Boston Flora

Tag: Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions

  • Saturday, September 15, 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm – Blue Hills Ferns Walk

    This New England Wild Flower Society field study on September 15 from noon – 4 explores a particularly biodiverse area in Milton, near Blue Hills Reservation, inhabited by more than a third of the fern species native to Massachusetts. In addition to ferns, participants encounter and learn about several club-mosses, horsetails, and hybrids. This easy/moderate hike will be led by Don Lubin, and is co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions. $38 for members of sponsoring organizations, $46 for nonmembers. Register online at www.newenglandwild.org.

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  • Thursdays, September 6 and 13, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Introduction to Aquatic Plants of New England

    Thursdays, September 6 and 13, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Introduction to Aquatic Plants of New England

    Aquatic habitats of the Northeast support a high diversity of plants. Learn how to identify local native and invasive aquatic plants through hands-on review of vegetative and floral characteristics. Discover the amazing adaptations plants have made to live in water. This two session New England Wild Flower Society class will be taught by Dr. Lori Benoit at Nasami Farm in Whately, on September 6 and 13 from 6 – 9. Cosponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions. $80 for members of sponsoring organizations, $96 for nonmembers. Register at www.newenglandwild.org.

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  • Tuesday, May 22, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Wildflowers of Macomber Woods

    Macomber Woods in Framingham is a woodland oasis that encompasses an upland forest, a babbling brook, and wooded wetlands. There is evidence of human handiwork in the stonework, cattle guards, and century-old wisteria vines and rhododendrons, but clearly the property has been untouched for decades. New England Wild Flower Society will sponsor a walk with Roland “Boot” Boutwell on May 22 from 10 – 2. We expect to see a host of spring wildflowers in bloom, including Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana), pink lady’s-slippers (Cypripedium acaule – picture below from GoBotany!) and jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). Bring lunch. $38 for NEWFS members, $46 for nonmembers. Co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/wildflowers-of-macomber-woods

  • Wednesday, May 9, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Acton Arboretum in Flower

    The Acton Arboretum is a little gem situated on 53 acres of orchards, woodlands, and a small bog. The Friends of the Acton Arboretum have planted a host of spring ephemerals in the woodlands and many should be in full bloom during this New England Wildflower Society and Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions field trip on May 9 from 10 – 2. We hope to see wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), trout lily (Erythronium americanum), red and white trillium (Trillium spp) and many more. We’ll focus on wildflower ID as well as fun and interesting natural history. Bring lunch. $38 for members of sponsoring organizations, $46 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/acton-arboretum-in-flower

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  • Saturday, January 13, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Winter Botany

    Investigate the taxonomic characteristics of deciduous, evergreen, and some herbaceous plants in winter. Students will learn to use a dichotomous key and then identify a large inventory of twig and plant specimens. After lunch, the class will head into the Garden in the Woods. Bring a bag lunch, a hand lens, and a copy of Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs by William M. Harlow. Take home plant specimens. This one session New England Wild Flower Society class will take place Saturday, January 13 from 9:30 – 3:30, and is taught by Dr. William E. Kuriger. $80 for NEWFS and Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions members, $96 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/winter-botany

  • Saturday, November 4, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Bare Trees and Naked Shrubs

    No leaves? No problem! We will use a combination of branching patterns, bud and bark characteristics, habitat, persistent fruits, galls, and marcescent leaves to help identify woody plants in winter. We’ll head out onto conservation lands in Lexington and Winchester, MA, where we’ll take a close look at 18-20 common trees and shrubs. The New England Wild Flower Society program, co-sponsored with the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, will conclude indoors with a twig quiz and a hot beverage. Bring lunch and a hand lens if you have one. Boot Boutwell is your instructor, and the locations will be Whipple Hill in Lexington and Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester. $38 for sponsor members, $46 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/bare-trees-and-naked-shrubs

  • Sunday, October 8, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Pocket Peatlands

    Visit several pocket peatlands in the Groton Town Forest on Sunday, October 8 with ecologist Patricia Swain, the New England Wild Flower Society, and the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions. Many characteristic peatland species are present, but this trip will focus on the natural communities and their differences as well as variations among and within the peatlands, which include a bog, an acidic graminoid fen, and a shrub fen. Be prepared to get wet or wear hip boots or chest waders. The cost is $28 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $35 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/pocket-peatlands

  • Saturday, September 23, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm – Asters and Goldenrods

    In late summer and early fall, asters and goldenrods come into their own. The September 23 morning discussion with Ted Elliman at Garden in the Woods 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 New England Wild Flower 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. The session, cosponsored with the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, begins at 9:30 am and is $85 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $104 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/asters-and-goldrenrods

  • Wednesday, July 26 and Friday, July 28, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Tree Identification

    “I think that I shall never see/A poem lovely as a tree.” The trees of New England are both beautiful and an essential part of our flora. This two-session course will introduce you to 25- 30 common New England trees, emphasizing tree identification as well as natural history. Bring a hand lens and a bag lunch. The first class, on Wednesday, July 26 from 10 – 2, will be held at Garden in the Woods in Framingham; the second, on Friday, July 28 from 10 – 2, at an off-site location. Roland “Boot” Boutwell will lead, and the New England Wild Flower Society class is $106 for NEWFS members, $128 for nonmembers. Co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions.  Photo from www.lockeheemstra.com. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/tree-identification

  • Tuesday, January 10, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Wetland Shrubs in Winter

    Learn to identify wetland shrubs using branching patterns, bud and bark characteristics, habitat, persistent fruits, galls, and marcescent leaves. Garden in the Woods provides an excellent field site for study. We will begin with a short session indoors with instructor Roland “Boot” Boutwell, then head into the Garden for a close look at almost 20 native New England shrubs that grow in and around wetlands. Bring a bag lunch and a hand lens if you have one. The class will take place Tuesday, January 10 from 10 – 2, and is $53 for NEWFS members, $64 for nonmembers. Co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/wetland-shrubs-in-winter