Boston Flora

Tag: Grow Native Massachusetts

  • Sunday, May 31, 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm – BioBlitz at J.C. Phillips Nature Preserve

    Invasive plants threaten the delicate ecosystems within J.C. Phillips Nature Preserve, located at 779 Cabot Street in Beverly. A BioBlitz will help us show where the forest needs the most assistance. Join us for the kickoff! (Can’t attend the kick-off? You can still collect data all year long!) A BioBlitz is an event where attendees take photos and record sounds to catalog the animals and plants living in an area. The resulting data paints a picture of the ecosystem and what lives there- and what doesn’t! You don’t need experience, just the free iNaturalist app and a smart phone!

    The event is sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts, Plant Magic Gardens, and Green Beverly, with additional help from the Mass Cultural Council, the Elizabeth B. McGraw Foundation, and the Chrysanta Foundation. Sign up at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/Calendar-of-Events/BioBlitz-with-Green-Beverly-Plant-Magic-Gardens-and-Grow-Native

  • Wednesday, May 20, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Explore the Nighttime World of Caterpillars and Moths, Live and Online

    Grow Native Massachusetts concludes its 2026 free public lecture series on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 pm in person at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, 11 French Drive in Boylston, and also online. The Caterpillar Lab will present a photograph and video packed talk that explores the nighttime world of caterpillars, moths, and how to find them. Join us to learn how we can explore our own backyard habitats through the eyes of a moth, using UV and special light traps to uncover a whole new perspective. This special lecture will include time to meet a few special caterpillar specimens up close and, and chat with Caterpillar Lab educators about all things local caterpillar. In-person attendees will also get to try out blacklight flashlights!

    The Caterpillar Lab is a non-profit based in New Hampshire that fosters greater appreciation and care for the complexity and beauty of natural history through live caterpillar educational programs, research initiatives, and photography and film projects. They believe that an increased awareness of one’s local environment is the foundation on which healthy and responsible attitudes towards the broader natural systems of this world are built.

    Register at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/evenings-experts

  • Saturday, July 11, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Pollinator Dinner Garden Party

    Join The Massachusetts Pollinator Network and Grow Native Massachusetts for our first ever Pollinator Dinner fundraising event, featuring delicious food, music, pollinator information, a silent auction, and more.

    We will gather at the Herb Lyceum in Groton, MA, wander their beautiful gardens, and enjoy a dinner featuring foods we couldn’t have without our native pollinators (and even a few dishes with invasive species!).

    We will be joined by none other than Nick Dorian to talk about the pollinators we have to thank for the meal, and Russ Cohen, who will give us insights on responsible foraging for edible natives. There will be an optional added wine pairing from local Marzae Wines, as well as a cash bar.

    Buy tickets ($150 before May 11, thereafter $175) at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/Calendar-of-Events/Pollinator-Garden-Party-Dinner-on-the-Farm-with-Grow-Native

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  • Sunday, April 26, 10:00 am – 1:30 pm – Night Magic Brunch

    Join Grow Native Massachusetts on Sunday, April 26th for a special fundraiser! Brunch at 10 followed by booksigning and discussion with the author at noon. Books will be available for purchase from @thelittlebeebookshop and New York Times best-selling author @leighannhenion will be there to sign copies of her stunning book before we begin our discussion. We are thrilled to be hosted once again by @bull_run_restaurant. Their brunch buffet is a DREAM! Everything is included in your ticket, register today at https://grownativemass.org and https://tickets.bullrunrestaurant.com

    Grow Native Massachusetts is delighted to host a conversation with New York Times bestselling nature writer Leigh Ann Henion, discussing her book Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark (2024), a glorious celebration of the night that invites us to leave our well-lit homes, step outside, and embrace the dark as a profoundly beautiful part of the world we inhabit.

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  • Thursday, April 16, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – How to Grow a Better Bird Feeder, Live and Online

    Grow Native Massachusetts hosts Desirée L. Narango, Conservation Biologist at the Vermont Center for EcoStudies, will speak on April 16 on How to Grow a Better Bird Feeder at the First Parish Church, 7 Harrington Road in Lexington, and online via Zoom. Bird populations are declining at an alarming rate due to habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides. Fortunately, there are simple actions you can take to restore critical bird habitat in your yards and gardens. In this talk, Desirée will share her research on the importance of native plants to food webs, why insects matter for bird conservation, and the practical steps you can take to support bird habitat throughout the year.

    Desirée L. Narango is a conservation scientist at the Vermont Center for EcoStudies. Her research program focuses on understanding how global change impacts bird and insect populations, and identifying conservation solutions in human-dominated habitats including residential yards and urban green spaces. Desirée has a Ph.D. in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology from the University of Delaware.

