Boston Flora

Tag: Arnold Arboretum

  • Tuesday, September 29, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Himalaya: Global Change in the Land of Primulas and Rhododendrons

    Kamal Bawa, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Biology, University of Massachusetts at Boston, and President of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bangalore, will speak on Tuesday, September 29, 7:00–8:30pm in the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum. There is no fee but registration is requested at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu, or by calling 617-384-5277.

    The Eastern Himalaya—land of Gods, of ancient mountain kingdoms, of icy peaks and alpine meadows—is like no other place on Earth. The life and landscapes of the region are as diverse, spectacular and fragile as the mountains themselves. Even today, these mountains hold many mysteries: unnamed species, primeval cultures and the promise of magical cures to heal all of humanity. But development superimposed on global change will have an incalculable impact on this area. Dr. Kamal Bawa will discuss the role and limitations of science in addressing the pressing issues arising out of interaction between nature and society in the Himalaya, and suggest ways to move forward in resolving critical issues. Dr. Bawa is a newly elected Fellow of the Royal Society. His book, Himalaya: Mountains of Life, will be available for purchase and signing.

  • Sunday, August 9, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – Planting the Seed for Our National Parks

    Planting the Seed for Our National Parks, The 150th Anniversary of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Yosemite Report, will be celebrated Sunday, August 9, 10:00–11:00am.
    Location: Outdoors, by a giant sequoia, Conifer Collection of the Arnold Arboretum, honoring the 150th anniversary of Olmsted’s Yosemite and the Mariposa Grove: A Preliminary Report, 1865 and its vision for national parks

    Known to many for creating public parks in cities, Frederick Law Olmsted was also an important advocate for scenic preservation across America. In his 1865 report, Olmsted articulated – some say for the first time by anyone – the role of government in protecting and making accessible our nation’s scenic landscapes for the enjoyment of all people in a democracy. Join us in the landscape by a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) as we read aloud portions of the report with Olmsted’s eloquent and prescient prose on the actual anniversary of its first public reading by its author.

    Special guest reader: Dayton Duncan, Emmy Award-winning producer/writer of PBS’s The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Performers: Maliotis Chamber Players, flute ensemble; Diane Edgecomb & Margot Chamberlain, Celtic harp and spoken word.

    Parking: Park on Bussey Street. Enter the Arboretum through the Bussey Street or Walter Street Gates and follow signs for Conifer Path to the giant sequoia.

    Public Transportation: Take the T to Forest Hills. Exit the T station on the upper level. Cross Washington Street and enter the Arboretum through the Washington Street Gate. Follow Blackwell Foot Path to South Street. Cross South Street to reenter the Arboretum. Turn left at the intersection on Hemlock Hill Road and follow signs to the event.

    Note: bring a low chair or cushion to sit upon. Wear comfortable walking shoes as Conifer Path traverses a steep incline. For general information: www.nps.gov/frla, 617-566-1689

    For directions and parking information: www.arboretum.harvard.edu, 617-384-5209. Co-sponsored by Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. This program is made possible in part by generous support from the Friends of Fairsted.

  • Michael Dosmann Honored by the American Public Gardens Association

    In recognition of his outstanding leadership and advocacy for botanical collections and the public gardens community, Dr. Michael Dosmann has been awarded the Professional Citation Award by the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). The Curator of Living Collections at the Arnold Arboretum, Dosmann received the honor in late June at a ceremony during the APGA’s 39th Annual Conference in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota.

    The Professional Citation Award recognizes individual achievements, skills, innovation, and potential in botany, horticulture, conservation, research, education, or administration. Indeed, as Curator of Living Collections—a post he accepted in 2007 after serving as Putnam Fellow at the Arboretum and receiving his doctorate in horticulture and ecology from Cornell University—Dosmann has made significant strides in each of these aspects of the Arnold Arboretum’s mission, and has collaborated extensively with colleagues around the world to enhance the breadth, value, and use of institutional collections for research, education, and conservation.

    As Curator, Dosmann has overseen the continuous development of the Arboretum’s collection of temperate woody plants and their associated documentation. A hallmark of this work has been his efforts to explore new strategies and tactics to improve collections management, including advancing novel field-checking and inventory protocols, improving the management of conservation-status plants, and enhancing access to historical and contemporary documentation. He has also played an important role in expanding and improving collections at the Arboretum and across North American botanical institutions, both through collecting expeditions and by assessing past exploration efforts to devise best practices for germplasm collection. The Garden Club of the Back Bay congratulates Dr. Dosmann on his achievement.

  • Saturday, July 25, 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Nature Photography Workshop

    Improve your photographs of nature in this half-day workshop on Saturday, July 25 from 1 – 4:30 in the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum, a talk followed by hands-on experience. Learn about composition, color, light, depth of field, and focus. Bring your camera and manual and familiarize yourself with the operation of your camera prior to the workshop. Level: beginner/advanced beginner. Class size: approximately 10. Rain date Sunday, July 25. Fee $60. The instructor is freelance photographer Erik Gehring, and on line registration may be found at http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/education/adult-education/ Photo copyright Erik Gehring.

