Boston Flora

Tag: Harvard University

  • Saturday, May 26, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Science and the Arboretum in the 1800s

    Today, the Arnold Arboretum is a place of research as well as education and enjoyment. Scientists from around the world take advantage of the diverse and extensive collections throughout the landscape. How did scientists use the Arboretum in the 1800s to advance scientific ideas when the Arboretum was in its infancy? And how did those ideas further the discoveries and ideas that continue in the present? Esther Miller, Arboretum Docent, will give a guided tour on Saturday, May 26 from 1 – 2:30 and address some of these questions.
    In case of inclement weather, please call 617 384-5209. Meet at the Hunnewell Building. Free, registration is requested at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu

    Image result for Arnold Arboretum 1800s

  • Wednesday, May 30, 7:00 pm – Renewal of the Blue Garden in Newport, Rhode Island

    Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., with the Olmsted Brothers firm, designed the Blue Garden from 1912 – 1918 for the Newport, Rhode Island estate of Arthur Curtiss James and his wife, Harriet. The garden room featured a unique planting palette of blues and purples “with some whites”, and shades of green foliage, and was surrounded by an evergreen enclosure to screen the garden from view. The garden was opened to friends in August 1913 with a celebration called “The Blue Masque”, and was heralded with numerous magazine articles and photographs depicting its architectural and horticultural riches. By 2012 the garden was almost forgotten, subsumed under a thick covering of weeds and invasive trees. This Arnold Arboretum lecture on Wednesday, May 30 at 7 pm in the Hunnewell Building will present the story of the people who originally created the Blue Garden and how the restoration team used original plans, drawings, and photographs from the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site Archives to reinterpret the design and rebuild the garden in all its glory, while meeting contemporary sustainable standards. Free, but registration required; Reception to follow.

    Offered with Friends of Fairsted. Featured speakers are Sarah Vance, MLA, Director, The Blue Garden, and Arleyn A. Levee, Landscape Historian, Hon. ASLA

    Arleyn A. Levee is a landscape historian and preservation consultant, specializing in the work of the Olmsted firm. For many years, she has worked with various non-profit preservation groups and landscape architecture firms doing the research and evaluations needed for rehabilitation and protection of Olmsted-designed historic landscapes, both public and private. She is the author of The Blue Garden: Recapturing an Iconic Newport Landscape, published in 2016, and many articles about Olmsted firm commissions and the various firm designers responsible for this work. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College, Master of Arts in Teaching from Harvard University, and a Certificate from the Radcliffe Seminars Program in Landscape Design.

    Before assuming the position as Director of the Blue Garden, Sarah Vance was a senior associate with Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture, part of the team that developed the rehabilitation plan for the garden and supervised its construction. Her role included analyzing the original drawings and developing planting plans for the garden and surrounding planted enclosure. As Director, she now works with a dedicated group of gardeners to ensure the design intent of the garden’s plan and to maintain it as an accessible and sustainable landscape. She takes special pleasure in sharing the story of this once-forgotten landscape and experiencing the appreciation, surprise and delight of its many visitors. Sarah received a Master in Landscape Architecture with Distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

    Register at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

    Image result for The Blue Garden: Recapturing an Iconic Newport Landscape

  • Wednesday, May 23, 7:30 pm – Food and Fuel from Sunlight, Air, and Water

    Daniel G. Nocera, the Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy at Harvard University, has created the bionic leaf to use just sunlight, air and water to make sustainable fuel and fertilization systems. Come to Wright-Locke Farm at 78 Ridge Street in Winchester on Wednesday, May 23 to learn how these discoveries set the stage for large scale, distributed, deployment of solar energy and distributed food production as well as its implications for the poor of the world.

    The session will be held at 7:30 on Wednesday in our beautiful 1827 Barn, and will be followed up with a Q&A session. We will also offer a casual supper before each presentation. For more details, check out our website, http://wlfarm.org, or to RSVP, email Kim Kneeland at kkneeland@wlfarm.org.

    Image result for daniel nocera harvard

  • Sundays, May 20 and June 24, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm – Tree Identification Primer

    Catherine Chamberlain, Graduate Student, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Fellow of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, will lead two sessions at the Arnold Arboretum on tree identification. Select One: Sunday, May 20 or Sunday, June 24 1:30–3:30pm.

    Trees and shrubs can be challenging to identify, but as the saying goes, “…you will love only what you understand…” (Baba Dioum). So why not expand the number of trees and shrubs you become aware of and can identify? In this session, Cat Chamberlain will lead you through the Arnold Arboretum to practice using dichotomous keys, plant presses, and other tools often used in field research. This casual journey through the landscape will allow you to familiarize yourself with and appreciate the flora that surrounds you. Dress for learning in the landscape and bring a magnifier lens if you have one. Fee is $10 for Arboretum members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

    Related image

  • Tuesday, May 8, 7:30 pm – Herbivorous Insects: Studies in the Evolution of Diversity

    The public is invited to attend the May meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club on Tuesday, May 8 at 7:30 pm at Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, MCZ 101 in Cambridge. Profesor Douglas J. Futuyma of Stony Brook University, Department of Ecology and Evolution, will discuss Herbivorous Insects: Studies in the Evolution of Diversity. Questions about coevolution, ecological specialization, speciation, evolutionary rates, and diversity apply to many or most organisms, but are dramatically exemplified by herbivorous insects, which together with their host plants account for nearly half the described species of living organisms. Professor Futuyma will recount highlights of field and laboratory studies that he and his students have pursued in trying to answer some of these questions, and he will offer some tentative answers, while yet emphasizing that puzzling problems remain. For more information visit http://entclub.org.

