Boston Flora

Tag: Harvard

  • Saturday, February 24 – Saturday, March 2, 2024 – Gardens of the Caribbean

    Join a balmy Caribbean winter escape aboard the brand-new superyacht Emerald Azzurra (serving up to 100 guests). Sail to seven island paradises, once vital stops on transatlantic trade routes, and rediscover often-forgotten links between the Caribbean and the birth of the United States. From Barbados, sail to the little-visited yet spectacular island of Dominica and tour an 18th-century military fortress surrounded by virgin forest, shimmering rivers, and dormant volcanoes. Call at Nevis, the birthplace of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, and visit his childhood home. Spend a day among the white-sand beaches of St. Barthélemy (“St. Barts”), with opportunities to swim in the warm Caribbean waters. On magical Antigua, visit the famous Nelson’s Dockyard and a restored 17th-century sugar plantation before calling at Montserrat, described as “a modern-day Pompeii” and home to a stunning botanical garden. Step ashore for a day in the archipelago known as Îles des Saintes, site of the most significant naval battle ever fought in the Caribbean between the British and the French. Before disembarking upon return to Barbados, meander through a magnificent garden in Soufrière, a town on the island of St. Lucia. This Harvard Alumni Trip cosponsored with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, University of Chicago Alumni Association, and Johns Hopkins Alumni Association will take place February 24 – March 2, 2024 – a year away, time to plan!

    This is a fairly active program that involves walking (in some cases on some uneven terrain such as cobblestone streets and on sandy beaches), and standing during visits to museums, gardens and historic sites. In several places on the itinerary the ship will moor in harbors, which requires use of tenders and/or Zodiacs to access the island and staff will always be present to assist accordingly. (The intention is to have the ship secured to the dock for both embarkation and disembarkation) The temperatures during your time in the Caribbean will be tropical, with daytime highs into the 80’s and evenings in the 70’s Fahrenheit. Any rain encountered will most likely only be temporary showers and the sun is very strong. It’s recommended you pack a hat, sunblock, and insect repellant. Casual dress is appropriate most of the time and comfortable walking shoes are essential. For welcome and farewell dinners, country club casual is customary, as is resort style clothing. Please refrain from shorts, t-shirts and flip flop sandals in the dining room at dinner. The Emerald Azzura has two elevators, granting access to all levels of the yacht. Full information is available on https://alumni.harvard.edu/travel/trips/caribbean-2024

  • Tuesday, January 10, 7:30 pm Eastern – Names, Concepts, Codes and the Diversity of Neotropical Butterflies, Live and Online

    The public is invited to attend the January meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club on January 10, presented by Shinichi Nakahara, Biodiversity Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. You may attend in person in the Gilbert Room MCZ 101A, or on Zoom: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/92664403460?pwd=ME%5DGMmxrTi%5DHNGVjOFozbzluR3%5DqZzog#success

    Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) are often regarded as one of the best taxonomically studied groups of insects. However, our understanding of their species richness may prove to be startlingly below common expectation and a disturbingly high number of unresolved nomenclatural issues surrounding names exists, especially in the Neotropical region. With over 30,000 names published for the purposes of zoological nomenclature, tracing the sources of Neotropical butterfly names and resolving their correct applications can potentially result in contention or confusion. Furthermore, in a rapidly changing world, the basis of understanding species diversity is facing many challenges. In this talk, Dr. Nakahara will explore the proverbial tip of the iceberg regarding Neotropical butterfly diversity, ranging from some of the rarest butterflies to common and widespread species in this region, and take this opportunity to reconfirm the importance of stable nomenclature as a progress towards understanding organisms which we share this plant with.

