Boston Flora

Tag: Botany

  • Thursday, April 23, 10:30 am – 11:45 am Eastern – The Roots of American Botany, Online

    Join the Morris Arboretum & Gardens on April 23 at 10:30 am for a free virtual conversation exploring Philadelphia’s rich botanical legacy through compelling stories of the past!

    Philadelphia is not only the birthplace of America; it is the birthplace of American botany. Widely celebrated as America’s Garden Capital, the city has also played a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s understanding of plant sciences.

    During this lively virtual discussion, hear examples of cutting-edge research tools Morris Arboretum & Gardens scientists as well as other members of the University of Pennsylvania research community are using to solve enduring botanical mysteries. Highlights include new research initiatives at Morris, an exploration of the genetics of Penn’s historic Penn Treaty Elm, and collaborative work in plant genetics with the Penn Museum. Register at https://www.morrisarboretum.org/see-do/events/roots-of-american-botany

  • Saturday, December 14, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Winter Botany

    On Saturday, December 14 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, from 9:30 – 3:30, William E. Kuriger will help you investigate the taxonomic characteristics of deciduous, evergreen, and some herbaceous plants in winter. Students learn to use a dichotomous key and then identify a large inventory of twig and plant specimens before heading outdoors to practice these skills in the Garden’s living collection. Bring a bag lunch, a hand lens, and a copy of Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs by William M. Harlow. Take home plant specimens. $102for Native Plant Trust  members, $120 for nonmembers. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org

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  • Monday, April 25- Monday, September 12 – Plant Form and Function, Self-Paced and Online

    This Native Plant Trust online introduction to botany covers the basics of plant anatomy and physiology and addresses the fundamentals of the plant kingdom. We will take a microscopic look at roots, stems, leaves, and their component tissues. We will also examine flowers, fruits, and seeds and discuss pollination, fertilization, dispersal, and germination, with an emphasis on the relationship between plant form and function. This Basic Certificate online core course taught by George LoCascio is self-paced, with opportunities for peer discussion, expert access for questions, and in-person application with a local instructor. The course will be accessible from April 25 – September 12, and is $150 for members, $200 for nonmembers. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/plant-form-and-function/

  • Sunday, June 20, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Queer Plant Medicine and Botany

    Delve into queering our relationship with plants through exploring and weaving together the world of botany and hands-on plant medicine-making. This Berkshire Botanical Garden session on June 20 from 11 – 1 will be held at the Garden. How can our reciprocity with plants nourish ourselves and the collective within queer existence? Join us to discuss perfect flowers and gender transforming plants, making essences as a way to shift from extractive plant harvesting, and how to reflect care and healing through connection to plants. All proceeds will be donated to Berkshire Pride. 

    atalanta sungurov was brought to plant medicine through zir deep love and comfort in the wild world while simultaneously navigating support for chronic illness and disability. In practicing community-based herbalism and as a white parent in a BIPOC immigrant family, a big part of the work ze does is endeavoring to provide access to land and plant medicine solidarity, especially for queer, BIPOC, disabled and immigrant communities, integrating healing justice and mutual healing of ourselves and the planet. Ze makes herbals brewed with dreams that will support us as we unfold into our collective liberation, rooted in social justice and reciprocal ecology. $25 for BBG members, $35 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/queer-plant-medicine-and-botany

  • Wednesday, February 10, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Botany for Gardeners: Flowering Plant Life Cycle, Online

    In this February 10 Tower Hill Botanic Garden webinar beginning at 6:30 pm with Daphne Minner, we will explore the flowering plant life cycle, from seed germination to fruit. The focus will be on sexual reproduction and the intricate interplay between native plants and pollinators. You will learn about common pollinators to native New England and learn how various gardening practices can impact pollinators and climate change.

    A lifelong gardener, Daphne has merged her love of plants and science education into botanical education curricula for both children and adults seeking enrichment from nonformal organizations like Native Plant Trust, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and Penn State’s Shaver’s Creek. For more than 25 years, Daphne has worked to improve science and ecology education in both formal K-12 and informal settings. She has developed a certified wildlife habitat in her small urban yard that supports a wide diversity of plant and animal species. Through her careful observation and research, the fascinating relationship between plants and animals are illuminated in her own yard. She holds a certificate in field botany from the Native Plant Trust and a doctorate in Human Development.

