Boston Flora

Tag: Arnold Arboretum

  • Saturday, March 28, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm – Winter Trees: Beautiful Bark, Stunning Stems

    On Saturday, March 28, as the winter season hopefully winds down, join David Donovan at the Arnold Arboretum in an exploration of the wonderful variety of bark in the Arboretum’s collections. Discover trees with exfoliating (peeling) bark, like paperbark maple or stewartia. Observe trees with smooth, fissured, or rough bark, and enjoy the diverse beauty of mature trunks as you walk through the landscape. David has been a National Park Ranger and naturalist at Acadia National Park, taught high school biology, led nature walks throughout New England, and is also a certified arborist. Meet at 12:30 pm in the Hunnewell Building. In case of inclement weather, contact 617-384-5209.
    Free, registration is requested at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1414&DayPlannerDate=3/28/2015.

  • Monday, March 23, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – China, Biodiversity, and the Global Environment

    China boasts not only the largest percentage of the world’s population (19%) but also one of the Earth’s richest, most diverse floras. Yet its economic rise as an industrial nation and its population density, with the associated environmental degradation, put this biodiversity at risk. Add in climate change and it is a recipe for disaster. Professor Peter Raven, a leading botanist, advocate for the conservation of biodiversity, and one of the co-editors of The Flora of China, a joint Chinese-American census of all the plants of China, is uniquely qualified to assess the consequences of over-population, industrial pollution, economic inequalities, and natural resource exploitation in China—consequences not limited to that country but affecting the entire global environment. In this Director’s Lecture Series talk on Monday, March 23, from 7 – 8:30 at the Arnold Arboretum, he will consider what it means for humanity to lose thousands of species to extinction, many before they are known or described by scientists. He’ll present his thoughts on reversing environmental degradation in China and around the globe and what is required to move all people toward an ethic of conservation and securing sustainability. Free, but registration required at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1.

  • Saturday, February 28, 9:00 am – 11:00 am – Pruning Shrubs

    Knowing what and when to prune, and how to do so, are important as you manage your home landscape. Learn the basic techniques for pruning ornamental shrubs for optimum health and beauty. Jen Kettell, an ISA-certified arborist will address topics including pruning cuts and tools; thinning and reducing overgrown plants; shaping and encouraging new growth. The class is sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum and takes place Saturday, February 28, from 9 – 11. Fee $20 Arboretum member, $30 nonmember. Register online at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1.

  • Saturday, February 21, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – The Invented Landscape Opening Reception

    Just as the Arnold Arboretum is an invented landscape, so are the paintings in this exhibition of paintings by Nancy Sableski, which will be on view in the Hunnewell Building lecture Hall, 125 Arborway, from February 21 – May 29. While every work of art is an invention, Ms. Sableski takes this concept a step further by painting imagined landscapes that are constructed by blending multiple images taken with her cellphone. In this way she invents places that don’t exist but which clearly refer to the Arboretum. This technique allows her to examine aspects of landscape that continually capture her imagination: the interplay of powerful verticals, unpredictable diagonals, and receding horizontals. The opening reception will take place February 21 from 1 – 3. Call 617-384-5209 for more information.

  • Thursday, February 26, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm – Mass Extinctions: A Brief History of Life’s Worst Moments

    Life on Earth has experienced at least five major events we call “mass extinctions,” during which a huge number of species have gone extinct in a short period of time. In this Arnold Arboretum talk, paleontologist Phoebe Cohen will explore how scientists decide which extinctions get to be considered “mass,” the ways in which these events have reshaped life as we know it, and how a deep understanding of past extinctions can help us see the future. The lecture takes place in the Hunnewell Building on Thursday, February 26, from 7 – 8:15, and the fee to attend is $5 for Arboretum members, $10 for nonmembers. Register online at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1. Fee $5 member, $10 nonmember.  Dr. Cohen is Assistant Professor of Geosciences at Williams College.

  • Monday, March 2, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Oldest Living Things in the World

    Since 2004 Rachel Sussman has been researching, working with biologists, and traveling the world to photograph continuously living organisms 2,000 years old and older. Her work spans disciplines, continents, and millennia: it is part art and part science, has an innate environmentalism, and is underscored by an existential incursion into Deep Time. Her original index of millennia-old organisms has never before been created in the arts or sciences. Enjoy her awe-inspiring photographs and hear what it means to bear witness to organisms that perhaps precede human history and that may survive well into future generations. Her book, The Oldest Living Things in the World, will be available for purchase and signing. This free evening at the Arnold Arboretum is part of the Director’s Lecture Series, takes place Monday, March 2 from 7 – 8:30 in the Hunnewell Building, and registration is required. Visit http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1.

