Boston Flora

Tag: Insects

  • Wednesday, March 26, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – Insects of Early Spring, Online

    Spring is an essential time for insects. After the harshness of winter, insects and other wildlife need plentiful food and resources to help them prepare for the new season ahead. Learn about some of the earliest-emerging insects and how you can plan, prep, and primp your garden to make it a haven for these harbingers of spring. Samantha Nestory is the engagement manager at Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden in Villanova, PA. She holds ecology and entomology degrees from the University of Delaware and is passionate about ecological gardening, native plants, and insect conservation.

    This program takes place online on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/insects-of-early-spring-online-2/

  • Tuesday, January 28, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm Eastern – Impacts of Artificial Light on Insects, Online

    The Massachusetts Pollinator Network hosts monthly presentations by experts in a wide range of topics related to pollinators and how to support them. These are recorded. We welcome everyone, whether you are a seasoned community organizer, a home gardener, researcher, teacher, work in the field already, or are new to pollinator protection concerns. Please join us! On January 28 at 7 pm meet Dr. Avalon Owens, who will speak on the Impacts of Artificial Light on Insects. The Zoom program link will be sent upon registration HERE

  • Tuesday, December 12, 7:30 pm Eastern – Insects in the Anthropocene, Live and Online

    The Cambridge Entomological Club will hold its December meeting on Zoom this Tuesday, December 12 at 7:30 with Yui Suzuki of Wellesley College, as well as in person in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Room 101 in Cambridge. For those able to attend, we will have an informal dinner at 6:00 pm at Cambridge Common Restaurant with the speaker, followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 pm) in room MCZ101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology (there will be signs to help direct). The meeting will begin with club announcements, followed by a 60-minute presentation by the invited speaker and Q&A. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists. Welcome! To access the Zoom presentation, click HERE.

    How will organisms fare in the 21st century as they face extreme environmental conditions and environmental degradation? Developmental plasticity is the ability of an organism to give rise to two or more distinct phenotypes in the face of environmental changes. Developmental plasticity is thought to offer new ways for evolution to shape an organism’s phenotype, but the mechanism by which this happens remains poorly studied. A classic example of developmental plasticity that evolves through natural selection is called a polyphenism where the same individual develops into two or more alternative phenotypes depending on the environment. In our lab, we have artificially selected for a polyphenism using temperature stress to generate a novel phenotype. My talk will focus on my lab’s latest findings on how our larvae respond to thermal stress and how selection might stabilize new phenotypes. In addition to sharing some of the challenges we have faced while conducting the study and how we solved these issues, I will also share some anecdotal observations of insects in Japan.

  • Friday, December 4, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm – ELA Virtual Ecological Plant Conference

    Friday, December 4, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm – ELA Virtual Ecological Plant Conference

    As greenery unfurls in spring, our deep relationship with nature renews us and lifts our spirits. But this spring with COVID threats and uncertainties, reconnecting with nature took on more significance than ever.

    On the most basic level, plants nurture our bodies and souls. Our relationship with plants, however, is more complex than simply food and survival. For millennia, plant-based medicines have been used for healing and time spent in the forest or garden has been recognized for its ability to reduce stress while improving health and well-being.

    On December 4th, The Ecological Landscape Alliance invites you to spend a day reconnecting with familiar plants, learning about new plant options, exploring garden insects, and reconsidering our relationship to plants. Five experts will invite us to examine different attributes, uses, and values of plants and the insects that inhabit our gardens.

    Innovative tools and interactive collaborations will ensure that this online conference provides participants with an engaging and inspiring experience. Dan Jaffe Wilder will speak on How To Grow Food Anywhere, Nadia Ruffin will present Garden Insects: Good Bug? Bad Bug? Who’s Who and What Do They Do?, Uli Lorimer will discuss Native Species, Hybrids, Selections and Cultivars, Abra Lee’s lecture is entitled Power to the Trees, and finally, Rebecca McMackin presents Pollinator Ecology. Full descriptions and biographies, and registration links, are found at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/ela-ecological-plant-conference-2020/ $139 for nonmembers.

  • Wednesday, September 23, 9:30 am – 11:00 am – Plant-Insect Interactions Online

    Ever wonder how plants and insects interact beyond pollination and herbivory? In this Native Plant Trust online program with George LoCascio, we will explore plant-insect interactions through a combination of discussion and field examination. This class is a great opportunity to improve your identification skills for insects and the plants they call home. $23 for NPT members, $27 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/plant-insect-interactions/

  • Tuesday, June 23, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Insects for Beginners Online

    Tuesday, June 23, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Insects for Beginners Online

    Insects may be the most important animals on the planet! If you want to learn why, as well as how to tell a beetle from a true bug, a moth from a butterfly, or a hover fly from a bee this is the program for you, to be held on June 23 from 7 – 9. The Mass Audubon/Drumlin Farm team will focus on the most common insect orders and discuss their unique characteristics and how to recognize them.

    To accommodate safe distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic, this program will be offered as an online meeting with discussion.