    No registration is needed for the in-person talk, but visit https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/evenings-experts to sign up for Zoom

  • Tuesday, February 11, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – From Wasteland to Wonder, Online

    Grow Native Massachusetts kicks off its 2026 Free Public Lecture Series on February 11 with Basil Camu, the author of From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways to Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape. The program will be live on Zoom, at 7 pm – 8pm Eastern. Register at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/evenings-experts

    The way we currently manage our suburban and urban landscapes is creating an ecological wasteland. Fortunately, we have an alternative path: by working ​​with natural systems instead of against them, we have the power to help Earth heal. Basil will begin by discussing the functions of natural systems and how they’re being damaged by standard land care practices. Then he will delve into impactful ways we can take action, from planting saplings and saving mature trees, to creating pocket forests and replacing our lawns with Piedmont prairies. Finally, for those who want to help shift paradigms even more, Basil will introduce us to his initiative Project Pando, which provides a model for community-based efforts that gather native seeds, raise them into trees, and give them away for free.

    Basil Camu pursues his purpose and passions as the co-founder of Leaf & Limb, a tree care company in Raleigh, NC, and Project Pando, a non-profit that aims to connect people to trees. He is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist His work has been featured in the New York Times, Gardenista, and A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach.

  • Tuesday, September 30, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm Eastern – Re:wild Your Campus, Online

    Join Grow Native Massachusetts on September 30 at 7 Eastern for an inspiring talk from Mackenzie Feldman, founder and co-director of Re:wild Your Campus, an organization on a mission to make campus grounds more sustainable. This presentation will give you actionable ways to get involved, either as a student or community member, through the lens of pesticide reduction and increased biodiversity on campus grounds and community spaces for the sake of human and environmental health. Free, but registration required at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/Calendar-of-Events/Rewild-Your-Campus

  • Wednesday, September 24, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Gardening for Climate Change, Online

    Should gardeners be changing how we garden due to the climate crisis? The answer is yes. Knowing your ecoregion and the plants native to your area can help your garden be a part of a climate solution. Planting a garden that is water-wise, provides for local pollinators, aids in biodiversity efforts, and feeds songbirds is a simple way to support your environment as warmer weather shifts northward. Permanent climate changes mean the ways we work with the land must change as well. Learn about this and other important steps for having a climate-forward garden during this Grow Native Massachusetts online talk on September 24 at 7 pm Eastern.

    Cheryl Rafuse owns and operates Plant Magic Gardens in Danvers, MA. They are an ecologically conscious gardening company that focuses on planting native plants. She and her team of top-notch gardeners design and install gardens, perform garden maintenance and teach DIY clients to care for their gardens as land stewards. Cheryl is also co-host of Gardening for Hot People, an unserious podcast that provides serious educational content on how we can all support local pollinators and wildlife with our gardens.

    $28 for Grow Native members, $38 for nonmembers. You may also sponsor the workshop for $100. Register at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/Calendar-of-Events/Gardening-for-Climate-Change

  • Monday, September 8, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Eastern- A Secret Neighborhood – Backyard Caterpillars in Your Autumn Landscape, Online

    Join Grow Native Massachusetts online on September 8 at 6 pm Eastern for a presentation revealing the caterpillars whose ecosystems we inhabit and our role as neighbors, stewards, and champions of these incredible insects. We live surrounded by a world shaped by insects and few are more charismatic than the caterpillar (or their moth and butterfly forms). They influence the flowers we enjoy, foods we eat, and birds we celebrate, filling every ecological niche imaginable! This interactive presentation features a few local, wild fall caterpillars who will help us tell the story of these animals in our forests and gardens. Educators from The Caterpillar Lab will share how we can manage our spaces through the fall and winter to promote more insect diversity and offer some tips and tricks for measuring our success in the spring. Attend this fall talk to learn how to promote more caterpillars, and then extend your experience by joining us next spring for a special Grow Native Massachusetts event to discover how to see the adult moths in their nighttime habitats! This is a free event, but registration required at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/calendar. Photo below by Sam Jaffe.

  • Thursday, July 24 & Friday, July 25 – Root to Canopy: Growing the Miyawaki Method, Virtual and Live

    Miniforests, also known as Miyawaki forests and pocket forests, are an incredibly beneficial tool in our toolbox as we work to restore, sustain, and increase biodiversity. Grow Native Massachusetts is partnering with bio4climate and others for the 2025 Northeast Miniforest Summit Register today at bio4climate.org. The two day event takes place July 24 and 25 – part virtual, plus a live bus tour. Consult the website for details.

    Across the Northeast, communities face ecological disruption—rising temperatures, shrinking habitats, degraded soils, and stormwater runoff. But there’s growing momentum: more people are planting miniforests using the Miyawaki Method—or adapting it—to restore life to cities, schoolyards, parks, and vacant lots.

    Featuring more than a dozen speakers across two virtual half-days and an in-person bus tour, the 2025 Northeast Miniforest Summit brings together practitioners, researchers, and leaders from diverse fields—including landscape architects, scientists, and community organizers—to unpack the method from root to canopy.

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