  • Monday, January 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Mutants in Our Midst: Darwin, Horticulture, and Evolution

    Each year, Director William (Ned) Friedman and the Arnold Arboretum present the Director’s Lecture Series, featuring nationally recognized experts addressing an array of topics related to Earth’s biodiversity and evolutionary history, the environment, conservation biology, and key social issues associated with current science. Lectures take place in the Hunnewell Building Lecture Hall. Parking will be available in front of the building and along the Arborway. Free. Member-only registration through December 15; general registration after December 15.

    Ned Friedman, PhD, Director of the Arnold Arboretum and Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University will present the first talk on Monday, January 12, from 7 – 8:30. Although often overlooked as such, many of the horticultural varieties that we grow in gardens are premier examples of the ongoing process of evolution: random mutations that lead, on the rarest of occasions, to novel and desirable biological characteristics. Throughout his life, Charles Darwin (as well as other nineteenth century evolutionists) looked to the world of horticulture and plant domestication to gain critical insights into the generation of variation and the process of natural selection that underlie evolutionary change. Come see how horticulture played a central role in laying the foundations for discovering evidence of evolution as well as the process of evolution. Professor Ned Friedman will also argue that modern botanical gardens can and should become a leading force for the promotion of evolutionary thinking by highlighting the very kinds of mutations observed and described by Darwin as well as new examples of monstrosities and mutants that continue to be found in the Arboretum and other living collections around the world. Image from www.thunderboltkids.co.za.

    Register online at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1.

  • Monday, December 15, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Climate Change and Plant Conservation: Is Managed Relocation an Option?

    Join Jesse Bellemare, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, on Monday, December 15, from 7 – 8:30 pm at the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum, as he discusses Climate Change and Plant Conservation: Is Managed Relocation an Option? Climate change is projected to be one of the top threats to biodiversity in coming decades. Species with small geographic ranges, often called “endemics”, may be at especially high risk of extinction because unsuitable climatic conditions could develop rapidly across the entirety of their ranges. If such species are unable to disperse long distances on their own to follow suitable climatic conditions, it has been proposed that human-assisted colonization or “managed relocation” might be an option of last resort to avoid extinctions. With this approach, climate-threatened species would be intentionally translocated to new regions as conditions deteriorated within their native ranges. Dr. Bellemare will speak about his research to better understand how the distribution and diversity of these rare species is related to past climate change, such as the Ice Ages, and to predict how the species might respond to the threat of modern anthropogenic climate change. Will managed relocation of species be a viable solution to prevent rare species extinction? Register at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1386&DayPlannerDate=12/15/2014. $5 for Arboretum members, $10 for nonmembers.  Image of New England Blazing Star from www.nantucketconservation.org.

  • Tuesday, December 9, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Bee: A Natural History

    Bees pollinate more than 130 fruit, vegetable, and seed crops that we rely on to survive. Bees are crucial to the reproduction and diversity of flowering plants, and the economic contributions of these irreplaceable insects measure in the tens of billions of dollars each year. Yet bees are dying at an alarming rate, threatening food supplies and ecosystems around the world. In this natural history talk at the Arnold Arboretum on Tuesday, December 9, from 7 – 8:30 pm, Noah Wilson-Rich, PhD, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of The Best Bees Company, will provide a window into the vitally important role that bees play in the life of our planet. He will speak about the human–bee relationship through time; explain a bit about bee evolution, ecology, and physiology; and share his holistic approach to bee health and how you can help bee populations. His book, The Bee: A Natural History, will be available for sale and signing.  Fee $5 Arboretum member, $10 nonmember.  Register at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1385&DayPlannerDate=12/9/2014.

  • Saturdays, December 6 & December 13, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm – Introduction to Winter Tree Identification

    The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University will hold a two session class in the Hunnewell Building on December 6 and 13 from 9 – 12:30 with arborist Kyle Stephens, an Introduction to Winter Tree Identification. Learn the basic information necessary to identify deciduous trees during their dormant season. Looking at specific character combinations, you will determine the genus and species of several types of trees in the Boston area. Class begins indoors with a discussion of basic classification techniques and continues outside to the Arboretum grounds to examine a variety of trees. This class is recommended for the beginner-to-intermediate tree observer. Dress in layers for both classroom and outdoor learning. A hand lens may be helpful, but is not necessary.  $75 for Arboretum members, $100 for nonmembers.  Register online at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=62&DayPlannerDate=12/6/2014. (Kyle is in the tree below, photo courtesy of Arnold Arboretum.)