Boston Flora

  • Sunday, August 5, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Natural Dye Workshop

    In this Tower Hill Botanic Garden Natural Dye Workshop class on Sunday, August 5 from 1 – 3:30 you will:

    -Learn about what colors have been used throughout the world/history to make beautiful naturally dyed yarns and fabric.

    -Create a color palette with natural dyes: indigo or woad, cochineal, coreopsis, weld, goldenrod and logwood using alum as a mordant.

    -See how these colors can by overdyed and modified by a second “bath” in another color or mordant- specifically iron, which saddens and copper that greens. Students will help create the dye baths.

    -Create a silk scarf using eco printing techniques using plant material provided by the instructor and/ or fresh plant material you have brought from home.

    -Complete a sample book with the dye colors used and the “recipes” to achieve each color.

    -Discuss what you can grow, find and purchase to continue personal experiments in natural dyeing.

    A list of online resources and a bibliography of helpful Natural Dye books will be given to each participant. All materials are included.

    Instructor Laura Hacker has a BFA in Fiber Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has been working with natural dyes for 15 years. She recently exhibited in the Strands and Stems exhibit at Tower Hill. $45 for Tower Hill members, $55 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Saturday, August 4, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Pollinator-Friendly Gardens and Landscapes

    Bees and other pollinators are all the buzz these days. Pollinator populations are crashing locally and worldwide, but these tiny forms of wildlife are vital to food production, pest management, and environmental stability. Even in a small backyard, you can help support pollinators through careful plant choices and a basic knowledge of the varied habitat needs of native bees and other beneficial insects. In this Tower Hill Botanic Garden class with Ellen Sousa on August 4 from 10 – noon, you’ll learn to identify some of the good – and bad – bugs flying around your gardens, and at the same time welcome a whole new dimension to your enjoyment of gardening and the natural world. We’ll also spend some time exploring the gardens looking for pollinators in their garden habitats.

    Ellen Sousa is a garden coach, designer and author from Turkey Hill Brook Farm in Spencer MA, a small native plant nursery and habitat farm. Since 2007, Ellen has worked with homeowners, landowners and non-profit organizations to design and manage landscapes that support local biodiversity. She is the author of the book The Green Garden: A New England Guide to Planning, Planting & Maintaining the Eco-friendly Habitat Garden. Tower Hill member price $20, non-members $30. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Sunday, August 5, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Native Bees and Native Plants: You May Be Missing Half the Equation

    When you plant native plants you indirectly invite their pollinators. We know that, but how much do you really know about them? Do you know that a well planted garden can support over 100 species? Do you know that they are nothing like honey bees? No allergic reactions. Single moms putting their nests throughout your lawn. Some specialized species only using the pollen from one of your plants. Do you know that you can identify them using butterfly binoculars? That your yard is part of the solution to pollinator decline? Well, if you know all these things, then very good, but if not, come to Tower Hill Botanic Garden on August 5 from 1 – 2 and see Sam Droege illuminate these and other facts about the secret bee garden you have or will create with the up close pictures his lab crafts.

    Sam Droege is a wildlife biologist at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, part of the US Geological Survey. He is widely published in journals and has been the editor of numerous government publications on birds and insects. His work cataloging and photographing native bees has been featured by NPR, The Weather Channel, and the National Wildlife Federation, as well as in numerous publications including Wired, the Wall Street Journal, and Popular Science. Currently he is developing an inventory and monitoring program for native bees, online identification guides for North American bees at http://www.discoverlife.org, and with Jessica Zelt reviving the North American Bird Phenology Program. His group maintains high resolution photographs of insects and other macro natural history objects at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/ Fee is $10 for Tower Hill members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Sunday, August 5, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Bee Safari

    On Sunday, August 5 from 10 – 11:30 am, join native bee expert Sam Droege on an expedition through Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s gardens and meadows to discover the diversity of bees that live there. Bring close focusing binoculars if you have them and load this on your smartphone: http://bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf

    Sam Droege is a wildlife biologist at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, part of the US Geological Survey. He is widely published in journals and has been the editor of numerous government publications on birds and insects. His work cataloging and photographing native bees has been featured by NPR, The Weather Channel, and the National Wildlife Federation, as well as in numerous publications including Wired, the Wall Street Journal, and Popular Science. Currently he is developing an inventory and monitoring program for native bees, online identification guides for North American bees at http://www.discoverlife.org, and with Jessica Zelt reviving the North American Bird Phenology Program. His group maintains high resolution photographs of insects and other macro natural history objects at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

    The session fee is $10 for Tower Hill members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Saturday, August 4, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Herbal Remedies: Make Your Own

    Join herbalist Kristin Minto at Watson Farm, 455 North Main Road in Jamestown, Rhode Island on Saturday, August 4 at 10 am in a hands-on exploration of how to harvest and prepare common herbs and plants for making home remedies. Learn proper drying methods to preserve the highest quality possible for teas. Find out how to make your own tinctures, as well as the history and proper use of oils for preserving plants and making your own remedies. Under expert guidance, make your own sample to take home. $20 Historic New England members, $25 nonmembers

    Advance tickets recommended. Please call 401-423-0005 ext. 3 for more information or buy online at http://shop.historicnewengland.org/WAT-MEDICINAL-3-9182/.

