams, co-founder of Landing Studio, will discuss the design for the long-awaited transformation of the Charlesgate Park located under the Bowker Overpass. Marie is a registered architect who has developed urban projects in Boston and New York. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and earned a MArch from MIT, where she was a Presidential Fellow and a recipient of the AIA Medal.
An optional lunch ($25) will follow the program. Club Members will receive email notification, but if you wish to attend and are not a member, please email info@bostonflora.com.
On Saturday, September 14, Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts will host the New England Botanical Club for a day-long meeting with options including a field trip to the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area with Pete Grima (10 – 2), a fungal walk with Dianna Smith at the Smith College MacLeish Field Station (12 – 3), and a lecture by Dr. Lynn S. Adler, Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, on Floral Traits Mediating Pathogen Dynamics in Pollinators.
The Montague Plains cover several power line corridors on the Montague sand plain and adjacent Will’s Hill, where the focus will be on the amazing asters, gorgeous goldenrods. lingering legumes, and genteel fringed gentians that will be in their prime. There may be orchids, too. This is an easy walk of 1.5 miles with 200 foot elevation gain. Be prepared for ticks and open, sunny conditions.
The Fungi Walk will introduce you to the fascinating world of the fungi kingdom during our three-hour guided walk starting at noon at the Smith College MacLeish Field Station on Poplar Hill Rd in Whately, MA. In addition to helping attendees learn to identify particular morphological groups of fungi, Dianna will provide essential information about their lifestyles and functions in forest and garden ecology; their evolutionary history; habitat preferences; edibility; toxicity; and potential medicinal uses. By the time you complete this walk, you will know more about these curious representatives of the mostly hidden kingdom of fungi than 99.9% of the world’s population.
Register at http://www.rhodora.org/meetings/upcomingmeetings.html
Dr. Paul Sievert, U. S. Geological Survey, Massachusetts Cooperative Fisheries & Wildlife research Unit, Short-tailed Albatross Recovery, will speak on September 11 at 7:00 pm at the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol. As a founding member of the Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Team, Dr. Paul Sievert has been applauded for his leadership and involvement in albatross recovery efforts. Dr. Sievert has been the eyes, ears, and scientific expert for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on recovery initiatives for the species in Japan and the United States. He has been cited for his “incredible positive attitude, coupled with indisputable expertise in albatross biology and mastery of field techniques.” He has traveled to Torishima Island and engaged in satellite-tagging the birds. Dr. Sievert’s skills enabled the recovery team to model different scenarios, ultimately generating a consensus on measurable and defensible draft and final recovery criteria. Since he began his work, the global population of the short-tailed albatross has increased at a remarkable 7 percent per year! Free. For more information visit http://atholbirdclub.org
As if you needed yet another reason to join The Native Plant Trust, the upcoming Members’ Plant Exchange on September 15 may be the impetus you need. The rain or shine event at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham, brings members together, each bringing at least one potted and identified plant to swap with other members. Native species are encouraged but not essential. However, no invasives! Anyone toting in a pot of Japanese bittersweet will be publicly shamed and pilloried. Start time and details will be sent after registration, and to register, you must be a member. To join, visit http://nativeplanttrust.org. To register, call 508-877-7630, x 3801, or email specialevents@nativeplanttrust.org.
