Boston Flora

Tag: herpetology

  • Saturday, November 5, 9:30 am – 12:00 noon – Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins: An Introduction to the Shelled Reptiles

    Using preserved specimens from Harvard University’s Herpetology collection, as well as live animals, participants in this Harvard Museum of Natural History class on Saturday, November 5 from 9:30 – noon will learn basic turtle anatomy, determine the primary characteristics of the most common turtle families, consider the unique adaptations of some individual species, and view several historically significant specimens. Participants can look closely at iconic specimens, including a Galápagos tortoise collected by a whaler in the Galápagos Islands in 1835, the same year of Charles Darwin’s visit there, and a turtle collected by Henry David Thoreau in Concord, Massachusetts.  Instructor: Joe Martinez, Curatorial Assistant Herpetology Department Museum of Comparative Zoology

    Fees: $40 Museum members/$50 nonmembers.  Register online at http://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/turtles-tortoises-and-terrapins-introduction-shelled-reptiles

  • Wednesday, June 24, 5:30 pm – Biodiversity at Mount Auburn

    Mount Auburn Cemetery is conducting a survey of amphibians, reptiles, and fish that live here as part of our Wildlife Action Plan. Cover boards have been placed strategically around the grounds to monitor for snakes and amphibians. Join herpetologist Joe Martinez and ecologist Brooks Mathewson on Wednesday, June 24 for a walk to check the boards for evidence of amphibians and reptiles and learn more about the native amphibian reintroduction project and the diverse resident species of Mount Auburn. Meet at Story Chapel Visitor Center at 5:30 PM. Free for all ages.

  • Thursday, April 23, 6:00 pm – Islands: Natural Laboratories of Evolution

    Tahiti, Bermuda, Madeira, Bali. Everyone loves islands, but no one loves them more than an evolutionary biologist. From the dwarf elephants of Crete to the carnivorous caterpillars of Hawaii and the snaggly-fingered aye-aye of Madagascar, islands present a cornucopia of biodiversity. Darwin drew much of his inspiration from island stopovers on his fabled Beagle voyage, as did Alfred Russel Wallace on his own perambulations through the East Indies. Ever since Darwin and Wallace jointly proposed their theory of evolution by natural selection, biologists have returned to islands to gain fresh insights. Jonathan Losos, Monique and Philip Lehner Professor for the Study of Latin America, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator in Herpetology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, will discuss the relevance of islands to our understanding of evolution and its processes on Thursday, April 23 at 6 pm at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free and open to the public. Free parking is also available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Sunday, May 4 – Prince River Preserve Bioblitz

    East Quabbin Land Trust (www.eqlt.org) will be hosting an ecological inventory day on its Prince River Preserve property in Barre, Massachusetts on Sunday, May 4, 2014. Stewardship Coordinator Caren Caljouw welcomes participation by any who might be interested. Expertise in other areas such as herpetology, mammalogy, ornithology, botany, etc. would be very helpful, too. Located to the east of Old Reservoir, off Flaherty Road, the property is 690 acres of hilly terrain dominated by mixed hardwood and conifer forest interspersed with wooded swamps. The date suggests that you’ll be encountering early invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles, spring ephemeral plants, and migrating birds. Habitats include moist woods and lake shoreline. Visit the website for additional details.

    http://maxcdn.supergreenme.com/data/files/25919/271b3c3b2562c4ae37d13cc6965d7c88-East%20Quabbin%20Land%20Trust.jpg