Boston Flora

Tag: Harvard University

  • Saturday, October 29 and Saturday, November 5, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Propagating Trees and Shrubs from Cuttings and Seeds

    Need to nurture? Then join longtime Arnold Arboretum propagator Jack Alexander at the Dana Greenhouse at the Arboretum on two Saturdays, October 29 and November 5, from 9 – 4, to learn basic information and techniques for propagating most woody plants. Session One includes a lecture and workshop on seed propagation and construction of a propagation case. Session Two will be a lecture and workshop on hardwood cuttings. You will leave class with numerous cuttings and seeds to care for. To participate, you must sign an Assumption of Risk and Release in order to practice the techniques taught in class. Bring a lunch and beverage. If you own hand pruners, bring them to class. A sharp knife and an apron may also be helpful. You will be collecting propagules from the Arboretum grounds on both afternoons regardless of weather, so dress accordingly and wear comfortable shoes. Fee $180 member, $240 nonmember. Register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Thursday, October 27, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Wood Decay Fungi Common to Urban Living Trees in the Northeast

    NOTE: THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  WE WILL PUBLISH INFORMATION ON RESCHEDULING WHEN ANNOUNCED.  In this Arnold Arboretum workshop on Thursday, October 27, Chris Luley of Urban Forestry LLC in Rochester, New York will introduce Wood Decay Fungi Common to Urban Trees, their identifying characteristics and decay pathways, and methods and equipment available to test for decay. He will also present the results of a recent research study on visual assessment, sounding, and Resistograph testing for decay in urban trees. This program will take place in the Weld Hill classroom beginning at 9 am with some demonstrations in the landscape. Morning coffee is included; please bring your lunch. Register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Fee $90 Arboretum or ELA member, $120 nonmember.  Offered with the Ecological Landscaping Association. Photo of Schizophyllum commune by Carla Wick.

  • Thursday, October 27, 6:00 pm – The Emergent Forest of New England

    New England is a naturally forested landscape and has been for thousands of years. On Thursday, October 27, beginning at 6 pm, Peter Del Tredici, botanist and senior research scientist at the Arnold Arboretum, will present an overview of the recent history of the forests of southern New England as impacted by natural disasters, shifting land-use patterns (urbanization and suburban sprawl), introduced pests and pathogens, invasive species, acid rain, and climate change. He will speculate on how the “emergent” forests that develop in response to these factors will differ from those that dominated New England in the past. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Cosponsored with the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Part of the Challenges and Choices lecture series.  For more information, visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Through October 23 – Artists in the Arboretum 2011

    In conjunction with Jamaica Plain Open Studios, The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is proud to present a juried exhibition of works inspired by the collections and landscape of the Arnold Arboretum, featuring the work of Susan Johnson Bergin, Kurtis Brown, Alexander Budnitz, Jennifer Burnham, Deb Coolidge, John Diehl, Bob Evans, Susan CB Hampton, Susan Hardy Brown, Betsey Henkels, Alexander Korman, John Maciejowski, John Merrill, Candice Amber Milionis, John Nunziato, Maggie Redfern, William H. Scully, Rebecca Skinner, Regina Valluzzi (her painting seen below),  Maureen Vezina and Christine Wirth.  The show is on view through October 23 in the Hunnewell Building lecture hall at 125 Arborway.  For more information, visit www.arboretum.harvard.edu, or call 617-384-5209.

  • Tuesday, October 11, 7:30 pm – The Natural History Gap

    You are invited to the first meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club for 2011/2012, which will take place Tuesday, October 11 at 7:30 pm in Room MCZ 101 at Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Sam Droege of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center will discuss The Natural History Gap.  Why is the average age of specimens in the ever declining set of remaining insect collections older than seventy years?  Why does NASA spend $1.5 billion a year on climate change satellites yet we remain unclear as to the names of over 10% of North American bees, and know next to nothing of their regional status?  Can natural history collections be mated with inventory and monitoring work and (OMG!) statistics to create an insect satellite system?  For more information, visit www.entclub.org, or email President Jessica Walden-Gray at jessisoutside@gmail.com.

