Boston Flora

  • Now through August 21, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon – Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Family Fridays

    Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 2026 summer family programming continues with “Family Fridays.” This series, held from 11 a.m. to noon, includes family-friendly programs on music-making, stories, drumming, community performances, and a little bit of magic. Presenters will encourage an innate curiosity about the natural world and promote a deeper connection to the Berkshire landscape and world at large. Free with garden admission.

    July 17 — Tom Knight
    Combining elements of Mr. Rogers’ gentle spirit and the unbound creativity of Jim Henson, Knight has created an original show that entertains and enlightens young children and adults alike.
    July 24 — Roger Tincknell
    Singing, moving, dancing, and playing percussion instruments.
    July 31 — Aimee Gelinas African Drumming
    Drumming performances followed by hands-on drumming workshops for audience members.
    August 7 — Grumbling Gryphons perform The Myth of Persephone
    The Myth of Persephone is a spellbinding dramatization of the ancient Greek myth, which tells the story of how the seasons came to be, and exposes children to the classical Greek myth in a highly entertaining and engaging way.
    August 14 — Mr. Twisty’s Super Silly Magic Show
    Magic, comedy, and decades of expertise come together to create an unforgettable experience for audiences of all ages!
    August 21 — Family Fridays: Reptile Shows of New England
    Where do reptiles live? What do they eat? How do they defend themselves? How big do they get? Learn fun facts about reptiles, hold bearded dragons and other small reptiles and get your picture taken with a 12-foot python in this interactive and educational show.

    Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 West Stockbridge Rd., Stockbridge, Mass. Visit https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/ for additional information.

  • Monday, July 20, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Seeds of Change

    Come to the Cambridge Public Library’s Main Branch on July 20 at 6:30 for a documentary screening and discussion of Prison Garden Programs in New England. We will watch the award-winning 30-minute documentary Seeds of Change (about a 5-acre prison garden in Maine), followed by a presentation and Q&A session by the New Garden Society about their work in the Greater Boston area.

  • Wednesday, July 22, 12:00 noon – 1:15 pm Eastern – The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center: Using the Past to Look Forward, Online

    From the country’s earliest days, Americans’ survival, economy, and cultural development have been deeply tied to the natural environment. With people’s continued reliance on nature for food, timber, medicine, and raw materials, the land has been transformed. In an era of rapid environmental change, it has become vital to better understand the world around us and protect it for future generations.

    Along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) is located on a 2,650-acre campus in Edgewater, Maryland. Founded in 1965, SERC is a world leader in large-scale and long-term science that connects people and ecosystems. William “Monty” Graham, the new director of SERC, discusses the center’s work, beginning with a look at how Americans used the land and its resources 250 years ago. He provides an in-depth exploration of how SERC studies the environment through futuristic experiments in forests and wetlands. With a combination of knowledge from the past and innovative technology, Graham says, Smithsonian scientists can peer into the future for a glimpse at what the next decades and centuries hold for the United States’ environment.

    We share deep concern that the objectives of the Smithsonian have been tarnished by the current administration’s war on science and its climate change denial. This Smithsonian Associates webinar on July 22 at noon Eastern on Zoom may shed some light on what comes next. $20 for Smithsonian members, $30 for the general public. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/serc-using-past-to-look-forward

  • Wednesday & Thursday, July 22 & 23 – Northeast Miniforest Summit: Root to Canopy: Growing the Miyawaki Method, Live and Online

    The Bio4Climate Annual Miniforest Summit on July 22 and 23 brings together municipal leaders, researchers, designers, educators, students, scientists,
    and community members to exchange research, emerging questions, and field-based experience. Registration is now open for the 2026 Northeast Miniforest Summit: Root to Canopy: Growing the Miyawaki Method

    Across the Northeast and beyond, communities are planting and stewarding miniforests in schoolyards, parks, campuses, farms, urban spaces, and other underused landscapes.

    This year’s Summit brings together practitioners, researchers, educators, community leaders, and forest stewards to share lessons, refine practices, and explore how miniforests can restore ecological function and reconnect people with place.


    The goals of the summit are to:
    Create long-term regional infrastructure
    Accelerate and expand knowledge of miniforests
    Build community
    Create momentum to build a thriving miniforest network across the Northeastern United States and beyond

    Learn more and register at https://bio4climate.org/

  • Saturday, July 18, 10:30 am – 3:30 pm & Sunday, July 19, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – New England Lily Society Show & Sale

    The New England Lily Society’s annual show exhibits a wide variety of lilies grown in New England as well as beautiful flower arrangements featuring lilies.  On Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19 there will be lots to see and hear.

    Since 1960, the Society has presented an annual show to the community. Don’t miss this year’s colorful, showstopping blooms and opportunities to talk with lily enthusiasts who have a wealth of knowledge about growing and propagating these beautiful plants! 

    Every visitor, including members, must reserve entry tickets in advance. The Lily Society Show & Sale is free with general admission. Reserve your tickets now! For more details, visit https://nebg.org/shows/

  • Monday, July 20, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Slow Wood

    Join The Walden Woods Project for an evening with environmental historian and forester Brian Donahue as he discusses his new book, Slow Wood: Greener Building from Local Forests. Drawing on history, ecology, and his own experience building a timber-frame home from sustainably managed Massachusetts woodlands, Donahue explores a compelling question: Can our homes once again be connected to the forests that surround them?

