Boston Flora

Tag: Ferns

  • Sunday, July 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Fancy Ferns Workshop

    The New England Wild Flower Society is holding a Fancy Ferns Workshop at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Sunday, July 11, from 10 – 4.  Some of our most beautiful ferns are “three-times cut.” Lady fern, hay scented fern (below), and several wood ferns are the more common taxa in this group.  Don Lubin and Raymond Abair will discuss vocabulary, frond morphology, and field identification characteristics. The class involves careful observation of fronds from these species, and possibly a hybrid as well.  The indoor session includes a lecture and the use of dissecting microscopes, followed by a field session to see the ferns in various habitat areas of the Garden. Bring a bag lunch and a hand lens if you have one.  The fee to attend is $66 if a NEWFS member and $78 if a nonmember.  You may register at www.newfs.org.

    http://images.whiteflowerfarm.com/29059a.jpg

  • Saturday, September 26, 11 am – 3 pm – Ferns of the Blue Hills

    The Blue Hills Reservation is the largest preserved natural area in eastern Massachusetts. It has quite a few spots that are rich in ferns. Join the New England Wild Flower Society and instructors Don Lubin and Raymond Abair on Saturday, September 26 at 11 am. They plan to  travel a new route and see more than a dozen fern species, including dramatic large displays of Virginia chain fern, ostrich fern (below), and Christmas ferns. Wear long pants for poison ivy and bring a lunch and hand lens.  Participants limited to 15, fee $32 for members of NEWFS, $36 for nonmembers.  To register, call 508-877-7630, or log on to www.newfs.org.

    http://www.fernridgefarms.com/images/OstrichFern.jpg

  • Sunday, September 20, 10 am – 3 pm – Fall Composites on Mt. Toby

    The Mt. Toby State Reservation, located in Sunderland, Massachusetts, in the Connecticut River Valley, is a popular destination for hiking and a fascinating place to botanize.  The diverse and unusual geological formations underlying the Reservation contribute to the well-known diversity and richness of its flora.  In addition to being an outstanding place to find ferns, it is also an excellent location in which to study fall composites.  With Arieh Tal and the New England Wild Flower Society, you will explore open, disturbed areas next to the scenic Cranberry Pond for a large variety of asters, goldenrods and Eupatoriums, and then follow trails and roads through the beautiful forest understory, beneath a high canopy of majestic age-old trees.  The terrain will be relatively easy.  Bring lunch, hand lens, field guides and hiking boots.  The date is Sunday, September 20, beginning at 10 am, and is limited to 15 participants.  Fee $40 members of NEWFS, $45 non members.  Register and get directions at www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.

    http://www.remarc.com/craig/images/asters_and_goldenrod.jpg

  • Tuesday, September 1 – Thursday, September 3, 9:30 – 3:30 – Fern Morphology: Beyond the Fronds

    Spend three days at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden (September 1 – 3, 9:30 – 3:30) with Dick Rauh looking at and drawing ferns.  Learn to appreciate the variety of forms and the subtlety of color and texture that characterize them.  Study the fern life cycle, dissections, diagnostic characters and fern vocabulary.  With Dick’s guidance, compose these elements: a drawing of a frond or habit, details of pinna form, sori and scales into a scientific illustration in graphite or pen and ink.  Members of Friends of Wellesley Botanic Garden – $250, Non-Members $300.  Print a reservation form from the web site, www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or send a check made payable to Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture and mail it to Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481-8203.

  • Saturday, August 29, 10:00 a.m. – Fern Identification Workshop

    Field trips are a long standing tradition of the Connecticut Botanical Society.  They provide an opportunity to learn about plants and habitats from some the area’s most knowledgeable botanists, and an opportunity to share your own knowledge with others.  The trips also add to the bank of knowledge of New England flora.  On each field trip. a list is made of all plant species identified, and this list becomes part of the Society’s records.  The Connecticut Botanical Society encourages the gardening public to participate in this Fern Identification Workshop at Lockwood Farm Cottage in Hamden , Connecticut, led by Casper Ultee, Past President of CBS.  Although many ferns are readily identified, some are easily confused with similar species.  This workshop will focus on those and others that are less common.  You may bring your own problem specimens (fronds only, no complete plants, please).   This workshop is limited to twelve participants, and pre-registration is required by contacting the leader in advance at 860-633-7557. For field trips, wear sturdy footwear and bring a lunch.  Sunscreen and insect repellant are also recommended.  For plant identification, you may wish to bring a field guide(s), a hand lens, and a small notebook.  Familiarity with plant taxonomy is helpful, but not required.    Free to CBS members.  Non-members must pay a $15 fee, which includes a one-year membership in CBS, and entitles you to join future trips this season at no additional cost.  For more information and directions, call Casper Ultee at the number above, or log on to www.ct-botanical-society.org.

  • Tuesdays, March 2 – April 6, 6:30 – 8:30 pm – The Plant Kingdom: An Overview

    Join K.N. Gandhi, Botanist at the Harvard University Herbaria, for this six session introductory course in botany, beginning March 2 at 6:30 pm.  Through lectures and work in the laboratory, Dr. Gandhi will provide a deeper understanding of the plant kingdom, from the simple plants to those that are highly evolved. He will outline the structure and reproduction of bacteria, cyano-bacteria, algae (fresh water and marine), fungi, moss, ferns, pines, and flowering plants. You will learn about the fundamental differences in the plant structure of these groups and also their capabilities in reproducing both sexually and asexually. The role of xylem, phloem, fruits, and seeds in the success of flowering plants will be discussed.
    Fee $165 Arnold Arboretum member, $200 nonmember.  For additional information, and to register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://www.feenixx.com/science/images/large-a112-plant-kingdom2-306-8x12x72.jpg