Boston Flora

Tag: Arnold Arboretum

  • Monday, October 24, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Wild Food: Foraging for Edible Plants and Mushrooms

    Join professional environmentalist and wild foods enthusiast Russ Cohen, author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, to learn about foraging for wild plants, followed by a walk outside at Wellesley College to see what might be available at this season. Keys to the identification of each species are provided, as well as information about its edible portion(s), season(s) of availability, flavor, and nutritive value, and some tips on preparation. Learn guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. Tea will be served at 2 pm, followed by the lecture and walk from 2:30 – 4:30. This afternoon is co-sponsored with Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the New England Wild Flower Society, and the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture. $10 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $15 for non-members. Sign up at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or call 781-283-3094.

  • Sunday, October 2, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Identifying the 25 Most Common Trees in Boston

    If yesterday’s Arnold Arboretum walk with Ajay Sequeira wasn’t enough for you, join Kyle Port, Manager of Plant Records at the Arnold Arboretum, on Sunday, October 2, from 9 – 1 (meet at the Hunnewell Building), and in just a few hours you can learn to identify 90 percent of the trees growing in Boston, both native and nonnative. Beginning in the classroom, you will briefly review the characteristics of the 25 most common trees and learn the botanical terminology necessary to describe them. You will then walk the grounds of the Arboretum to look at mature specimens of these trees. Register on line at www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Fee $45 member, $60 nonmember.

  • Saturday, October 1, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – The Common Trees of Boston

    Have you noticed a tree as you walked through the city, wanted to name it, but didn’t know where to start? Join Ajay Sequeira, Arnold Arboretum docent, for a walk through the Arboretum landscape on Saturday, October 1, from 1 – 2:30. We will learn how to identify some of the trees commonly found in the Boston area. We will note some of the characteristics common to families of trees and learn about the differences that occur between species. In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209. This activity is free, but please sign up at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Friday, September 30, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Invasive Plants: Identification, Ecology, and Control

    This September 30 class led by Ted Elliman, Vegetation Management Coordinator of the New England Wild Flower Society, provides an introduction to about 40 invasive non-native plants most commonly found in local landscapes. Through the combination of a classroom presentation, access to herbarium specimens, and a walk outside, you will become familiar with identification clues as well as the habits of a number of these plants. You will also discuss management techniques, appropriate for both small- and large-scale landscapes, for many of these species. The Invaders issue of the New England Wild Flower Society’s magazine and the MA Field Guide to Invasives will be available for purchase at a discount. Bring your lunch and a hand lens if you have one. This class takes place at New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods, from 10 – 2.  Co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the New England Wild Flower Society, you may register on line at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.  $48 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $58 for nonmembers.

  • Saturday, October 1, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon, and Wednesdays, October 12 and 19, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – The Art of Photographing Trees

    Trees, because of branching breadth and trunk height, can be challenging subjects to photograph. In this Arnold Arboretum three part class, Erik Gehring will provide tips, tricks, and photographic theory in order to create unique and dramatic images of trees. In the first session on Saturday, October 1, from 9 – 12 at the Dana Greenhouse at the Arboretum, you will begin in the landscape, looking at some of the Arboretum’s specimens to consider composition and framing, how best to capture the organic nature of a tree, and thinking about what conditions will best complement the subject. Classroom time in the second and third sessions on Wednesday, October 12 and Wednesday, October 19, from 6:30 – 8:30 in the Hunnewell Building, will include lectures, discussions, and group critiques of your images and ideas. Between classes you will be expected to practice the techniques taught in class and photograph trees in a variety of conditions. Plan to bring your images to class on a thumb drive for critique. If you are a film photographer, please bring prints to class. The fee is $105 for Arboretum members, $140 for non-members, and you may register on line at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Tuesday, October 4, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Places for the Spirit: Traditional African American Gardens

