Boston Flora

Saturday, January 13, 8:00 am – Winter Bird Walk with Nature Man Mike

Embark on a birdwatching walk in the Arboretum’s landscape with birder and wildlife photographer Michael Bryant, AKA Nature Man Mike. This two-hour walk on January 13 at 8 am is suitable for beginners as well as more experienced birders. Binoculars will be available to borrow on a first-come-first-serve basis, but you are encouraged to bring your own! To get on the waitlist, click HERE. Below: White-Throated Sparrow. Photo by Michael Bryant.

Now through July 28 – Bats! at the Peabody Essex Museum

Meet bats — live and up close — in this multisensory Peabody Essex Museum exhibition exploring the wondrous world of bats and our connections with them. The only mammals that can truly fly, these animals have developed a host of superpowers that have benefited both humans and habitats around the world. Yet bats remain shrouded in mystery.

Often misunderstood creatures, bats have long been associated with the underworld, magic and superstition. They have also come to symbolize good and evil. Highly beneficial to their ecosystems, bats are often regarded as indicator species that help gauge the health of the environment and reveal the effects of climate change and other human-caused threats.

Meet a small colony of live Egyptian fruit bats on view in The Dotty Brown Art & Nature Center through the run of the exhibition. Accompanied by PEM collection objects, contemporary artworks, pop culture items and interactive zones, visitors will learn about the unique biology of bats and more deeply understand the vital role they play in our lives, ecologically, culturally and as inspiration for technological advances.

Bats! features works by the following living artists. Resa Blatman, Michael Brolly, Nick Demakes, Juan Nicolás Elizalde, Steve Hollinger, Michael LaFosse and Richard L. Alexander, Tony Rubino, David Yann Robert, Rebecca Saylor Sack, Lino Tagliapietra and Jeffrey Veregge.

This exhibition, on view through July 28, is organized by and produced by ExplorationWorks! and Build 4 Impact Inc. All rights reserved. The installation at PEM includes additional artworks, objects, interactives, and text developed by the museum and is made possible by the Dorothy Brown Bequest for Art and Nature and the Albert M. Creighton Jr. Fund for Art and Nature. Additional support was provided by Susan and Appy Chandler and the Creighton Narada Foundation. We thank the generosity of Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation, and James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes, Chip and Susan Robie and Timothy T. Hilton as supporters of the Exhibition Innovation Fund. We also recognize the generosity of the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum and the support and guidance of the Art & Nature Center Visiting Committee.

Follow along on social media using #BatsatPEM

Tuesday, January 16, 5:00 am – 6:30 am Eastern (but recorded) – Queer Gardens: Queer Ecology

Gardens are many things. An oasis for nature, a retreat from the outside world, a haven for blooms. But how has the LGBTQI+ community been involved with their design, upkeep and prominence throughout the years? How is queerness seen in the natural world?

As well as being a historian and tour guide, Sheldon K Goodman is also passionate about gardening. He will give three talks looking at queerness in gardens from the work of gardeners, LGBTQI+ led community gardening initiatives in London, historical people such as Virginia Woolf, Reginald Farrer and Sir Francis Bacon and queer ecology’s roots in Michel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality (tr. Robert Hurley, 1978-2021, Pantheon Books) as well as queer gardening in the here and now.

The second session on January 16 is Queer Ecology. Nature is queer! The heteronormative lens that the natural world has been viewed with until comparatively recently is a sham. Nature is full of wonderful and remarkable examples of diversity, such as sex changing ferns, dual-genitaled garden pests and the unique same-sex relationships between some of our favourite garden birds. Sheldon will showcase some of these instances of queerness and will also be highlighting the work of queer ecologists who are tirelessly bringing awareness to our parks, gardens and open spaces through events, engagement and education. This Gardens Trust talk is £8 through Eventbrite, or £15.75 for the series. Register HERE Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk, and a link to the recorded session will be sent shortly after each session and will be available for 1 week.

Monday, January 1, 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm – Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands New Year’s Day Boat Trip

Enjoy a 45 minute boat ride through the Boston Harbor Islands and a panoramic view of the Boston skyline. Explore Thompson Island’s meadows, forests, beaches and 40 acre salt marsh and learn about its intriguing history.

Boat departs Mass Bay Lines, 60 Rowes Wharf, Boston (behind the Boston Harbor Hotel) at 12:00pm and returns to the dock at 4:00pm. Boarding begins at 11:30am. The nearest T stations are South Station (Red Line) and Aquarium (Blue Line). Park policy is no pets and no alcohol. No food is sold on the boat or the island. Pack a picnic and go on your own adventure. There will be indoor warm up space. Make your reservations now at https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/event-details.htm?id=A91F5A70-F09C-4935-E7580EC6F0C447C5 $30 fee.