  • Tuesday, December 13, 10:00 am – 12:0 pm – Growing Woody Plants from Hardwood Cuttings

    Join Arnold Arboretum Manager of Plant Production Tiffany Enzenbacher on Saturday, December 2, from 9 – 12:30 in the Dana Greenhouse Classroom, 1050 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain, to learn how to propagate woody plants from fall cuttings. Students will collect and stick cuttings of several taxa (Ilex and Pieris to name a few), and will take their propagules home. After rooting, small plants may be ready to transplant as early as next year. Post-class nurturing will be required. Fee for all materials is included in the cost of the class. Students should bring their own pruners to class and dress for the weather. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

  • Saturday, December 3, 7:00 pm – Wild Seed Project: Grassroots Seed Propagation of New England Native Plants

    The New England Botanical Club will hold its December meeting on December 3 at 7 pm at Haller Lecture Hall at Harvard University, Geological Museum, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge. Heather McCargo, Founder and Former Executive Director, The Wild Seed Project in North Yarmouth, Maine, will speak on the Wild Seed Project: Grassroots Seed Propagation of New England Native Plants. Native plants are beautiful, important for our local ecosystems, and do not need the high nutrient and water inputs of commonly cultivated plants. In this presentation, Heather covers the many reasons we all should care about our region’s native flora and the importance of bringing these native plants back into our gardens and developed landscapes. She also discusses current native plant trends and issues in the nursery trade (including cloning and the loss of genetic diversity), and explains how we all can support our native flora by planting seed-grown native plants. The meeting is free and open to the public.

    The goal of Wild Seed Project is to build awareness of the vital importance of native plants and to provide people with the tools to restore biodiversity in their own communities. The organization equips community members, public officials and municipalities, and land-holding individuals and organizations – from farmers to land trusts – with the skills and resources they need to collectively repopulate landscapes with native plants that expand wildlife habitat, support biodiversity, and build climate resilience.

    Zizia aptera

  • Saturday, November 5, 7:00 pm – Plant Diversity Shows its True Colors

    The next New England Botanical Club meting will be held November 5 at 7 pm Eastern at Harvard University in Haller Lecture Hall, Room 102, Geological Museum, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge. The door is to the right of Harvard Museum of Natural History entrance. Dr. José Eduardo Meireles, Assistant Professor of Plant Evolution and Systematics, School of Biology and Ecology at University of Maine, will speak on Plant Diversity Shows its True Colors. There is an urgent need to understand the phylogenetic and functional dimensions of plant diversity at global scales. Reflectance spectral data — how leaves reflect light across different wavelengths — is emerging as a phenomenal tool for characterizing plant traits and physiology as well as identifying lineages at different evolutionary scales. He will discuss applications of spectral data in plant biodiversity science, including monitoring biodiversity, estimating traits, and identifying lineages using spectral data. He will also demonstrate how to integrate phylogenetic models and spectra as well as leverage herbarium specimens to rapidly advance our knowledge of phenotypic evolution in plants. Free and open to the public.

  • Tuesday, September 27, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm – Extinctions on Earth: Then and Now, Online

    As death inevitably follows birth, extinction is the predictable consequence of evolution on our planet. The fossil record chronicles the comings and goings of species through geologic history, but its most prominent feature may be surprising. Extinctions are not distributed evenly through time: Rather, at five moments over the past 500 million years, most of Earth’s animal species disappeared over a short time scale, permanently altering ecosystems on land and in the sea.  

    The best known of these mass extinctions wiped out the dinosaurs and many less evocative creatures 66 million years ago. A large body of evidence supports the hypothesis that this event reflects the impact of a massive asteroid, underscoring that life can be influenced by factors beyond our planet.

    Another, more destructive mass extinction may be more instructive to 21st century citizens. Two hundred and fifty million years ago, volcanic activity a million times greater than anything ever witnessed by humans spewed massive amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere, resulting in the extinction of an estimated 90% of marine animal species. Known as the “Great Dying,” the extinctions were selective, with some species more vulnerable than others, and the observed pattern of extinction and survival supports the view that volcanically induced global warming, ocean acidification, and oxygen loss from subsurface seawater drove the extinctions. 

    Andrew H. Knoll, Fisher research professor of natural history and professor of earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University, examines how these three threats are accelerating today due to human activities, not volcanism. He discusses how observations and experiments made to better understand 21st-century global change resonate strongly with the Great Dying 252 million years ago, suggesting Earth’s future if we choose to do nothing.

