Boston Flora

Tag: herbarium

  • Ten Million Seeds

    Native Plant Trust, the nation’s first plant conservation organization and the only one solely focused on New England’s native plants, announced it has received a generous $1.5M bequest from an anonymous donor for endowment funds supporting its ongoing work in conservation, including banking the seed of rare and endangered native plants in New England and preservation of its herbarium, and for creating a new endowment for communications and visual resources. Native Plant Trust confirmed that as of November 2025 over ten million seeds have been banked in their facilities, supporting the organization’s continued
    work to protect biodiversity. Please visit www.NativePlantTrust.org for more information on its work to conserve native plants.

  • Wednesday, January 22, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm – The Native Plant Trust Herbarium: Writing the Unknown

    The Native Plant Trust herbarium–an assemblage of dried, pressed plants with details about time and place of collection–contains more than 6,000 specimens, many of which are scientifically interesting, beautiful, and more than a century old. Drawing on our backgrounds in natural history, literature, and interdisciplinary writing, Native Plant Trust staff members Kate Wellspring and Giffen Maupin will facilitate a conversation about some of our herbarium’s most thought-provoking specimens. Workshop participants will then write in response to these specimens. Our writing experiments will focus on strategies for engaging with botanical texts where information is missing and questions abound. The session takes place at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on January 22 from 5 – 8, and is $51 for NPT members, $60 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/the-native-plant-trust-herbarium-writing-the-unknown/

  • Thursday, September 20, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, and Saturday, September 22, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Asters and Goldenrods

    In late summer and early fall, asters and goldenrods come into their own. In this two-session New England Wild Flower Society class, the morning discussion will include a presentation of the many asters and goldenrods in our region, focusing on their ecology and identification features. We will also examine specimens from the Society’s herbarium. Later we’ll visit a nearby natural area to identify the asters and goldenrods growing in the fields, woodlands, and wetlands. In the field, we’ll look carefully at the differences that characterize these species. Bring a hand lens and a bag lunch. Ted Elliman leads the sessions at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on September 20 and 22. $86 for NEWFS members, $104 for nonmembers. Register online at www.newenglandwild.org. Image from www.27East.com.

    Image result for asters and goldenrods White Flower Farm

  • 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

  • Thursday, April 20, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – A Hidden Treasure: Arnold Arboretum Herbarium of Cultivated Plants

    Irina Kadis, Curatorial Assistant, will lead a special indoor tour on Thursday, April 20 from 2:30 – 4:00 of the Arnold Arboretum Herbarium.  This special event will take a look at the historic Arnold Arboretum collection and find out how and why an herbarium is assembled.  Meet in the Visitor Center of the Hunnewell Building, the Arborway, Boston. Free, but registration is limited and required at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Thursday, April 21, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – A Hidden Treasure: Arnold Arboretum Herbarium of Cultivated Plants

    Participants in this special tour on Thursday, April 21 from 2:30 – 4 will take a look at the historic Arnold Arboretum collection and find out how and why an herbarium is assembled.

    Irina Kadis, Curatorial Assistant at the Arboretum, will be your guide. Free, but registration is limited and required. Call 617-384-5251, or email adulted@arnarb.harvard.edu.

  • Thursday, November 13, 6:00 pm – Mummies, Mildews, Manna, and Mosses: Four Kingdoms Under One Roof

    The Farlow Library and Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany is steward of a world-class collection of books, archives, and specimens related to four different types of organisms—fungi, protista, plants, and monera—that play key roles in nature and society. Founded by William G. Farlow (below) in the nineteenth century, the collection celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2014. From expanding our understanding of plant diseases and helping us assess the impact of climate change and habitat destruction on geographic distributions of organisms, to offering insights into ancient ecosystems, the Farlow collection advances scientific research that is relevant to society and our understanding of life on Earth. On Thursday, November 13 at 6 pm, join mycologist Donald Pfister, Asa Gray Professor of Systematic Botany and Curator of the Farlow Library and Herbarium, Harvard University, in an exploration of the history and impact of this unique Harvard collection.

    Lecture and Reception. Registration required: www.hmsc.harvard.edu
    Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street
    Presented in collaboration with the Friends of the Farlow
    Free event parking available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage

  • Tuesday, June 26 and Friday, June 29, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Broadleaf Weed Identification Workshop

    Correct weed identification is an important first step in the development of an effective weed management program. Using a classroom presentation, potted weed herbarium and weed walk, UMass Extension Specialist Randy Prostak will help participants enhance their weed identification skills. Feel free to bring a weed or two to identify. Workshop held rain or shine (lunch not provided).  The program, which will include a few grassy weeds along with broadleaf weeds, will take place at the Arnold Arboretum on Tuesday, June 26 from 9 – 3, and on Friday, June 29, from 9 – 3 at French Hall at UMass Amherst, 230 Stockbridge Road in Amherst.  $95 per person, pre-registration required.  You may print a registration form by visiting www.extension.umass.edu/landscape/events/broadleaf-weed-identification-workshop-plus-few-grassy-weeds-0, or by calling Ellen Weeks at 413-545-2685.  She may also be reached by email at eweeks@umext.umass.edu. Broadleaf plantain image from www.greengardenista.com.