    $10 for Tower Hill members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org

  • Tuesdays, February 2 – March 9, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Botany for the Home Gardener

    In this six-session Massachusetts Horticultural Society course beginning February 2 from 7 – 8:30, join Master Gardener Gretel Anspach online to explore the fundamentals of plant structures and their function, reproductive and floral biology, introductory concepts in physiology and metabolism, and overall systematic organization and classification of major plant groups within the plant kingdom. Participants will better understand the world of plants and gain a far deeper appreciation for their wonder.

    Gretel Anspach is a Lifetime Master Gardener with the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, a Trustee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and a recently-retired systems engineer for Raytheon. Gretel helped to establish and maintain two food production gardens that have provided fresh produce to the Marlboro Food Pantry for the last eight years. 

    Tuesdays, February 2nd – March 9th 7 – 8:30 pm

    $185 members $240 general admission Register at www.masshort.org.

  • Tuesdays, January 7 – February 11, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Botany for the Home Gardener

    In this six-session course January 7 – February 11, join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society Senior Horticulturist, Hannah Traggis, to explore the fundamentals of plant structures and their function, reproductive and floral biology, introductory concepts in physiology and metabolism, and overall systematic organization and classification of major plant groups within the plant kingdom. Participants will better understand the world of plants and gain a far deeper appreciation for their wonder. The class takes place at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, from 6:30 – 8. $175 for Mass Hort members, $220 for nonmembers. To register visit www.masshort.org

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  • Thursdays, March 22 – May 24, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Spring 2018 Home Horticulture Series

    Registration is now open for ten information-packed evenings classes designed to help home gardeners be more effective at their favorite pastime. The Massachusetts Master Gardener Association is sponsoring Thursday evening classes, March 22 – May 24 from 6:30 – 8:30. The Home Hort Series covers all of the topics studied by certified Master Gardeners, but in a streamlined format suited to busy lifestyles: the program does not require outside reading, homework, volunteering, or testing. Topics include:

    • Perennials • Landscape Design Basics • Woody Plants & Pruning • Lawn Care & Alternatives • Vegetable Culture • Soil • Weed Ecology • Botany • Diseases & Pests • Nomenclature

    Classes are conveniently held at the historic Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, a Trustees of Reservations property, 2468 Washington Street, Canton, just minutes off Rt. 128, south of Boston. The cost of the 10-lecture series is $250.00 per person, payable in advance by credit card, Pay Pal or personal check. Click here to register online. If you plan to pay by check, you may also register by email/postal mail: for instructions, email us at HomeHort@massmastergardeners.org. Refunds are not available after 3/22/18 or for any missed classes.

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  • Wednesday, February 21, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Our Dynamic Flora Webinar

    This New England Wild Flower Society on line class will cover the criteria botanists use to determine whether plants are native to a region or introduced. Research botanist Arthur Haines will explain the shortcomings of each criterion to help explain the need for using suites of criteria. Given that the flora has always been changing (and likely always will), static benchmarks are problematic. The class will also include a brief discussion of global biodiversity and the problem of human-centric viewpoints. $10 for NEWFS members, $13 for nonmembers. Class takes place Wednesday, February 21 at 1 pm. Sign up at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/live-webinar-our-dynamic-flora

  • Tuesdays, January 16 – February 13, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Botany for the Home Gardener

    In this five-session Massachusetts Horticultural Society course, join Senior Horticulturist Hannah Traggis to explore the fundamentals of plant structures and their function, reproductive and floral biology, introductory concepts in physiology and metabolism, and overall systematic organization and classification of major plant groups within the plant kingdom. Participants will better understand the world of plants and gain a far deeper appreciation for their wonder. The class will take place Tuesdays, January 16 – February 13, from 7 – 8:30 in the Cheny Room of the Education Building at the Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. $150 Mass Hort members, $200 general admission. Register online at www.masshort.org.