Boston Flora

Tag: mass audubon

  • Saturday, April 10, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Spring Fling Auction

    You are invited to The Boston Nature Center’s Spring Fling Auction on Saturday, April 10, from 7 – 10 (auction closes promptly at 9:15), at The Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan, one of the Mass Audubon Society’s 47 wildlife sanctuaries.  Enjoy an evening of delicious appetizers and desserts, complimentary seltzer, beer and wine, and live jazz by musicians from the Community Music Center of Boston.  Honorary Committee Members include Governor Deval Patrick and First Lady Diane B. Patrick, Mayor Thomas Menino, Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Councillors Felix Arroyo, Maureen Feeney, John Connolly, Stephen Murphy, Charles Yancey, Robert Consalvo, and Ayanna Pressley.  Garden Club of the Back Bay member Chris Anderson sits on the working committee, so we encourage our members to participate in this worthy cause, which raises funds to benefit the Boston Nature Center Summer Camp and Teen Ambassador Scholarship Funds.  The very modest ticket price is $30 per person, $50 per couple, and all tickets will be held at the door.  RSVP no later than April 2, please, by calling 617-983-8500, or visit www.massaudubon.org/boston.

    http://www.stonehousefarmbb.com/artwork/07/picking-bugs.jpg

  • Thursday, March 11, 6:30 – 8:00 pm – Spring into Action

    Learn to green your home with simple, sustainable actions at this practical lecture to be held Thursday, March 11, from 6:30 – 8:00 at the Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street in Mattapan.  The Massachusetts Audubon Society  notes that spring is on its way, and you should add a little green to your spring season.  Learn how to reduce your energy bill on hot days while still staying cool.  Discuss the best environmentally friendly household cleaners, and learn tips about the best green practices for indoors and outdoors.  Find out what you can do right now to “green” your home.  Preregistration is required.  Free for Mass Audubon members, $6.00 for non-members.  Family rate $12.00.  For more information, call 617-983-8500, or email bnc@massaudubon.org.

    http://blogs.trb.com/community/news/weston/forum/light%20bulb%20-%20stock.jpg

  • Mondays, January 25 and February 1, 10:00 am – 12 noon – Winter Shrubs and Plantings

    Sandy Vorce is the study group leader for this two part class in Winter Shrubs and Plantings, part of the Tufts University Osher Life Long Learning Institute conducted at Tufts’ Medford campus.  From berries to needles, branch color to fragrance, there are many shrubs that hold particular interest in the New England winter landscape.  Explore the variety, habitat and value of these plants through photographs, stories and samples.  The first session takes place Monday, January 25, and the second will be held Monday, February 1, from 10:00 am – 12 noon.  Sandy Vorce is the Property Manager at Mass Audubon Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary.  She is a Master Gardener trained in ecological landscaping and has a passion for nature and love of wildlife. Call 617-627-5699, or log on to www.ase.tufts.edu/lli for more information.  $50 for Osher Life Long Learning Institute members, $85 (includes annual membership dues) for the general public.

    http://img2.timeinc.net/toh/i/a/yard/winter-bloomers-01.jpg

  • Saturday, January 16, 11:00 am – Snowshoeing Guided Walk

    On Saturday, January 16, beginning at 11 am, enjoy the signs of winter wildlife at the Mass Audubon Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan, with a Teacher Naturalist as your guide.  Snowshoeing is an easy and fun way to get around.  You’ll discover animal tracks and signs, beautiful winter scenes, and hidden winter treasures.  Preregistration is not required, and snowshoe rental is included in the price ($8 for Mass Audubon members, $12 for non members),  For more information, call 617-983-8500, or email bnc@massaudubon.org.

    http://workingwellresources.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/snowshoeing-at-the-basin-phippsburg-08.jpg

  • Saturday, December 5, 10:00 – 1:00 – Identifying and Enjoying Herbaceous Plants in the Late Fall

    When herbaceous plants have died back and look “disenchanted,” it is still possible to identify some of them by closely examining their dried leaves, stems, and persistent fruits and seeds.

    Join Frances Clark on Saturday, December 5, beginning at 10 am, for a classroom exploration to investigate 25-30 weeds and native herbaceous species growing in disturbed habitats, fields, and woodland edges. Examine specimens close at hand to learn identification features and intriguing seed- dispersal mechanisms. (Naturalist photographer Nathan Cook took the image of arrow leaf plantain below)

    Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.  The program will take place at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham, and is co-sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society and by Massachusetts Audubon, Drumlin Farm.  The cost is $36 for members of NEWFS or Mass Audubon, and $42 for non members.  You may also email registrar@newenglandwild.org, or log on to www.newenglandwild.org/learn.http://www.isledegrande.com/giimages9/arrowleafwaterplantainseedpod.jpg

  • Thursday, October 8, 6:30 – 8:00 pm – Snapshot of Galapagos

    The Galapagos Islands have always attracted the imagination of potential visitors for its landscapes, fauna and high number of endemic species.  A booming tourism industry coupled with a resident population explosion from mainland Ecuador has forced the World Conservation Union to include Galapagos in the World Heritage in Danger List.  In his recent trip to these islands (another tourist?), Eduardo del Solar spent considerable time with Galagueno educators interested in conservation and reform.  For this Thursday, October 8 presentation at Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street in Mattapan, beginning at 6 pm, he will use his photographs and the website he created to talk about issues that face this incredible site.  For more information, log on to www.massaudubon.org.

