Boston Flora

Tag: Charley Eiseman

  • Wednesday, June 24, 7:00 pm – Life in a Leaf: The Wonderful World of Leafminers Webinar

    Join Charley Eiseman online on June 24 at 7 pm to learn the secrets of Leafminers, insect larvae that spend at least part of their lives feeding between the epidermal layers of leaves. This presentation will introduce the major groups of leafminers, as well as share some new discoveries Charley made in the course of completing his guide to the North American species that includes keys to the mines found on each plant genus. In North America they include over 2,000 species of moths, flies, beetles, and sawflies, belonging to over 50 different families. These insects are typically quite host-specific, and the form of the mine varies considerably depending on what insect produces it. As a result, it is often possible to identify the responsible insect using only the host plant and mine characteristics. 

    Charley Eiseman is a freelance naturalist based in western Massachusetts. He has been conducting plant and wildlife surveys and natural resource inventories throughout New England for over twenty years, as well as teaching courses and workshops on interpreting animal tracks and sign (both vertebrate and invertebrate). He holds an MS in Botany (Field Naturalist) from the University of Vermont and a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation and Management from the University of Massachusetts. Charley is the author of Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates (Stackpole Books, 2010), Leafminers of North America (self-published e-book, 2019), and an insect-themed blog called “BugTracks.” He has also published over 40 scientific papers on insect natural history, including the description of over 60 new species. http://charleyeiseman.com/

    Sponsored by the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust. Free. Register here.

  • Wednesday, October 9, 7:00 pm – Native Plants as Insect Habitat

    Each native plant species has a suite of host-specific insects that depend on it for food.  Even allowing a single “weed” to grow in your garden can significantly increase its habitat value, and choosing to plant native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers will cause your yard to teem with life.  Using a number of common New England plants as examples, Charley Eiseman will introduce us to some of these insects, their natural history, and signs of their presence to look for on their host plants.  His close-up photos will provide an unusual perspective on the tiny animals that are going about their lives right under our noses. Charley Eiseman is a freelance naturalist, conducting plant and wildlife surveys for various nonprofits, state agencies, and universities throughout New England.  He has co-taught an “Ecology Through Animal Tracking” course in various incarnations since 2004, and since 2018 he has been teaching week-long field seminars on insect tracks and sign at the Eagle Hill Institute in Maine.  He holds an MS from the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program and a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation and Management from the University of Massachusetts.  Charley is the lead author of Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates (Stackpole Books, 2010) and Leafminers of North America (self-published e-book, 2019), and he has coauthored over 30 scientific papers, including the description of over 60 new insect species. http://charleyeiseman.com/ . This lecture, on October 9 beginning at 7 pm, will take place at the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol. Free and open to the public. For more information visit http://atholbirdclub.org.

  • Saturday, May 2, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – Beyond the Honey Bee: Conserving Our Native Pollinators

    The Hubbardston-Ware River Nature Club and the East Quabbin Land Trust will sponsor a day long seminar Beyond the Honey Bee: Conserving Our Native Pollinators, on Saturday, May 2 from 8 – 4:30 at the Harvard Forest in Petersham. The purpose of this event is to increase awareness and provide information and resources to people who want to manage their properties to benefit native pollinators. It is designed for small landowners, public lands managers, small farmers, backyard gardeners, and others who want to manage open space with native pollinator needs in mind. Speakers include Dr. Rob Gegear of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, naturalists Gail Howe Trenholm and Charley Eiseman, Dr. Anne Averill of UMass-Amherst, Tom Sullivan (pictured below – thank you www.gazettenet.com) of PollinatorsWelcome.com, and author and garden coach Ellen Sousa. Schedule and registration information visit: http://hubbardstonnatureclub.weebly.com/conference.html.

  • Saturday, January 14, 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm – Winter Tracking

    Join Charley Eiseman from Northern Naturalists for an afternoon of tracking at Rocky Woods in Medfield, Massachusetts on Saturday, January 14 from 12 – 3. Participants will search for signs of local mammal species, from mink to moose. Immersion in the tracking experience will allow both beginners and experienced trackers to expand their skills. By looking at the footprints and other traces that animals leave behind, we will investigate the interactions taking place across the landscape. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn from each other about mammals, insects, winter plant identification, bird vocalizations, and other natural history tidbits.  Pre-registration required – call 508-785-0339, or email charlesrivervalley@ttor.org. Photo from www.myworldwithaview@blogspot.com.

  • Friday, May 6, 5:30 pm – Invertebrates on Plants: Identifying Galls, Mines, Leaf-ties, and Other Signs in a New Field Guide

    Charley Eiseman and Noah Charney, authors of Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates, will conduct a special session for the New England Botanical Club on Friday, May 6, beginning at 5:30 pm at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Massachusetts, on the topic Invertebrates on Plants: Identifying Galls, Mines, Leaf-ties, and Other Signs in a New Field Guide. For more information, log on to www.rhodora.org.

  • Tuesday, November 9, 7:30 pm – Insect Signs

    Most of the signs insects leave are either overlooked or, when they are observed, seem difficult to decipher. Noah Charney and Charles Eiseman spent two years researching signs left by insects and how to read their tracks. The knowledge they gained is presented in their new book Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates. The authors will join the Cambridge Entomological Club for a presentation about insect signs and share interesting stories about their adventures gathering material for their unique book. Copies of the book will be available for purchase,
    and signing, after the talk.

    The meeting, on Tuesday, November 9 beginning at 7:30 in Room 101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 26 Oxford Street,  is free and open to the public. Snacks will be provided and you are also welcome to join us at 6:15 PM for an informal dinner meeting at Harkness Commons, in the law school cafeteria on the  second floor.