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  • Saturday, August 4, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Floral Jewelry

    Saturday, August 4, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Floral Jewelry

    Learn techniques to create your own distinctive, beautiful bracelets, earrings, necklaces and floral “tattoos” using fresh flowers. Mary Beth Hayes will conduct a Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop on Floral Jewelry on Saturday, August 4 from 1 – 2:30. We’ll use seasonal flowers from local flower farmers. All supplies will be provided, including blank jewelry. Registrants are encouraged to bring their own clippers, and can also bring their own jewelry to decorate. Come and create some beauty to wear!

    Mary Beth (MB) Hayes is a freelance floral designer in Chelmsford, MA, who focuses on seasonal, nature-based design. She has studied with notable floral designers including Francoise Weeks, Hitomi Gilliam and Holly Heider Chapple. MB enjoys working with groups of people and playing with flowers to create things of ephemeral beauty. $45 for Tower Hill members, $55 for non-members. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Saturday, August 4, 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Utopia

    Please join the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield on Saturday, August 4 from 5:30 – 9 for its Summer Gala, Utopia. Cocktails in the garden begin at 5:30, followed by a farm-to-table dinner (truly!) in the Round Stone Barn, catered by Brian Alberg. Then there will be a short live auction, followed by fireworks in the garden. $250.  Call 413-443-0188, or visit www.hancockshakervillage.org.

  • Sunday, July 29, 6:00 pm – 9:30 pm – Sunset on the Charles: Composition and Low Light Shooting Workshop

    This Museum of Fine Arts Boston workshop on Sunday, July 29 from 6 – 9:30 combines low-light shooting and formal composition techniques while photographing along the banks of the Charles River. Cover a variety of technical strategies for achieving intriguing photographs while shooting during the “golden hour,” twilight, dusk, and at night.

    Students must bring their own DSLR camera with manual settings and supplies. Students are responsible for providing their own supplies. View the supply list by going to https://www.mfa.org/programs/studio-art-classes/adult/supply-list.

    MFA members $50, nonmembers $65. Order online at https://www.mfa.org/programs/studio-art-class/sunset-on-the-charles-composition-and-low-light-shooting-workshop-0 To order tickets by phone, call 1-800-440-6975; to order in person, visit any MFA ticket desk.

    Instructor Georgie Friedman received her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in conjunction with Tufts University (2008) and her BA from UC, Santa Cruz (1996). Recent exhibitions include: Ripple Effect, Peabody Essex Museum, MA (2011-12); Above the Clouds (solo), concurrent exhibit at Carroll and Sons & Anthony Greaney, MA (2011); The 2010 DeCordova Biennial, MA; among others. She teaches a variety of photography and video based classes at several local institutions, including Boston College, SMFA and MassArt. Her current projects include photographic works and experiential video installations that highlight our physical relationship to interior vs. exterior elements and uncontrollable natural forces.

  • Thursday, August 2, 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Summer Soiree at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary

    Join the Massachusetts Audubon Society on Thursday, August 2 from 5:30 – 9:30 at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, 345 Bone Hill Road in Barnstable for a Chef’s Tasting featuring fresh, locally and sustainably grown seasonal food, prepared by distinguished local chefs. Dining will be followed by a live auction, dancing, celebrating, and relaxing under the stars. Celebrate with us the natural beauty and local communities of Cape Cod.

    All proceeds benefit Long Pasture’s conservation and education programs throughout the Mid and Upper Cape. Tickets are $125. Purchase online at https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/long-pasture/news-events/summer-soiree

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  • Wednesday, August 8 – Friday, August 10, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Drawing Daylilies in the Garden

    Capture the beauty of daylilies and other flowers that grow at Berkshire Botanical Garden. Sit amongst the daylilies and bring their beauty to life on the page of your sketchbook. Bring along a camera to document what you draw and see. In the classroom explore ways to enhance your field studies, bring more depth to petals and leaves and record their vibrant colors applying a variety of graphite and colored pencil techniques. Create a final page of garden flowers.

    This class meets for 3 days: Wednesday, August 8 – Friday, August 10, 10am – 4pm. All levels, beginners encouraged. Bring a bag lunch. $315 for BBG members, $350 for nonmembers. Materials list at www.berkshirebotanical.org

    Carol Ann Morley is an illustrator and dedicated teacher of botanical illustration working in Dover, NH. She founded the Botanical Art Illustration Certificate Program at the New York Botanical Garden and teaches illustration there and at other botanical gardens.

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