    But, says Knoll, the distant mirror of past mass extinction should be seen as something like Charles Dickens’ ghost of Christmas yet to come: a warning of what might transpire if we choose to do nothing. He reminds us however, that like Scrooge, we also have the capacity to change our ways and so preserve Earth’s precious biodiversity for future generations.

    This Smithsonian Associates webinar will take place September 27 at 6:45, and is $20 for Smithsonian members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/extinctions-on-earth-then-and-now

  • Thursday, September 22, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Sketching Trees at Mount Auburn Cemetery

    Explore the variety and elegance of tree forms using pencil and paper while ensconced in the beauty of Mount Auburn Cemetery. We will focus on capturing the shapes and volume of trunks and branches as well as techniques for drawing foliage in this in-person workshop. The group will be limited to ten participants, allowing ample time for individual feedback. All skill levels are welcome. Rain date: Thursday, September 29, 9:30–11:30 am.

    $54 members / $60 nonmembers

    Advance Registration Required.

  • Wednesday, April 12, 2023 – Tuesday, April 25, 2023 – Total Solar Eclipse in Australia

    Harvard Alumni Travel, in conjunction with Carleton College, will sponsor a trip to view the next total solar eclipse on April 12 – 23, 2023.

    • Experience the riveting cosmic event of a rare total solar eclipse from the best possible vantage point, directly on the centerline, as the brilliance of the Coral Coast is plunged into darkness. 
    • Cruise for 10 nights down the coast of Western Australia, home to some of the darkest skies in the world, allowing for incredible stargazing of the Southern Skies from the ease and comfort of the ship’s top deck. 
    • Witness a variety of dazzling landscapes of Western Australia’s colorful Coral Coast, home to white sand beaches, oceans painted with azure blue hues, rugged red outback desert and the world’s longest fringing reef.
    • Snorkel pristine reefs and coral gardens including the World Heritage Sites of Ningaloo Reef and Shark Bay.
    • Encounter an abundance of wildlife – rare birds, land animals and marine life – including a chance to swim with mighty whale sharks and manta rays, two of the world’s largest harmless fish.
    • Engage with Indigenous Australians and learn about the world’s oldest living culture during visits to sacred Aboriginal sites.

    The study leader is Joseph Henrich, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology and Chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, along with Meg Urry, Israel Munson professor of Physics & Astronomy at Yale, and Joel Weisberg, Herman and Gertrude Mosier Stark Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Carlton College. The intimate Caledonian Sky will be your mode of transport, following one night at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney. Activity level 3. For pricing and more information visit https://alumni.harvard.edu/travel/trips/australia-eclipse-2023 For more information please email haatravels@harvard.edu or call our office at 800-422-1636 or 617-496-0806.

  • Tuesday, June 21, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Summer Solstice Celebration 2022: Night at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture

    Celebrate the longest day of the year and mark the beginning of summer—in person!—with the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. 11 Divinity Avenue in Cambridge, on June 21, 5:00–9:00 pm. Enjoy free admission to all four HMSC museums, hands-on activities, food, music and more! Don’t miss this wildly popular event for all ages. For more information visit https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/summer-solstice

  • Wednesday, June 22, 6:45 pm – 8:00 pm – Women Astronomers Reach for the Stars, Online

    Before 1900, a woman who wanted to study the stars had to have a father, brother, or husband to provide entry. For much of the 20th century, the doors of opportunity stayed closed to women astronomers. After decades of difficult struggles, they are closer to equality in astronomy than ever before.

    In the new anthology The Sky Is for Everyone, co–editors Virginia Trimble and David A. Weintraub bring together the stories of the tough and determined women from the 1960s to today who flung the doors wide open, giving voice to the history of a transformative era in astronomy.

    Trimble, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine, is joined by two other contributors to the book in a discussion of the experiences of women who broke down barriers and changed the face of modern astronomy: France A. Córdova, an astrophysicist and the 14th director of the National Science Foundation; and Sara Seager, a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Andrea Dupree, associate director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, moderates the conversation.   The program is sponsored by Smithsonian Associates, takes place June 22 at 6:45 pm, costs $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers, and you may register at www.smithsonianassociates.org