Sunday, January 7, 11:00 am – Barking Up the Right Tree: A Tour of Bark Diversity at the Arboretum

What is there to see at the Arboretum after all of the leaves have fallen and before spring flowers start to bloom? Bark! Shaggy bark, mottled bark, striped bark: the Arboretum has it all. Join Horticulturist Rachel Lawlor at 11 am on January 7 to see some beautiful bark highlights, learn how to identify some trees by their bark, and learn why that bark looks the way it does. Accessibility: Participants will walk over paved roads, woodchip paths, and mowed grass. Parking: There is limited parking outside of Centre Street Gate, and additional parking on Arborway near Forest Hills Gate (a 10 minute walk from the meeting point).

In the event of inclement weather, registrants will be notified via email. If you have questions, please email publicprograms@arnarb.harvard.edu or call the Visitor Center desk between 10:00am and 4:00pm at (617) 384-5209. Register at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/event-signup/?id=82442

Wednesday, December 27, 3:30 pm – Therapy Dog Holiday Stroll

The Boston Parks Department is sponsoring a guided local hike on December 27 at 3:30 pm, beginning at the Arlington Street Entrance of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Learn about the important role therapy and facility dogs have. Healthy, licensed, well behaved, non-reactive, and leashed dogs are welcome. For more information visit https://www.boston.gov/calendar/hike-boston-therapy-dog-holiday-stroll

Tuesday, January 16, 5:00 pm Eastern – Seeing the Forest as the Key: Lumbermen, Foresters & Racial Power in the Early Twentieth-Century South & the West, Live and Online

This Massachusetts Historical Society panel on January 16 at 5 pm examines the role of the environment in the United States during the early twentieth century and its relationship to colonialism. As a science largely employed by colonizing European powers at the turn of the twentieth century, forestry, Evan Bonney’s paper suggests, helped the United States claim the Intermountain West as part of its empire. Perri Meldon’s work centers on the Great Dismal Swamp, the wetland, once owned by George Washington. As promotional material illustrates, the swamp became less an actual wetland and more an imagined space imbued with revolutionary (and rebel) spirit. Yet the swamp’s ecology repeatedly resisted the visions of those who promoted it. Meldon’s essay documents the efforts of local officials, outdoors enthusiasts, and lumber companies to advertise the swamp and how the wetland evaded their goals.

Now Through January 7 – Downtown Holiday Arts Market

The Downtown Holiday Arts Market presented by Bank of America, sponsored by the Downtown Boston BID, will run through January 7 in a pop up location at 467 Washington Street.

Browse, shop, and enjoy the holiday season in Downtown Crossing where numerous local vendors will be showcasing artisan products such as jewelry, woodcarvings, metal sculptures, food, candles, clothing, holiday goods and so much more throughout the these winter months. The market is open 7 days a week from 11 am to 7 pm Monday through Saturday, and 11 am to 5 pm on Sundays. The market’s last day will be January 7th, and will be closed Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and January 2.

Monday, January 8, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Eastern – A Gardening Year at Grim’s Dyke

Take a tour through the seasons and through history at Grim’s Dyke, former home of the famous Victorian librettist and wit WS Gilbert and Victorian painter Frederick Goodhall. Named after the ancient earthwork that wends its way through the grounds, this lovely Arts & Crafts mansion situated high on Harrow Weald is now a hotel with grade II listed gardens. In this talk discover a taste of the estate history, an insight into the lives of the former residents and the current trials and tribulations of the gardeners in their bid to upkeep and restore this wonderful place.

Helenka Jurgielewicz has been Head Gardener at Grim’s Dyke Hotel for 15 years. She grew up in Yorkshire and undertook her horticultural training at Capel Manor NCH, RHS Wisley and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew where she secured her Diploma of Horticulture ( Hons). Former jobs include Conservation work in Mauritius – island restoration planting. TV Horticultural researcher for BBC ‘Year at Kew’ series. Archaeologist – rescue archaeology excavator for York Archaelogy Trust, latterly Museum of London amongst many others.

The online talk, sponsored by London Parks & Gardens, takes place January 8 at 1 pm Eastern. £5.00. Register HERE

Tuesdays, January 9 and 23, and February 6, 9:00 am – Forest Bathing at Polly Hill Arboretum

Enjoy an easy, mindful walk through beautiful Polly Hill Arboretum trees in a peaceful winter setting. These walks are led by Shanta Gabriel, who has worked in the field of alternative health for 40 years and has been leading groups in nature for over a decade. Sign up for one class or all. Rain dates will be held on the following Thursday. Please meet at our Visitor Center. Remember to dress accordingly, this program will be held outdoors.

Cost: $15; $10 for PHA members. Register HERE.

Proceeds benefit Polly Hill Arboretum and help make it possible for us to hold future affordable and free educational programs for our community. Thank you for your support!