Boston Flora

Thursday, December 19, 7:00 pm Eastern – Terroir of Cacao: Chocolate Flavor from Around the World, Online

Terroir of Chocolate–Cacao Flavor from Around the World (Free Online Lecture) on December 19 at 7 pm is sponsored by the US Botanic Garden. Register at www.USBG.gov/Programs Chocolate can taste completely different when the cacao is grown in different places. You can even taste the difference between chocolate grown in different valleys of one Hawaiian island! Dr. Bletter will take you through the 12-step, 2-month journey of turning colorful cacao fruits into luscious chocolate bars. You will learn how the process was discovered in Latin America and how the steps affect the final flavor of the chocolate we all love to devour. We’ll also look back at the amazing ancient plant chemists of the Inca, Olmec, Maya, and Aztec who invented these processes and still to this day make incredible perfumed chocolate foams that rival modern molecular gastronomy techniques.

Presenter: Dr. Nat Bletter, ethnobotanist, founder and flavormeister for Madre Chocolate. Dr. Nat Bletter has 25 years of experience in botany, traveling the world documenting exotic fruits and vegetables, gathering food in the wild, and exploring herbal and traditional medicine. With his Ph.D. in Ethnobotany from the City University of New York and New York Botanical Garden and postdoc at University of Hawai’i Manoa, Nat is the founder of artisanal chocolate company Madre Chocolate and runs the edible landscaping company Natty by Nature.

Tuesday, March 11, 6:00 pm – Making History Gala

The Massachusetts Historical Society is delighted to announce the 2025 Making History Gala at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston, will feature National Book Award-winning author Nathaniel Philbrick. Tickets are now on sale, with an early rate of $400 per ticket until December 31, 2024. Tickets increase to $500 on January 1, 2025. Proceeds from the Making History Gala support programming for K-12 students and teachers, collections preservation, free access to the MHS library and exhibitions, and other resources.

Nathaniel Philbrick is a New York Times bestselling author of American history. He won the National Book Award for In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War. His books on the Revolutionary War have received national recognition. These titles include Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution; Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution; and In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown. His writing on the American Revolution presents fresh perspectives and fascinating character studies that shed light on key figures and moments, allowing us to consider anew this critical juncture in our nation’s past.

Questions about the Gala? Contact Hanna van Belle at hvanbelle@masshist.org or 617-646-0551. Buy your ticket at https://www.masshist.org/gala

Now Through August, 2026 – Your Spirit Whispering in My Ear

In partnership with MASS MoCA, The Rose Kennedy Greenway features artist Jeffrey Gibson. Jeffrey Gibson (b. 1972, Colorado Springs, CO; lives and works in New York) grew up in major urban centers in the United States, Germany, Korea, and the U.K. A mid-career multidisciplinary artist, he is a citizen of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and half Cherokee, whose practice includes sculpture, painting, printmaking, video, and performance. Gibson earned his Master of Arts in painting at the Royal College of Art, London, in 1998 and his Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1995. His work is in the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian; National Gallery of Canada; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; the Museum of Modern Art; and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Gibson is a past TED Foundation Fellow and a Joan Mitchell Grant recipient. He is a recipient of the 2019 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. He is currently an artist-in-residence at Bard College and lives and works near Hudson, New York. In 2024, Gibson represented the United States at the 60th edition of La Biennale di Venezia. He is the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States with a solo presentation in the national pavilion. To read the artist’s statement and for more information and map, visit http://www.rosekennedygreenway.org/art-exhibit/jeffrey-gibson

Through Sunday, December 29 – Holiday Market at Snowport

They may be small, but local businesses bring our community to life in a big way. The Holiday Market at Snowport Presented by Constant Contact, features 120+ makers, more food than ever before, custom cocktail bars, festive decor, live music, and more. Enjoy complimentary wi-fi at The Holiday Market powered by xfinity. Open seven days a week except for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, now through December 29.

The Holiday Market has more food and beverage than ever before and you can enjoy it under the heated tent by ®. The heated tent from JetBlue® provides additional beer garden style seating and is also available for private and semi-private events. And while you’re there, enjoy charging stations, and scroll on your phone to book your next warm-weather destination via JetBlue®.Discover a variety of festive craft cocktails and warm drinks to enjoy, from the themed bars – the Jingle Bar adorned in hundreds of bells, The Dizzy Dreidel decked with spinning dreidels, Betty’s Bar to honor Snowport’s special guest, and The Blizzard Bar covered in snow. New this year, each holiday-themed bar will have its own signature cocktail & mocktail like the Betty the Yeti-ni and Dizzy Eggnog Dizzy. For site map and complete information visit https://www.bostonseaport.xyz/holidaymarket We don’t often promote for-profit activities on Boston Flora but we are always enthusiastic about local business.

Through January 1, 2025 – Ode to the Birdhouse

New Hampshire artist @pamelatarbell will be featured in the Massachusetts Audubon visitor’s center at Habitat Center, 10 Juniper Road in Belmont.

Tarbell’s series “Ode to the Birdhouse” sets familiar motifs into colorful layers, resulting in kaleidoscopic visual compositions. Oil pigments set the boldly colored shapes into their own hypnotic space on the canvas, while also bolstering the contrast between overlapping patterns.

Next time you visit, stop by this stunning exhibit to get inspired before you head out into nature! The exhibit will be open Tuesdays-Sundays.