    You will receive a Microsoft Teams link and instructions on how to join us the day before the program. Registration is required. Register online or call 781-259-2255 to register by phone. For your own security, DO NOT send credit card information via email. $25 for Mass Audubon members, $30 for nonmembers. For more information contact Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary 208 South Great Road Lincoln, MA 01773 drumlinfarm@massaudubon.org

  • Monday, March 23, 12:30 pm – Protecting Pollinators Webinar

    Monday, March 23, 12:30 pm – Protecting Pollinators Webinar

    We should thank a pollinator at every meal. These diminutive creatures fertilize a third of the crops we eat. Yet half of the 200,000 species of pollinators are threatened. Birds, bats, insects, and many other pollinators are disappearing, putting our entire food supply in jeopardy. In North America and Europe, bee populations have already plummeted by more than a third and the population of butterflies has declined 31 percent.

    This Ecological Landscape Alliance Protecting Pollinators online presentation on March 23 at 12:30 EDT explores why the statistics have become so dire and how they can be reversed. Jodi Helmer breaks down the latest science on environmental threats and takes readers inside the most promising conservation initiatives. Efforts include farmers reducing pesticides, cities creating butterfly highways, volunteers ripping up invasive plants, gardeners planting native flowers, and citizen scientists monitoring migration.

    Along with inspiring stories of revival and lessons from failed projects, participants will find practical tips to get involved. They will also be reminded of the magic of pollinators—not only the iconic monarch and dainty hummingbird, but the drab hawk moth and homely bats that are just as essential. Without pollinators, the world would be a duller, blander place. Helmer shows how we can make sure they are always fluttering, soaring, and buzzing around us.

    Jodi Helmer is an author and lecturer specializing in topics about food, farming, and the environment. Ms. Helmer’s work has appeared in publications like Sierra, Entrepreneur, NPR, National Geographic Traveler, AARP, Farm Life, Hemispheres, Civil Eats, The Guardian, JSTOR Daily, Smithsonian.com, Hobby Farms, Out Here/Tractor Supply Company and many more. She is the author of six books, including Protecting Pollinators: How to Save the Creatures that Feed Us. She lives on a small homestead in rural North Carolina where she grows flowers and vegetables, keeps bees and raises chickens, goats and one very spoiled donkey.

    Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-protecting-pollinators/

  • Wednesday, March 4 and Thursday, March 5, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – ELA Conference and Eco-Marketplace 2020

    Looking for New Ideas? Solutions? Inspiration? From the practical to the applicable, join the Ecological Landscape Alliance in March for the 26th Annual ELA Conference & Eco-Marketplace at the UMass Campus Center, Amherst, MA. Immerse yourself in a two-day exploration of ecological concepts as our speakers share their experiences and expertise.

    Forests and natural systems are under enormous pressure from the effects of climate change, insect damage, invasive plants, and rapid urbanization. What can you do to protect these systems? Join us to learn more about how to restore lost ecological connections, better manage urban land, and create beautiful, highly functioning landscapes!

    Wednesday features two educational workshop tracks. Track One – explore soils from “micro to macro” with a dive into the intricacies of soil…. hear about the latest research, and learn how to apply new practices for results in the landscape. Track Two explores the detailed workings of meadow ecosystems and what it takes to make a successful meadow project and more.

    Thursday offers a broad range of sessions. Delve into landscape design elements from native shrubs to playscapes and larger ecological landscapes, including rain gardens and modern agricultural models. Enjoy a presentation or join an idea exchange to engage with your peers on timely topics.

    Registration fees range from $20 to $330. Register online and get complete details at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/ela-conference-eco-marketplace-2/

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  • Tuesday, October 29, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Climate Change and Its Effects on Trees and Their Relationship to Insects

    After slowly cooling throughout the past millennium, Earth has substantially warmed over the last 40 years, and effects on trees and insects are already apparent. There is a strong scientific consensus that this warming is caused by human emission of greenhouse gases. There also is a substantial discrepancy between this scientific consensus and perceptions of the public regarding climate change.

    In this October 29 Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar at 12:30 pm, Dr. Dan Herms will examine the evidence for anthropogenic climate change, including changes in patterns of precipitation; consider current and future impacts; and look at the implications for trees in urban and natural forests, especially their interactions with insects. He will also address the potential for trees to sequester carbon in urban forests as a climate change mitigation strategy. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-climate-change-and-its-effects-on-trees-and-their-relationship-to-insects/

    Dr. Dan Herms is Vice President of Research and Development at The Davey Tree Expert Company. Prior to joining Davey in January 2018, Dr. Herms was a professor in the Department of Entomology at The Ohio State University, where he served on the faculty for 21 years. His research has focused on interactions between trees and insects, including effects of climate change, and he was a member of The Ohio State University Climate Change Outreach Team. Dr. Herms received his BS in landscape horticulture from The Ohio State University, his MS in horticulture and entomology from The Ohio State University, and his PhD in forest entomology from Michigan State University. In 2014, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  • Tuesdays, November 27 – December 18, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Plant Health Care

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden course on Plant Health Care meets for 4 weeks on Tuesdays, November 27 – December 18, 5:30 – 8:30 pm in the Education Center at the garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

    Look at factors that affect plant health care, including insects, diseases, pathogens, and abiotic influences. Basic diagnostic techniques will be taught. Learn to minimize potential problems through proper site preparation, plant selection, and placement. Managing problems using biological, chemical, and cultural techniques will be discussed with a focus on IPM (integrated pest management).

    BBG Members: $175, Non-Members: $185. Register online at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/plant-health-care

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