Boston Flora

Category: Meeting

  • Friday, February 1, 6:45 pm – The Ecology and Impacts of Garlic Mustard

    The February meeting of the New England Botanical Club will take place Friday, February 1 at 6:45 in the Haller Lecture Hall (Room 102) of the Geological Museum, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge. The speaker will be Dr. Kristina Stinson, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Conservation at University of Massachusetts/Amherst. Her topic is The Ecology and Impacts of Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata). Her research is focused on plant species’ responses to biophysical stress and climate variation in forests, cities, and alpine ecosystems. This work is driven by theoretical questions about plant life histories, and how local processes within and among plant populations can help explain broader geographic distributions. The unifying goals of this work are: 1) to advance fundamental research in experimental plant population dynamics and ecology; and 2) to provide scientific guidance for restoration, management, and species conservation.  For complete information visit http://rhodora.org. Free and open to the public.

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  • Tuesday, January 22, 9:30 am – A “Bee” Program

    The Needham Garden Club will host Susan Robinson on Tuesday, January 22 at 9:30 am at the Needham Public Library, 1139 Highland Street in needham Heights. Ms. Robinson will present a “Bee” program, open to the public. $5 for non-NGC attendees.  Susan runs an organic honey business, Buzz 10 Honey, and teaches students at Norfolk County Agricultural High School. For more information visit http://www.needhamgardenclub.com/

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  • Friday, January 11, 5:30 pm – Nineteenth Narrative and Notes on Nature with Nutritious Nibbles

    Mark your calendar for the next New England Botanical Club Meeting on January 11, 2019 at the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Cronin building, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA (Room 108 – Southeast Conference Room) Potluck dinner begins at 5:30 pm. Bring a potluck dish to share with other members and guests. Botanical labeling of dishes is encouraged. Dinner will be followed by a raffle of books and botanical items. A number of books and special botanical items have already been donated. Bring cash! Members and guests may share anything of botanical or club interest. Limit of about 10 slides or 5 minutes narration.

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  • Tuesday, January 22, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Garden Club of the Back Bay Winter Tea – SOLD OUT

    Tuesday, January 22, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Garden Club of the Back Bay Winter Tea – SOLD OUT

    The 2019 Garden Club of the Back Bay Winter Tea will take place Tuesday, January 22 from 3 – 5 at The Courtyard Restaurant at the Boston Public Library at 700 Boylston Street. Garden Club member price $45, non-members $55. Names will be held at the door.

  • Thursday, April 11 – Sunday, April 14 – Bonsai on the Bayou

    The American Bonsai Society 2019 National Convention will take place in Houston April 11 – April 14 at the Marriott Houston, 2900 Briarpark Drive in Houston. Registration includes a weekend packed full of bonsai fun and learning. There will be a huge juried exhibit, and more than $2,000 awarded in cash prizes. Learn from outstanding and talented instructors and attend seminars, workshops, and demonstrations. Featured guest artists include Boonyarat Manakitivipart, Ryan Nell, and Enrique Castano de la Serna.  Take advantage today of early registration discounts (before February 1). Registration details may be found at http://houstonbonsaisociety.com/abs-convention/

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  • Friday, December 7, 6:45 pm – Genetic Diversity and Phyloecology of the Western North American Pyrola picta Species Complex

    Species in the Pyrola picta complex have broadly overlapping ranges along montane corridors from western Canada to Mexico and in some regions can be found in close sympatry. Using geographical and climatic affinity for phylogenetic ancestral state/area estimation under multiple dispersal and vicariance models, Dr. Diana Jolles, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Director of the Plymouth State University Herbarium at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire investigated the environmental conditions under which these species likely evolved. Initial estimates suggest that the P. picta species complex originated in the Sierra Nevada of California and that subsequent speciation was associated with dispersal to distinct geographical locations and ecological settings within the present-day, collective range. The present-day distribution is likely the result of secondary contact caused by climatic shifts and subsequent range expansion. Among other things, this study highlights the importance of specimen annotation for studying species’ geographic range characteristics. Dr. Jolles will speak at the December meeting of the New England Botanical Club on December 7 at 6:45 at Harvard University’s Haller Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge. The lecture is free and open to the public.