  • Wednesdays, July 8 and 22, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Exploring the Conifer Collection

    The conifer collection at the Arnold Arboretum is dense in diversity and rich in history. Jim Gorman will lead participants through this collection explaining key identification features, natural history, medicinal and economic uses, and horticultural firsts. He will focus on members of the Pinaceae and Cupressaceae that populate the Northern Hemisphere, including firs, hemlocks, pines, cedars, junipers, cypress, calocedrus, and more. Bring a clipboard for this information-rich class and comfortable walking shoes.
    Fee $50 Arboretum member, $65 nonmember.  Meet at the Bussey Street Gate. Register on line at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1#July. Image of Calocedrus decurrens Aureovariegata from www.eggert-baumschulen.de

  • Saturdays, July 18, 25, and August 1, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Introduction to Plant Families: Rosaceae, Liliaceae, Violaceae, Ericaceae

    Expand your understanding of New England’s wild plants by learning interesting clues about their family relationships and classification. We’ll use microscopes to study woody and herbaceous plants inside and then we’ll head outdoors to look at the differences between the many plants we’ll find in the field. You’ll learn basic formulas for plant structure and how to apply these to other families. Bring lunch and a hand lens.
    Fee $178 member of a sponsoring organization, $218 nonmember. Offered by the Arnold Arboretum with the New England Wild Flower Society, and taught by Carol Govan at Garden in the Woods, Hemenway Street, Framingham, on Saturdays, July 18, 25, and August 1.  Register at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1.

  • Wednesday, July 8, 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Learn to Observe: Tree Spotters Citizens Science Launch

    Would you like to learn more about the Arnold Arboretum’s trees? Would you enjoy connecting with the Arboretum ecologists and fellow citizen science volunteers? If so, we invite you to observe trees by participating in our new “Tree Spotters” program, led by Jehane Samaha and Suzanne Mrozak.

    This citizen science program will open a window into the Arboretum’s phenology – the timing of natural events, such as the leafing out of trees in the spring and the turning of colors in the fall. Attend a free training session on Wednesday, July 8, from 5:30 – 9 at the Hunnewell Building at the Arboretum, 125 Arborway in Jamaica Plain. All experience levels welcome.

    At the training session, you will learn about phenology, explore the tracking methods we will be using, and get hands-on experience with one of the ten species of trees we are tracking. Tree Spotters will participate in the program by visiting the Arboretum two or more times a month from May through mid-November for a 1 to 2 hour tree-spotting session. You can do this on your own, with friends or family, or with other volunteers. You will enter your observations into your Nature’s Notebook Observation Deck — allowing you to see patterns across the season! Registered participants will receive an e-mail before the training with further information.  Free, but registration requested at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1

    If you cannot make this training but are still interested in the program, please contact us at TreeSpotters@fas.harvard.edu.  Photo by Gail Gililand.

  • Sunday, June 21, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Collections Up Close: Lindens in the Landscape

    The Tilia (linden) collection is the largest genus of summer-flowering trees in the Arnold Arboretum—nearly 150 trees are in the collection, most along Meadow Road. In late June and early July they are at the height of their bloom, providing an exceptional opportunity for study, comparison, and enjoyment. Linden flowers attract pollinating bees and appreciative visitors with their wonderful, enticing fragrance. Join The Arnold Arboretum on Meadow Road for a horticultural tour of the Tilia collection with Kyle Port, Manager of Plant Records at the Arboretum, and a tour focusing on honey bees with Heather Mattila, Assistant Professor at Wellesley College, whose research focuses on the mechanisms of honey bee behavior, the chemical ecology of colonies, and the microbiology of queens and workers. There will also be fun family activities focusing on the lindens. The event takes place from 1 – 3 on Sunday, June 21. Collections Up Close events offer great ways to explore plants at the Arboretum. Free – no registration required.  Image from www.herbs-hands-healing.co.uk.

  • Monday, June 15, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Pruning Project: Taming the Early Season Bloomers

    Now is the time to prune those early-blooming shrubs–once they’ve flowered–so their growth through the summer can fuel the development of next year’s buds. ISA-certified arborist Jen Kettell will focus your attention on the kinds of shrubs that should be pruned now, various pruning cuts, and the type of thinning that will encourage health and vibrant blooms for years to come. This Arnold Arboretum class will be held Monday, June 15, from 6:30 – 8:30 in the Hunnewell Building, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain. To register, visit https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1427&DayPlannerDate=6/15/2015.  Fee $25 member, $35 nonmember.  Picture from www.davesgarden.com.

  • Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – In the Groves: A Summer Solstice Journey

    Ancient legends of trees with music and songs from cultures around the world accompany a twilight stroll through the beautiful groves of the Arnold Arboretum on Friday and Saturday, June 19 and 20, from 6:30 – 8:30. This performance event, specifically designed for this tree sanctuary by award-winning storyteller Diane Edgecomb and Celtic harper Margot Chamberlain takes us to some of its loveliest spots. Stories and music are drawn from the rich cultural traditions of Japan, Wales, England, Australia, Russia and Native America. The evening culminates with the haunting Czech legend “The Wild Woman of the Birch Grove” told among the birches of Bussey Hill at sunset.

    This duo has been featured on NPR and at storytelling festivals, coffeehouses, theaters, and garden clubs. Diane is known for her unique style of storytelling, where she embodies the various characters and scenes in a tale, bringing each moment alive. For this she has won the first national Oracle Award for Storytelling Excellence in the Northeast. Margot Chamberlain’s versatile approach to harp and song brings an underlying poetic weave to support each tale. Expect to laugh, be moved, and leave your cares behind. $20 through June 10 and $25 thereafter. Telephone 617-524-1718, or visit https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1024&DayPlannerDate=6/20/2014 to register.  Photo by Pamela Ruby Russell.