Boston Flora

Tag: Boot Boutwell

  • Saturday, February 8, Sunday, February 9, & Sunday, February 23, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Maple Sugaring with Roland “Boot” Boutwell

    Late winter in New England often features cold nights and warmer days, providing ideal conditions for the “running of the sap” in our sugar maples. This sap is vital to the health of the tree and has also created economic opportunities for local farmers who harvest the sap and boil it down to produce maple syrup.

    Join Roland “Boot” Boutwell and Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester on either Saturday, February 8, Sunday, February 9, or Sunday, February 23 from 10:30 – 12:30 for a morning where we’ll take a close look at some majestic maple trees, identify the various species, and taste sap right from the bucket. We’ll talk about the history of maple sugaring and discuss just how sap is turned into syrup. We’ll conclude by boiling down a small amount of sap so we can watch it turn into syrup.  In a blind taste test, we’ll see who can tell the difference between real 100% maple syrup and a typical “pancake and waffle syrup” made mostly of corn syrup.

    This event is co-sponsored with Arlington Community Education (ACE) Register at https://www.wlfarm.org/adult-education-programs/ Tiered pricing available:
    Tier A $25 (pay-it-forward/Cummings Foundation match!)
    Tier B $20 (cost to run the class)
    Tier C $15 (reduced price)

  • Saturday, May 14, 9:30 am – 12:00 noon – Spring Wildflowers of Arlington’s Great Meadows

    It’s mid May and the wildflowers are out in abundance. Join Boot Boutwell at Arlington’s Great Meadows on May 14 from 9:30 – noon for a stroll in search of mid to late-spring wildflowers. The walk will focus on wildflower ID as well as some fun and interesting natural history about the plants we see. We’ll also take a look at some cool plants that aren’t in flower. Children ages 10+ can sign up with a registered adult. $35. Register HERE for this program sponsored by Wright-Locke Farm.

  • Tuesday, December 21, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Celebrate the Winter Solstice

    The Winter Solstice is the day on which the midday sun is at its lowest point in the sky and it arrives this year on Tuesday, December 21. The solstices mark key turning points in the year and have been celebrated by many cultures throughout history. The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year. Join Boot Boutwell at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester in celebrating The Winter Solstice at Wright-Locke Farm on December 21 at 2:30 – 4. We’ll begin indoors with some solstice poetry, science and lore and then go for a walk around the farm and into the woods beyond to celebrate the solstice season, learn a little about plants in their winter form and to enjoy the beauty of nature as winter approaches. The program will end around an outdoor fire with a cup of hot cocoa or cider.  $30 per person. Children 10 years and up are welcome if accompanied by a registered adult. Register at https://www.wlfarm.org/adult-education-programs/

  • Tuesday, June 8, or Wednesday, June 16, 9:30 am – 12:00 noon – Tree Identification Walk

    Wright-Locke Farm has invited naturalist Roland “Boot” Boutwell to lead two tree identification walks, on June 8 and June 16, from 9:30 – noon. The trees of New England are both beautiful and an essential part of our landscape. This course will introduce you to approximately a dozen common trees of New England, emphasizing tree identification as well as natural history. $30 per person. Register at http://www.wlfarm.org/adult-education-programs/

  • Saturday, December 19, 2:15 pm – 4:15 pm – Winter Solstice Walk

    The Winter Solstice is the day on which the midday sun is at its lowest point in the sky and it arrives this year on Monday, December 21. The solstices mark key turning points in the year and have been celebrated by many cultures throughout history. The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day (and the longest night) of the year. Join naturalist “Boot” Boutwell on Saturday, December 19 at 2:15 in celebrating the season with a walk around Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester and into the woods beyond to enjoy the beauty of nature. The program will also include solstice history and lore, poetry, and a solstice story. Price was not set at the time this post was created. Register at https://www.wlfarm.org/adult-education-programs/

  • Monday, December 7, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Winter Weeds

    With winter approaching, most flowers and leaves are long gone, but that doesn’t mean we can no longer identify the plants that produced them. This Wright-Locke Farm class on December 7 with naturalist and past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker “Boot” Boutwell will focus on the identification of winter weeds which remain standing well into or through the winter. Our walk will focus on plant identification as well as fun and interesting natural history about the plants we see. Children 10+ are welcome to register if accompanied by a registered adult. Masks are required. $30 per person. Register at https://www.wlfarm.org/adult-education-programs/

  • Friday, October 18, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – An Autumn Walk Through Meadow and Forest

    Diverse habitats mean diverse plants. This Native Plants Trust field study on October 18 from 10 – 2 begins at Wright-Locke Farm, the last working farm in Winchester, MA, and ranges through meadows and meadow edges, ponds and pond edges, an upland forest, and the highest point in Lexington, MA, where we encounter pitch pine, scrub oak, and bearberry. The walk, with Roland “Boot” Boutwell, will focus on plant ID and natural history. Co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, is is $48 for members of sponsoring organizations, and $60 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/autumn-walk-through-meadow-and-forest/

    Matt Naughton

  • Tuesday, September 17 & Thursday, September 19, 10:30 am – 2:30 am – Introduction to Tree Identification

    “I think that I shall never see/ A poem lovely as a tree.” Trees are the beautiful, dominant flora in New England. This Native Plant Trust course will introduce you to 25-30 common New England trees, emphasizing tree ID as well as natural history. Bring a hand lens and a bag lunch. The first class on September 17 from 10:30 – 2:30 will be held at Garden in the Woods, the second, on September 19, at a field site. $120 for NPT members, $144 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/introduction-tree-identification/

  • Tuesday, July 30, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Wildflowers of Rock Meadow

    During the summer, Belmont, Massachusetts’ Rock Meadow’s meadows, woods and wetlands are ablaze with colorful wildflowers. Discover plants that can be used to cure poison ivy, plants that attract monarch butterflies and their caterpillars, and plants that, according to ancient lore, were used to calm unruly oxen. Bring a bag lunch and a hand lens if you have one. This Native Plant Trust field trip is co-sponsored with the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, and is led by Roland “Boot” Boutwell. $38 for NPT members, $46 for nonmembers. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org.

  • Monday, July 23 and Wednesday, July 25, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Tree Identification

    “I think that I shall never see/A poem lovely as a tree.” The trees of New England are both beautiful and an essential part of our flora. This New England Wild Flower Society course will introduce you to 25- 30 common New England trees, emphasizing tree identification as well as natural history. Bring a hand lens and a bag lunch. The first class, on July 23 from 10 – 2, will be held at Garden in the Woods; the second, on July 25, at an off-site location. $106 for NEWFS members, $128 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/tree-identification

    Image result for pin oak tree Garden in the Woods