Join Tower Hill Botanic Garden staff on Wednesday, July 32 at 7:30 pm for an exciting evening in the garden when we hunt for twinkling fireflys. We’ll start with a story and learn all about these amazing members of the insect world. Then we’ll make our own lanterns before we venture out into the dark to scout out these elusive bugs and listen to the sounds of the night garden. Member Adult/Child Pair $5, Non-member Adult/Child Pair $10. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.
Come learn to eavesdrop on and even converse with common New England fireflies. Anyone who’s ever been mesmerized by the luminous flashes of these tiny insects will enjoy this Wednesday, June 5 evening Arnold Arboretum talk and walk led by Sara Lewis, who has been studying the natural history and behavior of fireflies for more than 20 years. Wear shoes appropriate for walking in damp, muddy areas and bring along a headlamp or small flashlight. Fee $10 Arboretum member, $15 nonmember. Register on line at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.
You have probably seen the marvelous flashing of fireflies at dusk in summer, but less well-known are the many different types of luminous organisms in the oceans, and some others on land. On Sunday, April 3, beginning at 2 pm, Harvard’s Woody Hastings, a pioneer in the study of bioluminescence, will explore how and why creatures do this, show live specimens from his collection of glowing dinoflagellates (a type of plankton), and discuss how scientists are discovering new benefits of bioluminescence for medical research. Free with Harvard Museum of Natural History (26 Oxford St., Cambridge) admission. Log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu, or call 617-495-3045 for more information.
Sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up. We recently highlighted the Museum of Science’s Firefly Project, and now we receive notification that the Cambridge Entomological Club will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, January 11 at 7:30 pm in Room 101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Oxford Street, Cambridge. Adam South will speak on “Seminal Influences: The Role of Male Ejaculates in Firefly Evolution.” Adam is a PhD candidate from Tufts University, and we’d love to see his Facebook profile.
Have you ever wondered what is behind the flashing lights of fireflies? Adam South will discuss his fascinating research exploring firefly mating, sexual selection and nuptial gifts. Male fireflies produce and transfer to the female a proteinacous, spirally coiled spermatophore each time they mate. These types of seminal nuptial gifts have been shown to be intimately connected with pre and post copulatory sexual selection in a diverse array of taxa. This presentation will examine spermatophore production from a phylogenetic perspective, including how it is linked to sex specific patterns of evolution and its role in firefly sexual selection.
The meeting is free and open to the public. Snacks will be provided and you are also welcome to join Club members at 6:15 PM for an informal pre-meeting dinner at Harkness Commons, in the law school cafeteria on the second floor. For more information you may contact David Lubertazzi at lubertazzi@gmail.com. Photo below by Baird Woods.
Delight in a festive evening amongst the gardens of Naumkeag – a National Historic Landmark and one of the most beautiful views in New England! Stroll through the world-famous gardens sparkling with fireflies. Feast on hors d’oeuvres and sip on cocktails while watching the sun set behind the Berkshire Hills. Bid on the best of the Berkshires at the silent and live auctions. All proceeds support restoration of Naumkeag’s historic kitchen.
Naumkeag was the summer “cottage” of the Choate family who began summering in Berkshire County in the 1870s. Designed by McKim, Mead & White in 1885, this forty-four-room, shingle-style house is filled with original furniture, ceramics, and artwork collected from America, Europe, and the Far East. Joseph Hodges Choate (1832-1917) was a prominent New York attorney. Between 1899 and 1905, he served in England as U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James.
Naumkeag is famous for its eight acres of terraced gardens and landscaped grounds surrounded by forty acres of woodland, meadow, and pasture that stretch to the Housatonic River Valley. The gardens and landscaped grounds, first designed in the late 1880s by Nathan Barrett, were transformed and expanded between 1926 and 1956 by Fletcher Steele and Mabel Choate. Separate garden “rooms” include the Afternoon Garden, Tree Peony Terrace, Rose Garden, Evergreen Garden, Chinese Garden, Arborvitae Walk, and Linden Walk. Perhaps the most famous feature of the landscape is Steele’s Blue Steps, a series of deep blue fountain pools flanked by four flights of stairs climbing up a gentle hillside and overhung by birch trees.
Fees: $100 per ticket for members, $140 non-members (includes one year individual membership); $250 for a non-member couple (includes one year family membership)
Notes: Call for event details and reservation information. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Telephone: 413-298-3239 x3000
E-mail: westregion@ttor.org