    Gardens and Spirit: The Power of Landscapes to Transform, is a series offered by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Trinity Church in the City of Boston.  The first of this year’s lectures will take place Tuesday, October 4, from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at Trinity Church in Copley Square.  Vaughn Sills, Associate Professor of Photography, Simmons College, and Lowry Pei, Professor of English at Simmons College, will speak on their new book,  Places for the Spirit: Traditional African American Gardens. Places for the Spirit is a stunning collection of over 80 documentary photographs of African American folk gardens — and their creators — in the Deep South (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina). These landscapes have a unique historical significance due to the design elements and spiritual meanings that have been traced to the yards and gardens of American slaves and further back to their prior African heritage. These deceptively casual or whimsical foliage arrangements are subtle and symbolic reminders of the divine in everyday life, the cycles of nature, and implied right and wrong ways to live. In the spirit of “outsider” art traditions, blues musical roots, and other such folk manifestations, these gardens have a unique aesthetic and cultural significance. Over 20 years in the making, this is the first collection of fine art photography to document this subject and, as such, it adds greatly to our understanding and appreciation of this disappearing element of African American culture. Fee is $15 for Arboretum members, $20 for non-members.  Register on-line at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/.

  • Sunday, September 18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Fabulous Fungi of New England

    Join the Arnold Arboretum and avid mycologist Lawrence Millman on this talk and walk Sunday, September 18 from 1 – 3 at Weld Hill, 1300 Centre Street in Boston, in search of New England fungi species. Be prepared to walk on and off trail, on uneven terrain and up steep slopes. Millman’s new book, Fascinating Fungi of New England, will be available for purchase and signing. Fee $15 member, $20 nonmember.  Register in advance at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Monday, September 19, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – More Ticks in More Places: How the Ever-Changing Ecology of Tick-Borne Diseases in the Northeastern US Affects You

    The Arnold Arboretum will host a lecture on Monday, September 19, from 6:30 – 8 in the Hunnewell Building, 125 The Arborway, by Thomas N. Mather, Ph.D., Director of The University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter Resource Center. Occurrences of Lyme disease and related tick-transmitted illnesses (babesiosis, anaplasmosis (formerly human granulocytic ehrlichiosis or HGE) have reached near-epidemic proportions in some areas of New England. In Massachusetts, however, there was a statewide decrease of 35.6% in reported cases of Lyme disease from 2009 to 2010 according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Don’t be fooled though into thinking ticks and disease are going away, because 2011 has been an exceptionally ‘ticky’ year so far. Dr. Thomas Mather will discuss current trends in tick encounter risk as well as his efforts to help individuals and communities prevent tick bites and Lyme disease. Fee: Free for Arnold Arboretum members, $15 nonmembers.  Register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Saturday and Sunday, September 10 and 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Botanical Printing on Fabric

    The Arnold Arboretum offers a two day workshop on Saturday and Sunday, September 10 and 11, from 10 – 4 on Botanical Printing on Fabric. Transfer images and anatomical details of plants onto fabric by inking them with textile paints and thickened dyes. Learn how tools, plants, textiles, inks, composition and color can be applied to produce diverse results, from exquisitely detailed to boldly expressionist. You will print many samples, learn to fix them for washability, and leave with handouts and notes. Limit 12 students. Fee: $150 Materials: $25 payable in class. Offered with the Eliot School, where the class will take place. Leonore Alaniz, textile designer, instructs. Register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Wednesday, August 10, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – From Genomics to Small Scale Agriculture: Tale of the Cherimoya, an Ancient New Crop

    Iñaki Hormaza, Arnold Arboretum Research Associate and Professor, Mayora Research Station of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research, will be discussing the cherimoya, a potentially sustainable fruit tree originating in the Andes, and his project which unites conservation, research, and production methods. In Central America, the cherimoya is called the Anona and in English speaking countries it is sometimes referred to as the “custard apple” or “sugar apple.” It should be a wonderful evening linking research to the lives of small scale farmers in Central and South America. The cherimoya holds potential as a sustainable crop for the countries of that region and beyond. A wealth of genetic diversity, excellent organoleptic qualities (sensory food appeal), and high nutrition content make this fruit a potential component of Andean food security. Iñaki Hormaza, a visiting plant biologist at the Arboretum, is coordinating a project to capitalize on the species’ potential and will talk about his work that unites conservation, research, and production methods. The program will take place Wednesday, August 10, beginning at 7 pm at Weld Hill, 1300 Centre Street, Boston. Registration is requested by alling Amie Evans at 617-384-5241, or emailing her at amieevans@fas.harvard.edu.  Photo by Axel Kratel.