    Image result for douglas futuyma evolution

  • Friday, May 11 – Sunday, July 22, Opening Reception Saturday, May 19, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Impressions of Woody Plants: Disjunction, Two Artists, and the Arnold Arboretum

    The word disjunction, defined as the relationship between two distinct alternatives, can be applied to botanical artists Bobbi Angell and Beverly Duncan: their media–copper and watercolor, their plant focuses–exotic and native, their backgrounds–botany and art. In the end though, as in this Arnold Arboretum exhibition, it is all about the wonder of woody plants, and the artists’ approaches to creating images. Angell is attracted to unusual, cultivated specimens due to her long history working with botanists and horticulturalists. Her subjects, all Asian natives, several of which were introduced into cultivation by the Arboretum, represent the remarkable history of plant collecting around the world. All can be found in the collections of the Arboretum. Her drawings are developed into finely crafted copper etchings, which are then printed in limited editions. Duncan is drawn to the familiarity of native plants. She translates the common and recognizable into intimate portraits in detailed watercolor paintings.Her sketches capture the various stages in the life of a native plant. For this exhibition, Duncan focused on paintings of seedlings, the delicate early life of a tree or shrub. All her subjects can also be found as mature trees on the grounds of the Arnold Arboretum. Bobbi Angell has been drawing plants since 1978, illustrating floras, monographs, and new species for botanists at The New York Botanical Garden, Harvard University, and Smithsonian Institution. Drawing herbarium specimens has been the focus of her work. Angell’s copper plate etchings reflect her interest in fine detail. They have allowed her a satisfying and natural extension of her compositional style. Beverly Duncan is an award-winning botanical artist, the first to receive Best in Show at the annual exhibition of the Horticultural Society in New York and the American Society of Botanical Artists. Her work is in corporate and private collections around the world. Duncan exhibited and received recognition at the 2014 royal Horticultural Exhibit in London. She teaches Botanical Drawing and Painting classes, and has illustrated commissions for numerous books and magazines.

    The exhibit runs from May 11 – July 22, with an opening reception Saturday, May 19 from 1 – 3. There will also be a workshop with the artists on Saturday, June 9 from 1 – 3. Note – The Hunnewell lecture hall is used for programs, classes, and other events. Please call 617 384-5209 for accessibility. Free, no registration required.

    Image result for Bobbi Angell art

  • Sunday, May 6, 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm – Lilacs, Lilacs, and Lilacs, Oh My!

    Come for the lilacs, stay for the tour on a special walk in the Arnold Arboretum’s Syringa (lilac) collection with docent Chris McArdle. Chris trained with former Head Plant Propagator and lilac expert, Jack Alexander. Within the collection itself, she will give you a thorough view into the rich history of the many varieties of this well-loved, and Arboretum-renowned plant. Meet at the map table by the ponds, up from the Forest Hills Gate. For cancellations due to weather, please call 617 384-5209. Free, registration is requested at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu

    Image result for lilacs

  • Tuesday, June 25 – Saturday, July 6, 2019 – Chile & The Skies of the Southern Hemisphere, Including Total Solar Eclipse

    After last August’s solar eclipse we’ve all become a little eclipse-crazed. On July 2, 2019, witness a total solar eclipse at a unique location—the north of Chile, home to world-class astronomical observatories. Enjoy special access to state-of the art observatories in the desert including: the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA, the world’s most powerful radio telescope, Paranal, home to the Very Large Telescope, and Las Campanas, home to the Magellan Telescopes and the Giant Magellan Telescope.

    Your Harvard University-led journey also includes an exploration of the Atacama Desert and some of the most extraordinary landscapes of our planet—volcanoes, evaporated salt lakes, lagoons and hot springs as well as a host of animal life. Top this off with stargazing in the Southern Hemisphere. Visit the Elqui Valley, and a pisco distillery. Conclude your adventure with lunch and a tasting of select vintages in Chile beautiful Casablanca Valley at the Kingston Family Vineyards. Enjoy special entry to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), Paranal Observatory and Las Campanas Observatory. Relax in thermal springs in the Atacama Desert Observe the dazzling evening skies of the Southern Hemisphere with large amateur telescopes.Visit the Elqui Valley and a Pisco distillery.Spend a day in Chile’s wine country at a winery founded by a Harvard alumnus.Tour Santiago and its Pre-Columbian Museum. $11,295 per person, double occupancy / $2,295 single supplement. Accommodations include two nights at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Santiago, three nights at the Explora Atacama Hotel, one night at the Hotel Terrado, and three nights at the Costa Real Hotel.