  • Saturday, October 8, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Fall into Health

    Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year to visit the Arnold Arboretum. Explore the less-traveled paths of the Arboretum on a brisk walk with docent Rhoda Kubrick designed for getting fit, on Saturday, October 8, from 10 – 11:30 in the morning. Meet at the Hunnewell Building. Pause to hear about interesting plants while you catch your breath. Please dress appropriately and bring water. In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209. This activity is free, but please sign up at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.  Photo from www.naturehills.com.

  • Sunday, October 2, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Identifying the 25 Most Common Trees in Boston

    If yesterday’s Arnold Arboretum walk with Ajay Sequeira wasn’t enough for you, join Kyle Port, Manager of Plant Records at the Arnold Arboretum, on Sunday, October 2, from 9 – 1 (meet at the Hunnewell Building), and in just a few hours you can learn to identify 90 percent of the trees growing in Boston, both native and nonnative. Beginning in the classroom, you will briefly review the characteristics of the 25 most common trees and learn the botanical terminology necessary to describe them. You will then walk the grounds of the Arboretum to look at mature specimens of these trees. Register on line at www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Fee $45 member, $60 nonmember.

  • Friday, September 30, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Invasive Plants: Identification, Ecology, and Control

    This September 30 class led by Ted Elliman, Vegetation Management Coordinator of the New England Wild Flower Society, provides an introduction to about 40 invasive non-native plants most commonly found in local landscapes. Through the combination of a classroom presentation, access to herbarium specimens, and a walk outside, you will become familiar with identification clues as well as the habits of a number of these plants. You will also discuss management techniques, appropriate for both small- and large-scale landscapes, for many of these species. The Invaders issue of the New England Wild Flower Society’s magazine and the MA Field Guide to Invasives will be available for purchase at a discount. Bring your lunch and a hand lens if you have one. This class takes place at New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods, from 10 – 2.  Co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the New England Wild Flower Society, you may register on line at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.  $48 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $58 for nonmembers.

  • Saturday, October 1, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon, and Wednesdays, October 12 and 19, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – The Art of Photographing Trees

    Trees, because of branching breadth and trunk height, can be challenging subjects to photograph. In this Arnold Arboretum three part class, Erik Gehring will provide tips, tricks, and photographic theory in order to create unique and dramatic images of trees. In the first session on Saturday, October 1, from 9 – 12 at the Dana Greenhouse at the Arboretum, you will begin in the landscape, looking at some of the Arboretum’s specimens to consider composition and framing, how best to capture the organic nature of a tree, and thinking about what conditions will best complement the subject. Classroom time in the second and third sessions on Wednesday, October 12 and Wednesday, October 19, from 6:30 – 8:30 in the Hunnewell Building, will include lectures, discussions, and group critiques of your images and ideas. Between classes you will be expected to practice the techniques taught in class and photograph trees in a variety of conditions. Plan to bring your images to class on a thumb drive for critique. If you are a film photographer, please bring prints to class. The fee is $105 for Arboretum members, $140 for non-members, and you may register on line at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Tuesday, October 4, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Places for the Spirit: Traditional African American Gardens

    Gardens and Spirit: The Power of Landscapes to Transform, is a series offered by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Trinity Church in the City of Boston.  The first of this year’s lectures will take place Tuesday, October 4, from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at Trinity Church in Copley Square.  Vaughn Sills, Associate Professor of Photography, Simmons College, and Lowry Pei, Professor of English at Simmons College, will speak on their new book,  Places for the Spirit: Traditional African American Gardens. Places for the Spirit is a stunning collection of over 80 documentary photographs of African American folk gardens — and their creators — in the Deep South (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina). These landscapes have a unique historical significance due to the design elements and spiritual meanings that have been traced to the yards and gardens of American slaves and further back to their prior African heritage. These deceptively casual or whimsical foliage arrangements are subtle and symbolic reminders of the divine in everyday life, the cycles of nature, and implied right and wrong ways to live. In the spirit of “outsider” art traditions, blues musical roots, and other such folk manifestations, these gardens have a unique aesthetic and cultural significance. Over 20 years in the making, this is the first collection of fine art photography to document this subject and, as such, it adds greatly to our understanding and appreciation of this disappearing element of African American culture. Fee is $15 for Arboretum members, $20 for non-members.  Register on-line at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/.