Boston Flora

Tag: Harvard University

  • Wednesday, December 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Deadly Nightshades: From Potatoes to Poisons

    Outside of the grasses and beans, few plant groups have contributed more to influence global cuisine and culture than the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Members like potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants have figured prominently not only in human nutrition, but also in the history of New England and the world. At the same time, poisonous relatives like tobacco, mandrake, henbane, and belladonna have contributed to its other, more sinister reputation. Join Gregory J. Anderson, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, at the Hunnewell Building at Arnold Arboretum on Wednesday, December 7, from 7 – 8:30 for a deeper look at both sides of the family line.  Free, but registration requested.   On line registration is available at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Wednesday, November 16, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Botany of Thanksgiving

    Pumpkins, squash, peas, beans, turnips, carrots, potatoes, parsnip, spinach, corn, apples, pecans, cabbage, and more are common components of a Thanksgiving feast. But have you considered these fruits, tubers, nuts, and vegetables from a botanical perspective? In a novel analysis of this traditional meal, Professor Pamela Diggle, Evolutionary Biologist at University of Colorado and Harvard University, will open your eyes to the plant anatomy and physiology that preceded the creation of, say, your grandmother’s sweet potato-marshmallow casserole or your uncle’s savory succotash.  This Arnold Arboretum class will be held Wednesday, November 16, from 7 – 8:30 in the Weld Hill Research Building at the Arboretum.  Free, but registration requested.  Visit www.arboretum.harvard.edu for registration and more information.

  • Tuesday, November 29, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – American Eden: What Our Gardens Tell Us About Who We Are

    Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston, and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University team up once again as part of their Garden and Spirit: The Power of Landscapes to Transform series on Tuesday, November 29, from 7 – 8:30, hosting Wade Graham, designer, historian, and Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at Pepperdine University. In his book, American Eden, Wade Graham argues that how we design and garden shows more than simply how green are our thumbs. Gardens reveal information about who we are as a nation—where we have come from, and where we might be headed. From ethics to aesthetics, from politics to political correctness, Graham will speak about the history of gardening in America and how it has shaped and been shaped by daily life. The lecture is entitled American Eden: What Our Gardens Tell Us About Who We Are.  The event will take place at Trinity Church, and the fee is $15 for Arboretum members, $20 for non-members.  You may register online at  www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Thursday, November 10, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Winter Gardening: Challenges and Rewards

    New England winters can be cold, long, and gray but our landscapes don’t have to be. Our gardens can still provide cheer even on the dreariest winter days. Get tips from Nate McCullin, Horticulturist of the New England Wild Flower Society,  for creating a landscape with year-round appeal as well as ideas to help your plants survive the season’s challenges such as damage from ice, snow, and voracious mammals. Learn about plants that provide color, texture, shelter, and food sources throughout the winter with a few surprises etched in along the way.  The class takes place at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Thursday, November 10, from 1 – 4 pm.  Fee $36 member, $43 nonmember
    Offered by the Arnold Arboretum with the New England Wild Flower Society.  You may register online at www.arboretum.harvard.edu, or at www.newfs.org.  Doug Green photo from www.simplegiftsfarm.com.

  • Thursday, November 3, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Sustainable Practices for Managed Landscapes

    Managing our environment responsibly is a challenge that requires us to make philosophical and behavioral changes. In his work over the past 25 years, Eric T. Fleisher has developed protocols to help our landscapes recover from the harmful impacts of industry and chemicals. He will describe the design and implementation of a sustainable landscape management program, using the highly trafficked public spaces at Battery Park City and the campus at Harvard University as models. Fleisher’s programs avoid the use of toxic chemicals and significantly reduce the use of nitrogen in the landscape. His techniques focus on encouraging natural nutrient cycling systems through proper soil management and plant care. This Arnold Arboretum lecture will be held in the Hunnewell Building on Thursday, November 3, with refreshments served at 6, and lecture at 6:30. Offered with the Boston Society of Landscape Architects
    Free to Arnold Arboretum and BSLA members; $25 General Admission. Students: call 617-384-5277 to register for free.  You may register online as well, https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/info.aspx?EventID=1#November.

