Boston Flora

Tag: Boot Boutwell

  • Saturday, January 25, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Naked Shrubs

    No leaves? No problem! Use a combination of branching patterns, bud and bark characteristics, habitat, persistent fruits, galls and marcescent leaves to identify shrubs in winter. The New England Wild Flower Society program begins with a short session indoors on Saturday, January 25, beginning at 10 am, then we travel to a nearby site for a close look at 15-20 native New England shrubs plus a couple of non-native invasives. Return indoors for a twig or slide quiz and a cup of something hot. This course serves as a good introduction to shrub identification in winter or a good review for those who have taken “Native New England Shrubs.” Bring lunch and a hand lens if you have one, and dress for the weather. Co-sponsored with Mass Audubon, and led by Roland “Boot” Boutwell, the course fee is $20 for members of the sponsoring organizations, and $25 for nonmembers. Register online at www.newfs.org/learn/catalog/fdt1114.

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  • Saturday, December 7, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm – Shrubs in Winter

    Even without leaves, many shrubs are still recognizable at this time of year. Focus on some macro-characteristics like branching patterns, growth habits, bark, persistent fruit, galls, and habitats to identify more than 20 native New England shrubs in late fall and winter, in this New England Wild Flower Society class at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Saturday, December 7, from 10 – 2:30 with Roland “Boot” Boutwell, naturalist. We also discuss the natural history of the shrubs we see. The program begins with a classroom session and then moves into the field. Look for such species as witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), and, of course, winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens, pictured below). Bring a bag lunch and a hand lens. Fee $53 for NEWFS members, $64 for nonmembers. Register on line at https://46858.blackbaudhosting.com/46858/fw13-bot3312-Shrubs-in-Winter.

    http://statebystategardening.com/images/uploads/blog_photos/Gaultheria-procumbens-frost009.jpg

  • Tuesday, August 6, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Bellevue Pond

    Enjoy a summer stroll to study a wide range of wildflowers in bloom along the edge of Bellevue Pond, a beautiful site within the 2,500 acre rocky woodland known as Middlesex Fells in Medford, on Tuesday, August 6, from 10 – 2, with Roland “Boot” Boutwell, naturalist.  Then hike up Pine Hill, one of the many rocky outcrops of “fells” in the area for a panoramic view of downtown Boston.  After lunch, if there is time, hike to a small meadow area to study one more very different type of habitat.  The walk focuses on plant ID as well as fun and interesting natural history about the plants you see.  Bring lunch, a field guide or two, and a hand lens if you have one.  Sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society, the fee is $38 for NEWFS members, $46 for nonmembers.  Register on line at www.newfs.org.

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  • Friday, November 30, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm – Naked Shrubs: Identifying Shrubs in Winter

    No leaves? No problem! Use a combination of branching patterns, bud and bark characteristics, habitat, persistent fruits, galls and marcescent leaves to identify shrubs in winter. The Friday, November 30 program will begin at 9:30 am at the Acton Arboretum in Acton, Massachusetts, with a short session indoors. Then you’ll head outside for a field trip to the Acton Arboretum and Bog for a close look at 15 to 20 native New England shrubs plus a couple of non-native invasives. A boardwalk through the bog will allow you to stay high and dry, yet give you the opportunity to get up close and personal with several obligate wetland species. Bring lunch and a hand lens if you have one. Be sure to dress for the weather. “There is no bad weather, only improper clothing!” Instructor: Boot Boutwell, Naturalist. Attendees should bring a bag lunch. Coffee and morning refreshments will be served. Bring a notebook and pencil or pen. MACC members $55, non-members $75, students $35. Register at www.maccweb.org, or email lindsay.martucci@maccweb.org. Photo from www.carrieanddanielle.com.

  • Saturday, January 29, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Naked Shrubs

    No leaves? No problem! Use a combination of branching patterns, bud and bark characteristics, habitat, persistent fruits, galls and marcescent leaves to identify shrubs in winter. The New England Wild Flower Society program on January 29 will begin at 10 am with a short session indoors. Then head out into MA Audubon Habitat’s 86 acres in Belmont for a close look at 15-20 native shrubs plus a couple of non-native invasives. You will end up back indoors for a twig or slide quiz and a cup of something hot. Review for those who have taken “Native New England Shrubs” and a good introduction to shrub ID in winter. Bring lunch and a hand lens if you have one. Roland “Boot” Boutwell leads, and the fee is $32 for NEWFS and Massachusetts Audubon Society members, $36 for non-members. Click on www.newfs.org to register.  Image of willow below from the Royal Horticultural Society.

  • Saturday, August 7, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Shrubs Revisited

    What is woody, short and multi-stemmed? …When it comes to knowledge, it’s use it or lose it. Here is a chance to review 20-25 of the shrubs covered in New England Wild Flower Society’s core course “Native New England Shrubs” during a different season of the year. You will also learn several shrubs not covered in the core course. Instructor Roland “Boot” Boutwell might even add in a few summer wildflowers. And, if you haven’t taken the shrubs core course, this class will provide a good introduction to our New England shrubs. Our field site, the Horn Pond Conservation Land in Woburn, Massachusetts, is an area both rich and diverse and is one of NEWFS research botanist Arthur Haines’ favorite field sites. As you stroll throughout the property, you will focus on a few of the key ID characteristics and learn a bit about the natural history of each shrub. Bring a hand lens and your shrub cards, if you have them, as well as a bag lunch. $44 for NEWFS members, $52 for nonmembers.  Register at www.newfs.org.

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  • Saturday, October 17, 10 am – 1:30 pm – Fall in the Bog

    A thick, floating mass of sphagnum moss, oxygen-poor water, and plants adapted to very low nutrient conditions characterize quaking bogs. The Philbrick-Cricenti Quaking Bog, one of the best examples of these unique peatlands, offers a chance to explore a trail about a mile in length, while staying high and dry atop a boardwalk. A host of bog plants are to be discovered as you transition from a red maple-sphagnum swamp, through a black spruce-larch swamp, to the Tundra Garden Loop where you find vegetation similar to that in more northern areas where boreal forest meets the open Arctic tundra. The walk will be led by Roland “Boot” Boutwell, and is sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society. Bring a bag lunch, water, and a hand lens if you have one.  Cost for NEWFS members is $28, $32 for nonmembers.  Limit 10 participants.  To register, and for directions, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.

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