Boston Flora

Tag: Ecosystems

  • Fridays, January 19 – March 22, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – 2024 Home Gardener Boot Camp, Online

    In recent years, seasonal patterns have become unstable.  Climate change requires smart gardening practices. In response, horticultural science and gardening best practices are constantly evolving. As gardeners, we can have a positive impact by creating a resilient, ecologically-friendly landscape.

    Interested in digging deeper?  Massachusetts Master Gardeners’ ten-week boot camp will provide you with information to help combat climate change and support a healthier environment.  Our series begins with an in-depth discussion of what an ecosystem is and how you can use that knowledge to enrich your own landscape. We then explore how you can build ecologically-friendly gardens from shade to groundcovers.  

    WHY WE CALL IT BOOT CAMP: In recent years “Boot Camps” have become popular for everything from parkour to yoga to chess and even knitting! The MMGA is not about the latest fads or fashions, but it occurred to us that our program and all these other boot camps share something in common: they are short, focused, and led by subject matter experts. And they help you take a favorite pursuit to the next level by imparting knowledge and skills that you can put to use both immediately and long-term.

    WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Boot Camp is designed for home gardeners at all levels of experience who are looking to build an ecologically-friendly landscape. Information is presented in a way that is easily understandable to less experienced gardeners while including enough science-based background to be useful to everyone. While much of Boot Camp’s content is geared to Massachusetts, gardeners in other lower New England states may also benefit.

    WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN BOOT CAMP/Program Topics:

    • Landscapes / Ecosystems 
    • Native New England Plants
    • Creating a Pollinator Habitat Anywhere 
    • Creating an Eco-friendly Garden 
    • Shade Gardening
    • Groundcovers 
    • Lawn and Lawn Alternatives 
    • Water Wisdom: Save water, the environment and money 
    • Composting 
    • Inviting Wildlife into your Yard

    Click HERE for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), including a complete list of program topics.

    WHO ARE THE PRESENTERS: Sessions are taught by our most experienced Certified Master Gardeners who are passionate subject matter experts and trained presenters. They started out as home gardeners just like you, so they know what information will help you the most.

    YOUR INVESTMENT AND WHY IT’S WORTH IT: The fee for all ten sessions of Boot Camp is $250, payable online by credit card or PayPal. This averages out to just $25 per session – $12.50 for each of the 20 hours you’ll spend in class.

    Here are just some of what makes Home Gardener Boot Camp unique:

    • It’s the only program of its kind taught exclusively by Certified Massachusetts Master Gardeners.
    • Classes are geared toward learning about the biodiversity of landscapes and ecosystems which are intimately connected.  You’ll learn the right habitat for flora and fauna to thrive in your landscape. 
    • Because sessions are live, you will have the opportunity to interact with presenters via a 30-minute Q&A. No relevant questions will go unanswered: If we run out of time, we’ll get back to you with written responses.
    • Missed class?  No problem.  Classes will be recorded and available for viewing up to 1 week after the missed lecture to paid registrants.
    • To provide an ongoing reference, most lectures include handouts, which will be emailed.

    Register now at https://www.massmastergardeners.org/educational-resources/boot-camp

  • Tuesday, January 14, 7:30 pm – A Heads-Up View of Urban Stream Ecology

    The next meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club will take place Tuesday, January 14, beginning at 7:30 in room 101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Oxford Street, Cambridge. Dr Bob Smith will present a talk entitled A Heads-up View of Urban Stream Ecology.

    Human activities in the watershed and direct alterations to the stream channel can alter the habitat and water quality experienced by fauna living in a stream. Thus, studies examining stream communities along an urbanization gradient typically focus on the links between watershed land-use and in-stream conditions. However, stream organisms are not confined to a single stretch of stream throughout their life. Fish have the ability to disperse long distance through the stream network, and flying insects can disperse long distances across the landscape, unconstrained by the stream network.

    Using a combination of field studies and GIS, Dr Smith investigated how dispersal (a regional process) affects patterns of stream biodiversity along a gradient of human influence. His research suggests that human land use across the landscape may impede dispersal and both local (watershed based) and regional (dispersal based) processes are important for controlling community structure in urbanized streams. The mechanisms for how human activities alter regional processes differ between taxa and are related to species life history traits. These findings have important implications for conservation and restoration strategies as well as developing land-use development plans that promote the sustainability of stream ecosystems.

    The meeting is free and open to the public. Snacks will be provided and you are also welcome to join us at 6:00 PM for an informal pre-meeting dinner at the Cambridge Common.

    http://all-geo.org/highlyallochthonous//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/urban_restoration2.jpg

  • Thursday, September 13, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Landscape Restoration: Hall’s Pond Sanctuary

    Hall’s Pond is one of two natural ponds remaining in Brookline. The sanctuary contains diverse ecosystems including a pond, wetlands, an upland area, a formal garden area, and a short trail around the pond with wetland overlooks. The sanctuary has undergone major landscape renovation featuring restoration in the uplands to remove invasive plant species and replant with native species. Register today for this Thursday, September 13 free program sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association by visiting https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1009649.  Great blue heron photo from www.essentialbread.com.

  • Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary 2011 Winter Lecture Series

    Winter lectures at the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary are given each Saturday at 1:30 pm at the Sanctuary at 30 Peck Road in Wales, Massachusetts.  Directions can be found at www.norcrossws.org.  These one-hour free talks are designed to capture your attention and pique your interest in the natural world.  Reservations are required as space is limited and printed materials are provided to each person.  Please call 413-267-4859 or email ohop@norcrossws.org for reservations and information.

    January 29 – Fabulous Ferns.  Ferns add color, texture and pizazz to your garden.  Do you have a place where nothing else grows?  Maybe a fern will fit there, too.  Fun and easy to grow, ferns are fabulous in the garden.  Leslie Duthie will lead the discussion.

    February 5 – Ecosystems on the Edge.  Some ecosystems do not function according to the “normal” rules of nature.  Today, Mike Tremblay looks at ecosystems that use chemicals like sulfur and methane as their primary source of energy such as sulfur vents, methane seeps and isolated caves.

    February 12 – Hit the Trail for Health.  Trail walking is a great way to get some fresh air, keep healthy, and get your bodies moving.  Where are your local trails, how did they get there, and who takes care of them?  Did you know there are exercise trails out there, too?  Every town has at least one trail to walk, and Stephanie Morin will introduce you to some great local trails for all ability levels.

    February 26 – Your Green Home. Help solve the earth’s rapidly changing environmental catastrophe through a change in buildiing materials and procedures.  Reed Coles, a local “green” builder and remodeler, will showcase materials and methods of sustainable building practices including passive and active solar and zero energy structures that define Energy Star and US Green Building Council’s LEED certified building codes.  He will also discuss harvesting equipment and green washing.

    March 5 – Small Native Trees for the Home Landscape.  Many native trees have great potential to enhance the enjoyment of your home landscape.  Some offer brilliant fall colors or interesting bark, some come to life with breathtaking spring flowers, some produce delicious fruit, and a few may encompass all these qualities.  This presentation by Vinny Normand showcases small to medium sized native trees that can be used in the home landscape.

    March 12 – Vernal Pools.  Jennifer Ohop presents a talk on the natural beauty and seasonal rhythm of this unique habitat.