    Participants should expect to walk one or two miles in length (sometimes over uneven terrain) with pauses to observe and discuss surroundings. Walks can be longer based on the participant’s discretion. The altitude in San Pedro de Atacama, where you spend three nights, is 8,000 feet. The ALMA Observatory located in the Atacama Desert, has an operations support facility at an altitude of 9,514 feet. There is an optional visit to the site of ALMA’s satellite dishes on the Chajnantor Plateau located at an altitude of 16,400 feet. Guests who would like to see the satellite installation on the plateau must have a medical release signed by their personal physician in order take part on this part of the tour. Paranal Observatory, outside of Antofagasta, has an altitude of approximately 8,645 feet. Las Campanas Observatory, outside of La Serena, is located at an altitude of approximately 8,370 feet.

    All the hotels are located at comfortable altitudes. Please note, since some of the travel will be in remote areas, flexibility is required concerning time schedules, food, weather, and dust. To enjoy this experience, participants must be in good physical and mental health, and be able to keep up with the pace of the group. Program participants requiring additional assistance must be accompanied by a guest who will assist them throughout the length of the program. For complete details visit https://alumni.harvard.edu/travel/trips/Chile-eclipse-2019?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=travel_monthly&utm_content=haa_travel_sell_out_2018-01-25

  • Friday, May 4 – Sunday, July 22, Opening Reception Saturday, May 19, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – The Spirit Books

    Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord’s Spirit Books will be displayed in the Arnold Arboretum’s Hunnewell Building’s Visitor Center May 4 – July 22. These art books reveal Gaylord’s connection between the inherent spirituality and mystery of nature with the long-standing tradition of books as testaments of faith and belief. She gathers twigs, branches, vines, and roots, then uses them to cradle her stitched, wordless books. Incorporating beads and seeds with handmade papers from around the world, she constructs sculptural altars; the supports of natural materials as integral to the art as the beautiful books they cradle. From a distance, these books do evoke sculptures; however, their essential “bookness” becomes apparent upon closer observation. Gaylord encourages “reading” the books as a contemplative experience, one that will take the viewer out of the everyday world. Gaylord is best known for her Spirit Books. Since she created her first one in 1992 and coined the name, the Spirit Books have been exhibited throughout the US, Canada, and in Korea. She has exhibited at the Center for Book Arts in New York City, the University of Indiana Art Gallery, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and the Seungnam Book Fair in Seungnam, Korea. Spirit Books are in the book arts collections at Bowdoin College and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton county, and many private collections. They are also well-represented in print.

    There will be an opening reception Saturday, May 19 from 1 – 3, and an Artist Talk Saturday, June 2, from 3 – 4. Free, no registration required.

    Image result for susan kapuscinski gaylord spirit books

  • Saturday, April 28, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm – Ware River Nature Club Spring Conference: Our Aerial Insectivorous Birds – Current Conservation Issues

    The Ware River Nature Club’s Spring Conference will take place Saturday, April 28 from 8:30 – 4:30 at the Harvard Forest in Petersham. The guild of northeastern avian insectivores—birds that specialize in feeding on flying insects—includes Whip-poor-wills (picture below, courtesy of www.allaboutbirds.org), Common Nighthawks, Chimney Swifts, several species of swallows and flycatchers, and Purple Martins. Most of these species are experiencing dramatic population declines and range contraction. The plight of aerial insectivores is gaining increasing attention since the magnitude of the declines over the past 25 years has been alarming. This conference will address ecology, current status, and theories regarding population decline in several species. Some citizen science opportunities will be explored.

    GUEST SPEAKERS:

    Kim Spiller, UMass ECO Graduate School—Overview: Aerial Insectivore Conservation Concerns

    Pam Hunt, New Hampshire Audubon—The Whip-poor-will: Biology and Conservation of a Crepuscular Enigma

    Marja Bakermans ,Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Andrew Vitz, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife—Migratory Connectivity of the Eastern Whip-poor-will

    KEYNOTE: Margaret Rubega, University of Connecticut—The Disappearance of an Almost-Invisible Bird: The Mysterious Biology and Decline of the Chimney Swift

    Mara Silver, Northeast Swallow Conservation—Conservation of Cliff and Barn Swallows, Two Species in Decline in the Northeast

    Mary Keleher, Cape Cod Bird Club—Mary’s Mashpee Martins

    Jessie Knowlton, Wheaton College—Threats and Coping Strategies of Neotropical Migrants on the Wintering Grounds: Examples from Southern Mexico

    Hollie Sutherland, UMass ECO Graduate School—Using Trail and Web Cameras for Bird Study

    $35 for WRNC members, $45 for nonmembers, lunch included. Contact warerivernatureclub@yahoo.com to register or for more information.

    Image result for whippoorwill bird