Saturday, December 21, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Solstice in the Cemetery: Night Walk Through Oak Hill

What better time than Winter Solstice with the Museum of Old Newbury to grab a flashlight and join us for a walk through historic Oak Hill Cemetery on the longest night of the year, December 21?

To add to the intimacy and atmosphere of darkness, many epitaphs are easiest to read by flashlight. Join noted author and historian Ghlee Woodworth, a 12th generation Newburyport native, and Museum of Old Newbury executive director Bethany Groff Dorau for a nighttime stroll through the historic 1842 Oak Hill Cemetery, final resting place of shipwrecked sailors, sea captains and merchants, architects and photographers, writers and poets, silversmiths and newspaper editors, and adventurers who travelled to the California gold rush. We will visit several Ebenezers, though none of them Scrooges, and toast the longest night with hot cider, cider donuts, and good cheer. $10 for Museum Members, $20 for nonmembers. Buy tickets through Eventbrite HERE.

Saturday and Sunday, January 4 & 5, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – The Science of Plant Propagation

In this two day Berkshire Botanical Garden in person course on January 4 and 5 from 9 – 4, learn the art and science of plant propagation with a focus on the basic botany needed to understand and successfully propagate plants. Sexual and asexual propagation methods including sowing seeds, cuttings, grafting, layering, and division will be covered. Students will learn the fascinating science behind propagation along with the various techniques used to create new plants.

Adam Wheeler started working and playing with plants at Broken Arrow Nursery in 2004 after completing his BS degree in Urban Forestry and Landscape Horticulture at the University of Vermont. His favorite role at Broken Arrow Nursery is plant propagation and the acquisition and development of new plants. Adam is a past recipient of the Young Nursery Professional Award from the New England Nursery Association and is the current Vice President of the North American Maple Society. He loves to share his passion for plants through photography and educational outreach. As a result, he lectures widely on a variety of subjects and is also an adjunct lecturer at Naugatuck Valley Community College and the Berkshire Botanical Garden. With his spare time he enjoys cultivating his eclectic collection of rare and unusual plants, rock climbing and competitive giant pumpkin growing!

$215 for BBG members, $240 for nonmembers. Register at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

Thursday, December 19, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Christmas Cheers at the Eustis Estate

Enjoy a magical evening of music and holiday cheer on December 19 at the Eustis Estate, 1424 Canton Avenue in Milton. Explore the 1878 mansion, which has been lavishly decorated for Christmas, while live holiday music fills the halls.

Members of Historic New England $20; Students $15; Nonmember $35. Log in or Join now to have your discount applied at checkout.

Advance tickets are required. Refreshments, wine, beer, and cider are included with your ticket. Please call 617-994-6600 for more information.

October, 2025 – Roses and Rosè: A Portugal Garden Tour

Sterling Tours and Pacific Horticulture invite you to join Escort, Linda McKendry and Garden Guide Amy Kupec Larue, on an enriching journey through Portugal in October, 2025. Gardens, agriculture, sustainability, and the unique world of cork conservation will take center stage. Portugal aims to be climate neutral by 2050 and to cover 80% of its electricity consumption with renewables by 2030. In 2023 the population of 10 million in Portugal ran for six consecutive days in a row on 100 % renewables. They met their needs with wind, solar and hydro energy. After our introduction to Porto, excursions will include Douro Valley, the charming town of Lousada, Braga, and Santar. Continuing to Lisbon, with visits to Setubal, Queluz, and Sintra. Focusing on cultural preservation, showcasing sustainable garden maintenance and design. Discover how cork oak forests are conserved and protected. Extending our visit to Madeira to explore Monte Palace Gardens and Quinta do Arco Rose Gardens, both exemplifying the dedication to preserving rare, flora and roses. Savor special hosted visits to private gardens and Quinta’s, sustainable prepared meals, locally produced wines, and insight into Portugal’s ecosystem. Admiring the beautiful green spaces, architecture, and all this gorgeous country has to offer, you cannot help but be mesmerized… For more details visit https://pacifichorticulture.org/tours/roses-and-rose-a-portugal-garden-tour-october-2025-with-pacific-horticulture/

The Robert F. and Jeanne R. Para Family Preserve

The newly conserved Robert F. and Jeanne R. Para Family Preserve is a perfect example of what we can accomplish when we work together and plan for the future. This property is home to a variety of wildlife and important habitats including several ponds where osprey and bald eagles fish for their dinner, active beaver colonies creating dynamic wetland habitats, and sandy uplands that are perfect turtle nesting spots.

And making this parcel even more important – the property borders Cohasset Brook Reservoir, an important source of drinking water for the town of Southbridge. It not only expands the region’s protected habitat, but also safeguards the drinking water supply for Southbridge residents.

Robert and Jeanne Para purchased this land in 1956 for their family of seven. They built a home and gardens for vegetables and planted fruit trees and blueberry bushes. They created a beautiful place for the family to grow, live, and play. Once the children were grown and had families of their own, they shared their love of this land, nature, forestry, ponds, brooks and wildlife with their children and grandchildren.

For the Para family, completing this project fulfills a special wish. As Nancy Whittemore, trustee of the Robert F. Para Family Trust, puts it: “It was my parents’ dream that this land be protected and left in its natural state.” We’re honored to help make that dream a reality. To learn more, visit the website for the Opacum Land Trust at www.opacumlt.org