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  • Wednesday, December 12, 7:00 pm – The Fabulous Winter Crow Roost

    On Wednesday, December 12 at the Athol Bird & Nature Club meeting, Bob and Dana Fox (pictured below) will relate their research on the 16.000+ crows roosting in the Lawrence area each winter: where and when they evolved, a discussion of current research demonstrating their intelligence, an overview of their natural history; and a recount of their over 90 nights observing up to 16,000 crows staging and roosting at the Greater Lawrence, MA crow roost last winter. You will want to go out and find your own crow roost when they finish! Programs are free and open to all, meet at 7 pm at The Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street, Athol. For more information visit http://atholbirdclub.org.

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  • Tuesday, December 11, 9:00 am – 11:30 am – Holiday Floral Designs

    Lisa Oberholzer-Gee is a Cambridge based freelance floral artist. She has traveled widely and incorporates techniques from all over the world in her designs. She has a floral certificate of design from Longwood Garden, Pennsylvania and has taught floral classes at the New York Botanical Gardens as well as designed entrance arrangements for the MFA’s Art in Bloom exhibit. She will be demonstrating arrangements for the holiday season. Ms. Gee will give a demonstration on Holiday Floral Design for the Community Garden Club of Duxbury on December 11 at the Duxbury Bay Maritime School, 457 Washington Street, Duxbury, Massachusetts. Coffee and tea from 9am to 9:30am, Business Meeting from 9:30am to 10am, Program from 10am to 11:30am. Meetings are open to the public for a nominal fee of $5.00. Everyone is welcome.

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  • Wednesday, December 5, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Massachusetts Rivers Alliance Annual Meeting and Dinner

    Please join The Massachusetts Rivers Alliance on Wednesday, December 5th, 6-9 pm at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech Street in Belmont for a wonderful evening of great company, good food and lots of talk about water. It is Mass Rivers’ annual tradition to bring together our friends and colleagues for a warm and lively evening of celebrating our rivers and the year’s achievements.

    Guest speaker: Nationally known author and photographer, Tim Palmer. Did you know we have three Wild and Scenic Rivers here in Massachusetts, and a fourth under study? Tim is a national expert on Wild and Scenic Rivers, and will entertain you with his breathtaking photos and fascinating stories about Wild and Scenic rivers across the country. Please join us in celebrating this path-breaking approach to conservation on the 50th anniversary of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 2018.

    We are delighted to honor these Massachusetts River Champions :

    River Hero: Rep. Smitty Pignatelli and Sen. Anne Gobi, Chairs of the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Environmental, Natural Resources and Agriculture

    River Advocate: Access to Justice Fellow Irene Freidel and Earthrise Law Center Attorney Kevin Cassidy

    River Friend: Elizabeth Ainsley Campbell, Executive Director of the Nashua River Watershed Association

    Register ($25 – $60, depending on category) at www.massriversalliance.org/2018annualmeeting/

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  • Friday & Saturday, December 7 & 8, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – RootSkills Conference

    Wondering how to start a zero waste, living economy, or land & water project in your neighborhood? Exploring how to deepen and get to root causes in your food systems, energy or environmental health work? Have questions about fundraising or group governance? Are you looking to center equity in your community efforts?

    The goal of the RootSkills Conference, to be held in the Hogan Center at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester on December 7 & 8 is to create synergy among community organizers working towards environmental, social and economic justice. Workshop sessions highlight trends, best practices, and solutions-based tools by and for community organizers. A planning committee representing a broad range of lived experiences helps design the event and an open call for workshops sessions creates space for new leadership, new voices to work towards co-created learning objectives. The event is sponsored by the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund. There are 11 workshop tracks with a total 33 interactive sessions. Keynote speaker will be Kali Akuno, Co-­Founder and Co­-Director of Cooperation Jackson. He served as the Director of Special Projects and External Funding in the Mayoral Administration of the late Chokwe Lumumba of Jackson, MS. Kali is also an educator, writer, and an organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots movement.To register visit www.grassrootsfund.org. The conference is sponsored by the Appalachian Mountain Club, Barr Foundation, Food Solutions New England, Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare Foundation, Kennebunk Savings, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Patagonia, Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer PC, Revision Energy, Solidago Foundation, Tamarack, and The Fine Fund.

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