Boston Flora

Tag: Bryan Connolly

  • Saturday, April 7, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Ecology of Spring

    As soils, air, and water temperatures warm, wondrous developments take place in the landscape. In this season of mud, life previously dormant activates, hatches, expands, emerges. On Saturday, April 7 at 11 am, biologist Bryan Connolly will speak about natural developments and interconnections taking place at this time of year in New England and then will lead a walk of discovery through various environments found at the Arnold Arboretum. Dress appropriately for outdoor exploration. Fee $10 Arboretum member, $20 nonmember

    Register at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

    Image result for bryan connolly biologist

  • Sunday, July 30 – Field Trip to Salmon River Cove in East Haddam, Connecticut

    Join The New England Botanical Club and explore interesting places with great plants, led by local expert botanists. Trips for June, July and August, 2017, are planned, and participants must contact the trip leader 1 week in advance. The third summer trip will take place Sunday, July 30 to Salmon River Cove in East Haddam, Connecticut.

    NEBC will join with members of Connecticut Botanical Society to survey the shores and fresh water tidal wetlands of the lower Salmon River. We will paddle upstream as far as Machimoodus State Park where there is a boat launch area to come ashore for lunch. This site was recently bulldozed and may offer interesting pioneer plants. There may be time to botanize other parts of Machimoodus as well. Several State listed species are known from this area. Bring binoculars; this is a great birding area too. Participants must provide their own canoes, kayaks, and PFDs, or arrange for a space in someone else’s boat.  Level of Difficulty – Moderate. Trip leader: Bryan Connolly (bconnolly@framingham.edu). Bryan will send meeting time, location, and directions to those who register for the trip.

  • Thursday, July 30, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Seed Saving Basics

    Bryan Connolly will speak at Elm Bank on Thursday, July 30 beginning at 7 pm in the Parkman Room on the techniques and benefits of seed saving. Connolly is author of the  Organic Seed Production and Saving: The Wisdom of Plant Heritage, which covers both the history and cycle of seed saving. This colorful presentation will give you the courage and knowledge to try seed saving.  Lecture Fee: Mass Hort Members $10, Non-Members $15. Register on line at www.masshort.org.

  • Tuesday, October 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Ecologies in Flux: The Role of Exotic Plants in Urban and Suburban Landscapes

    Most people live in environments that have been drastically altered by humans. While we are well aware of the built structures (houses, roads, stores) in our communities, we are less aware of the organisms that co-inhabit the surrounding landscapes.

    In this dialogue, three prominent botanists will discuss the ecological impacts of exotic plants in both urban and suburban communities. The panelists will present different viewpoints on the various roles that plants play in these altered ecosystems and how human values and aesthetics influence biodiversity.

    Panelists: Peter Del Tredici, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University; John Silander, Director, Invasive Plant Atlas of New England; Bryan Connolly, PhD, Former State Botanist, Massachusetts Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program and now Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Framingham State University.

    Moderator: William (Ned) Friedman, Director, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. $10 (free for Arboretum members). The talk will take place Tuesday, October 7 beginning at 7 pm at the Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway in Jamaica Plain. Call 617-384-5277, or email adulted@arnarb.harvard.edu.

  • Friday, October 19, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Seed Saving with Bryan Connolly, Massachusetts State Botanist

    Bryan Connolly is the Massachusetts State Botanist for the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. He will speak at Elm Bank on Friday, October 19, beginning at 6:30 pm, on Seed Saving.

    Bryan is also researching the taxonomy and uses of the native plant genus Aronia or Chokeberry for doctoral dissertation. He is the author of “The wisdom of plant heritage” the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s handbook on small-scale seed production, and a co-author of “Breeding Organic Vegetables Step By Step Guide” NOFA-NY, and “The Vascular Plants of Massachusetts: A County Checklist, First Revision”. His professional experience includes being a botanical consultant for the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, surveying rare plant populations for the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, coordinating a volunteer invasive plant survey at the New England Wild Flower Society, growing for FEDCO seeds, and instructing botany classes at Connecticut College and the University of Connecticut.

    Cost – $10.00 for Mass Hort members, $12.00 for non-members.
    Reservations may be made by calling 617-933-4943 or ordering online at https://www.masshort.org/secureforms/OnlineRegistrationForm_G2T.php. You may also pay at the class.

  • Wednesday, June 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Rare Plants of Massachusetts

    From its calcareous cobbles to its coastal plains, Massachusetts has a broad diversity of eco-regions and is home to 1,814 species of native plants. Of these, 254 (or 14%) are vulnerable to extinction and protected by the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. Even more are species of conservation concern.  On Wednesday, June 6, from 7 – 8:30, get a valuable overview of these many vulnerable plants and the threats they face — from habitat destruction to invasive plants to climate change. We have significant challenges ahead of us if we are to ensure their survival. The program is sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts and will take place at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway.  The program is free.    Speaker Bryan Connolly is the State Botanist for the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.

  • Sunday, June 6, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Mansfield Hollow

    With a landscape dominated by gravelly, glacial outwash soils, Mansfield Hollow State Park offers such glacial features as kames, eskers, and kettle-holes.  This surface geology has created an unusual inland sand plain/pitch pine/ dry oak forest community, pocketed with kettle-hole ponds and wetlands – an assemblage rarely seen in northeastern Connecticut.  Some botanical highlights include wild indigo, wild lupine, bird’s foot violet, pitch pine, scrub oak, New Jersey tea, and two species of native wild roses.  If time allows, the Windham Cedar Bog, a neighboring parcel owned by Joshua Tract, a local land trust, will be visited.  This gem is one of the few inland Atlantic White Cedar swamps in the area.  Wear long pants, and bring insect repellent, a bag lunch, and a hand lens if you have one.  Directions will be provided upon registration with the New England Wild Flower Society (www.newfs.org). Members of NEWFS pay $32 – please check for nonmember pricing with NEWFS, since this trip is limited to 15 individuals, members will receive first choice with registration.  The date is Sunday, June 6, from 10 – 2, and the trip will be led by Bryan Connolly.

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/USACE_Mansfield_Hollow_Lake.jpg/380px-USACE_Mansfield_Hollow_Lake.jpg