    For centuries, New England homes—including those near Walden Woods—were built and heated with locally harvested wood. As industrial logging transformed the lumber industry, that relationship was largely lost. Slow Wood asks whether a different path is possible—one that supports healthy forests, resilient communities, and more sustainable building practices.

    Donahue, Professor Emeritus of American Environmental Studies at Brandeis University and author of The Great Meadow, brings decades of research on New England’s environmental history to this timely conversation about conservation, forestry, and the future of housing.

    Monday, July 20, 2026 from 7:00–8:00 PM ET. The free talk takes place at The Walden Woods Project, Lincoln, MA (address provided upon registration) Register at https://www.walden.org/events/slow-wood-greener-building-from-local-forests-with-brian-donahue/

  • July & August – Massachusetts Summer Fairs

    Fair season in Massachusetts starts in mid-July and ramps up quickly through August. The western half of the state leads the way, with small agricultural fairs that feel more like Vermont than Boston.

    July: The Westport Fair (July 15–19) near the Rhode Island border is a classic agricultural fair with oxen pulls, horse shows, and a packed midway. On the same weekend, the Hampshire County 4-H Fair (July 18) in Cummington gives families a small, welcoming introduction to the fair circuit. The month wraps with the Barnstable County Fair (July 20–25) on Cape Cod — one of the few fairs in the state where you can smell salt air from the midway — and the Hampden County 4-H Fair (July 25) on the Big E grounds.

    August is peak fair month in Massachusetts. The Bolton Fair (August 14–16) in central Massachusetts is a local favorite — a traditional agricultural fair with demolition derbies, baking competitions, and a strong 4-H presence. The nearby Middlefield Fair (August 14–16) and Martha’s Vineyard Fair (August 13–16) run the same weekend, giving you options from the Berkshires to the islands.

    Later in August, the Littleville Fair (August 7–9), Heath Fair (August 21–23), Westfield Fair (August 21–23), and Hardwick Fair (August 21–23) all compete for your weekend. The massive Marshfield Fair (August 21–30) runs for ten days on the South Shore and draws some of the biggest crowds in the state.

    The month closes with the Cummington Fair (August 27–30), the Shelburne Grange Fair (August 29), the 3 County Fair in Northampton (August 29), and the Middlesex County 4-H Fair (August 28–30).

    For updated information check the websites of the organizing groups or visit Meet Me At The Fair.

  • Wednesday, July 15, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Essential Oil Perfume Workshop, Online

    Perfume can be traced back thousands of years to an Ancient Egyptian tradition, beloved by Cleopatra. Discover the history of perfume and the therapeutic benefits of essential oils. Learn scent-blending techniques and how to identify and keep perfume notes. Through demonstration, you’ll learn how to formulate three unique signature scents using wax, carrier oils, and essential oils, and one solid perfume, aromatherapy spray, and a roll-on perfume. This New York Botanical Garden online workshop takes place July 15 from 6 – 8 pm, and is $62 for NYBG members, $68 for nonmembers. Register at www.nybg.org

    Materials for Online Sessions: Click Here for pdf. Karine Gordineer is the instructor. Karine Gordineer is an Herbalist, Educator, and Healing Arts Practitioner with over 35 years of experience in herbalism, sustainability, and Earth-centered healing traditions. Introduced to the medicine ways by her father of Algonquin heritage and carrying forward the work of her grandfather and great-grandfather, both herbalists, she blends ancestral knowledge with formal, clinical training, including a Certificate in Botany from the New York Botanical Garden.

    Karine is also a Certified Plant Spirit Healing Practitioner, Shamanic Practitioner, and Reiki Master/Teacher. As the founder of Green Girl Herbs & Healing working with clients and as an instructor at NYBG, she weaves plant science, herbal wisdom, and spiritual traditions into teachings that help students reconnect with the Earth and its healing gifts.

    While participants are not required to blend materials along with the demonstration, the materials list explains what supplies you’ll want to have available so you can put what you’ve learned into action after class.

  • Saturday, July 18, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Building a Local Food Movement: Organic & Regenerative Ideas in Practice

    Join the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society on July 18 for a lively discussion about the future of food and farming with organic and regenerative principles. Caroline Pam, Co-Executive Director of Island Grown Initiative, will moderate a conversation between Dave Chapman of Long Wind Farm in VT and the Real Organic Project and Andrew Woodruff, owner of Whippoorwill Farm and IGI’s Regenerative Farming Consultant.

    COST: FREE and open to all, registration helpful. Register at www.marthasvineyardagriculturalsociety.org

  • Saturday, July 18, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Boston Greenspace Alliance President’s Walk on Riverway Park

    Riverway Park is a key part of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace. After years of neglect, the park has been improved by the Muddy River Restoration Project. Learn more about Riverway Park’s history, recent changes, and future on a guided walk with Brookline GreenSpace Alliance President Sean Lynn-Jones on Saturday, July 18. The walk will start at 10:30 a.m. at the Longwood MBTA station on the “D” branch of the Green Line. Total distance will be about 1.25 miles. Participation is limited to 25 people. Please email info@brooklinegreenspace.org to register.