  • Saturday, October 3, 2:00 – 4:00 pm – Birds of the Americas III Exhibit Opening

    Providing artistic and technical renditions of species across the Americas is the primary goal of local educator and photographer Eduardo del Solar. For this exhibit at Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan, he has captured images of endemic species from South America in their natural habitat. This year Eduardo has visited the islands of San Cristobal, Santa Cruz and Española in Galapagos as well as the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve in mainland Ecuador. Coastal birds from Lima and images of northern visitors to New England are part of this exhibit as well. Meet the artist and enjoy refreshments! Exhibit runs through October 31, 2009.  The free opening reception with wine and cheese will be held Saturday, October 3, from 2 – 4 pm.  For more information, log on to www.massaudubon.org, call 617-983-8500, or email bnc@massaudubon.org.

    http://www.treehugger.com/eduardo-del-solar.jpg

  • Friday, September 25, 6:00 pm – For the Birds

    Fruitlands Museum presents an entertaining night of bidding for both live and silent auction items in support of their upcoming exhibit “For the Birds,” a collaboration with the Massachusetts Audubon Society.  Enjoy live music and fine dining, along with the best view in town.  6:00 – 7:30 – Silent Auction and hors d’oeuvres, 7:30 – 8:30  Gourmet Stations featuring diverse seasonal fare, and 8:30 – 10 pm Live Auction and Dessert.  Tickets $75 each.  Tickets may be purchased on line at www.fruitlands.org.  Please purchase tickets by Friday, September 18.

    In April, 2010, the Mass Audubon visual Arts Center will partner with Fruitlands Museum to present “For the Birds,”  In addition to original elephant-folio engravings by John James Audubon, the exhibition will feature works by Alexander Wilson, Frank Weston Benson, Andy Warhol, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and others.

    http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/667/galleries/figures/carolina_parakeet_draw/image_preview

  • Saturday, September 19, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. – Morning Bird Walk with Molly Edmonds

    Join Mass Audubon volunteer Molly Edmonds on an early morning walk through the Boston Nature Center on Saturday, September 19, from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m., to discover and learn more about birds and birding. Binoculars will be provided, if needed. All ages and birding abilities welcome. $4 for Mass Audubon members, $6 for non-members.  For more information, call 617-983-8500, or email bnc@massaudubon.org.

  • Thursday, July 17, 5 pm – Flight Path Exhibit, 7 pm – Living on the Wind: The World of Migratory Birds

    Plymouth Beach is part of the breathtaking panorama seen from Plimoth Plantation. Few visitors know that this beautiful shoreline plays a crucial role in a complex and ancient system of shorebird migration routes running from the tip of South America to the Arctic tundra. In addition to the threatened and endangered species that breed and nest on this local barrier beach, more than 20,000 migratory birds use the bay as a fuel stop.

    Eighty-five striking images by nature photographer Jim Fenton provide a close-up of coastal water bird life to reveal their beauty and behavior. The exhibit was developed in partnership with the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, Goldenrod Foundation and Massachusetts Audubon Society, and produced with generous financial support from the Bobolink Foundation, Goldenrod Foundation, Sheehan Family Foundation and others.

    At any moment of every day, migratory birds fill the skies of the western hemisphere, journeying from the High Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, across the Atlantic and Pacific, moving by day and night.  Join naturalist and author Scott Weidensaul on an exploration of how and why birds migrate, and the conservation challenges that face them, based on his book, Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds.  The program ranges from the doorstep of the Aleutians in Alaska and the frozen edge of Hudson Bay in Canada to landscapes as exotic as the grassy pampas of Argentina, and as familiar as the barrier islands of the Massachusetts coast.  A presentation filled with the drama of this remarkable phenomenon awaits.  No reservation needed.  Members of Plimoth Plantation $6.50, non-members $8.50.  Flight Path: Plymouth Beach will be open free of charge from 5 pm to 7 pm to all current members of Mass Audubon, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, and Goldenrod Foundation members.

    For directions to Plimoth Plantation and more information, log on to www.plimoth.org.