Boston Flora

Tag: Lichens

  • Tuesday, June 14, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Weird Little Things, Online

    Many corners of our world still contain mysteries that scientists and naturalists alike investigate to understand more about life on Earth, ourselves, and our society. In this fascinating New York Botanical Garden online symposium, on June 14 from 6 – 8, we will pull back the curtain on Mother Nature to reveal some of her most intriguing secrets and celebrate the wonder of the most unusual, ancient organisms on our planet.

    HUNTING ZOMBIE ANTS
    NYBG mycologist João Araujo, Ph.D., will share insights from his research-both in the lab and in the field-on the unusual adaptations of the zombie-ant fungi. These parasitic fungi have evolved to take control of the ants they infect, and cause them to behave in ways they wouldn’t otherwise. Zombies, anyone?

    SHAPESHIFTING SLIME MOLDS
    Myxomycetes, or slime molds, are single-celled organisms commonly found in nature, even if their minuscule size makes them easy to overlook. Naturalist Alison Pollack (@marin_mushrooms on Instagram) will share her otherworldly macro photographs of these miniature marvels and provide an overview of their life cycle, morphology, and behavior.

    LICHENS: NATURE’S PARADOX
    Lichens are vibrant, remarkable microcosms structured around fungi. Both rugged and resilient, yet intricate and fragile, they are defined by contradiction and exist outside the normal rules of life. NYBG scientist James Lendemer, Ph.D., will discuss recent findings that shed new light on these fascinating creatures, placing them at the center of understanding ourselves and our changing world.

    NYBG members $25, nonmembers $29. Register at www.nybg.org

  • Thursday, November 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Lichens, Online

    Thursday, November 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Lichens, Online

    The Massachusetts Audubon Society will present an online class on Thursday, November 12 from 7 pm – 8:30 pm on the topic of Lichens. Mass Audubon members $20, nonmembers $24. Register at www.massaudubon.org

  • Saturday, January 12, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, and Wednesdays, January 16 – January 30, 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Nonvascular Herbarium Work Sessions

    The New England Botanical Club welcomes volunteers to help with curatorial work in the nonvascular herbarium of the NEBC. Listed below are the scheduled work sessions. If you would like to join us or have questions, please email Elizabeth Kneiper (Ekneiper@aol.com) or call 781-801-2734. We look forward to hearing from you! Weather and various other circumstances can force the sessions to be canceled or rescheduled, but volunteers will be notified.

    Wednesday, January 9, 2019 – 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
    Saturday, January 12, 2019 – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
    Wednesday, January 16, 2019 – 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
    Wednesday, January 23, 2019 – 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
    Wednesday, January 30, 2019 – 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

    Type of work: Curatorial – replacing old packets, data basing, and inserting collections. A great chance to work with historic collections of New England lichens, bryophytes, algae, and fungi.

    Location: Farlow Herbarium, 22 Divinity Ave, Cambridge, MA.

  • Saturday, October 27, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm – Lichen Diversity

    This New England Wild Flower class on October 27 from 9:30 – 2:30 at Garden in the Woods begins with a morning in which participants compare lichen collections to study the features that distinguish species. An afternoon visit to a local site offers an opportunity to study the diversity of lichens commonly found growing on rock walls and the factors that influence lichen colonization and growth. Lichenologist Elizabeth Kneiper leads the session. $66 for NEWFS members, $80 for nonmembers. Register at www.newenglandwild.org.

    Image result for Lichen diversity on rock wall

  • Friday, April 6, 6:45 pm – New England Lichens: Leveraging Past Riches to Understanding the Present and Future

    The New England Botanical Club Distinguished Speaker, Dr. James Lendemer, will speak on Friday, April 6 at 6:45 pm in the Haller Lecture Hall, Room 102, Geological Museum, 24 Oxfore Street in Cambridge. Dr. Lendemer is Assistant Curator, Lichenology, Institute of Systematic Botany, New York Botanical Garden, and Assistant Professor, Department of Biology Graduate Center, City University of New York. His topic is New England Lichens: Leveraging Past Riches to Understanding the Present and Future. Dr. Lendemer says: “As the staff lichenologist and an assistant curator in the Institute of Systematic Botany, I spearhead a diverse program of research and education focused on lichens—symbiotic fungi that are often considered to be the equivalent of corals on land. I oversee the curation of the lichen collection at New York Botanical Garden, the largest such collection in the western hemisphere, and one that serves scientists and land managers worldwide by providing access to unique high quality data. My research focuses on understanding the biodiversity of lichens in North America, while simultaneously working with collaborative partners to develop and implement conservation strategies that will safeguard those species for future generations.” Free and open to the public. For more information visit www.rhodora.org.

  • Saturday, October 14, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm – Introduction to Lichens

    Discover the fascinating world of lichens. This New England Wild Flower Society session on Saturday, October 14 from 9 – 3:30 at both Garden in the Woods and a field site includes a work session in which stereoscopes, spot tests, and keys will be used to study collections of the three lichen growth forms. An afternoon walk to a local site where lichens are colonizing soil, rock, and bark will offer the class a chance to practice distinguishing lichens in the field. Bring a bag lunch and a 10x hand lens. Led by Elizabeth Kneiper, the cost is $86 for NEWFS members and $104 for nonmembers. Image from http://www.nhgardensolutions.files.wordpress.com.  Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/introduction-to-lichens

  • Wednesday, July 9, 5:00 pm – Looking at Lichens: A Journey of Discovery Beginning on Cape Cod

    Looking at Lichens-A Journey of Discovery Beginning on Cape Cod was written by naturalist Nancy Wigley with photographs by Susan W. Carr.

    Ms. Wigley will answer questions about what lichens are, where they are found, how they reproduce, why they are like the canary in the mine, which ones are poisonous, how they are used medicinally, and how they played an important role in establishing life on Earth. She will also have common specimens on hand during this drop-in program at the Green Briar Nature Center, 6 Discovery Hill Road (off Route 6A) in East Sandwich on Wednesday, July 9 beginning at 5 pm.  $5.  For more information call 508-888-6870, or email info@thorntonburgess.org.

    http://www.ccmnh.org/Images/cms/looking%20at%20leichens128.jpg?format=jpg&mode=max&scale=both

  • Thursday, November 12, 5:30 – 7:30 pm – Wild Foraged Wreaths

    The Trustees of Reservations will hold a special workshop at the Long Hill Horticulture Center on Thursday, November 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Using unusual evergreens, blueberry twigs, cones, berries, mosses, bark, and lichens from Long Hill, expert floral designer Bonnie Stafford will lead this botanically inspired workshop. Learn about the natural materials, enjoy the wreath making demonstration, and then create your own exquisite foraged wreath. All materials supplied.  Trustees members $28, non-members $35.  To register, call 978-921-1944, x 4018, or email bzschau@ttor.org.  For directions to Long Hill, log on to www.thetrustees.org.

    http://www.greenunion.co.uk/blog/images/door_wreath.jpg