  • Tuesday, November 8, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – The Flipside of Biological Invasions: The Positive Social Impact of Working with the Asian Longhorned Beetle

    On Tuesday, November 8, the Cambridge Entomological Club will present Michael Bohne, Forest Health Group Leader of the US Forest Service, Durham Field Office, who will, improbably, resuscitate the image of the Asian Longhorned Beetle with his lecture entitled The Flipside of Biological Invasions: The Positive Social Impact of Working with the Asian Longhorned Beetle. The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 6:15 PM) at the Harvard Law School cafeteria, on the second floor of Harkness Commons.

    CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:15 to 7:15 PM) followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 PM) in MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University. The latter begins with club business and is followed by a 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.  For more information, email CEC President Jessica Walden-Gray at jessisoutside@gmail.com.

  • Saturdays, November 5, 12, 19, and December 3, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – The Art of Botanical Drawing

    Explore the beauty and variety of plant forms using pencil, paper, watercolor, and colored pencil during adult drawing classes at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Taught by artist and educator, Erica Beade, this four-week course will introduce botanical drawing techniques through close observation and practice with contour, gesture, foreshortening, shading and color. All skill levels are welcome. The four-week series meets November 5, 12, 19 and December 3, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am in the Harvard Museum of Natural History. (Please note: There will be no class on November 26.) $140 non-members; $126 members (10% discount) Class sizes are limited and advance registration is required. Call 617.495.2341 or email reservations@hmnh.harvard.edu. Payment confirms registration. You may cancel up to two weeks before class and receive a refund less a $30 fee. After that time, no refunds can be made. A full refund is issued if the Museum cancels the program.

  • Tuesday, November 1, 7:00 pm – The La Farge Christ Preaching Window

    John La Farge’s Christ Preaching (1883) –newly returned to Trinity Church after a multi-year restoration–is Trinity Church’s crowning glory and one of the artist’s most significant windows. Julie Sloan, consultant to the restoration, will explore the window’s history, design, and restoration and La Farge’s relationship to Trinity Church in a lecture to be held Tuesday, November 1 beginning at 7 pm.

    Julie Sloan is one of the leading stained-glass consultants in North America. She is the author of Conservation of Stained Glass in America and is adjunct professor of historic preservation at Columbia University, where she has taught stained glass restoration since 1985. Ms. Sloan’s conservation projects include Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, New York; H. H. Richardson’s Trinity Church in Boston; Harvard University’s Memorial Hall; Princeton University’s Chapel, and the State Houses of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Her conservation and research projects have won many awards, including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Samuel Kress Foundation, the Graham Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and the Arts & Crafts Fund.

    Tickets: $10 per person, available at The Shop at Trinity (206 Clarendon St.) or by phone 617.536.0944 x225. Questions: Kathy Acerbo-Bachmann, kacerbobachmann@trinitychurchboston.org.

  • Wednesday, November 2, 5:30 pm – Emerald Necklace Conservancy 2011 Annual Meeting

    Join the Emerald Necklace Conservancy at it thanks its volunteers, members and friends, reflects on the year’s projects and advocacy and looks forward to a bright future for the parks.  The keynote speaker will be Steve Curwood, host of NPR’s “Living on Earth.”  A reception at the Emmanuel College Auditorium, 400 The Fenway in Boston, will begin at 5:30 pm, with the program beginning at 6:30.  Free and open to the public, membership may be renewed at this event.  Please rsvp online at www.emeraldnecklace.org, or call 617-522-2700 by October 24.  The Conservancy wishes to thank its partner Emmanuel College and its sponsor the Colleges of the Fenway, plus Nature Steward Northeastern University, Parks Patrons MASCO and Wilmington Trust, and Parks Supporter Harvard University.

  • Wednesday, November 9, 6:00 pm – How Much Can Trees and Forests Slow Global Warming?

    Much research and debate in the scientific community is devoted to the question the impact forests have on in the capture or sequestration of carbon dioxide, the primary gas that causes the climate-warming “greenhouse effect.” Are more forests the key to slowing the rate of rising global temperatures or is it too optimistic to think they can capture enough of the world’s CO2 emissions to solve the problem? Hear two of Harvard’s most active climate researchers tackle this question from different perspectives, atmospheric chemist Steven Wofsy and forest ecologist Andrew Richardson, on Wednesday, November 9, beginning at 6 pm. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Part of the Challenges and Choices lecture series. For more information, visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.