Boston Flora

Tag: microbes

  • Sunday, November 11, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Rooted in Place: 3rd Annual Ecological Gardening Symposium

    This full-day program on November 11 at the Berkshire School in Sheffield focuses on managing the landscape sustainably, led by Neil Diboll, Jeff Lowenfels, Lee Buttala, and Dr. Robert J. Gegear. Please join us as we hear from the experts on topics relevant to all gardeners and growers.

    Neil Diboll: The American Garden: A Life or Death Situation

    Our gardens and landscapes are becoming increasingly important refuges for pollinators, birds, butterflies and other creatures as their former habitats disappear. Diboll will focus on the evolution of the American garden from solely a creation for enjoyment of the owners to becoming a biodiverse refuge for native plants and animals. He will share a step-by-step approach that will provide you with “tried and true” methods to convert a small area to a prairie garden or a large acreage to a beautiful meadow.

    A pioneer in the native plant industry and recognized internationally as an expert in native plant community ecology, Neil Diboll has guided the growth of Prairie Nursery for 30 years. He has dedicated his life to the propagation of native plants and their promotion as uniquely beautiful, ecologically beneficial and sustainable solutions for landscapes and gardens. In 2013 Neil was the recipient of the Great American Gardeners Award from the American Horticultural Society.

    Jeff Lowenfels: Teaming With Microbes and Fungi: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web

    No one ever fertilizes the Redwoods. How did these trees live over 500 years and grow to 380 feet without Miracle-Gro or other chemicals? In an extremely humorous and entertaining presentation, Jeff Lowenfels will tell you and show you how to successfully use the very same natural principles to maintain your yard and grow your gardens. No more chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other nasty chemicals and a lot less work as Jeff shows you how to team with the microbes in your soil! After just one extremely painless and entertaining hour even the ‘reluctant spouse’ will never use chemicals again. As more and more professionals in all aspects of horticulture are learning about the benefits of mycorrhizal fungi, these symbiotic fungi are becoming readily available to the public as a whole. All gardeners and growers need to learn about mycorrhizal fungi and how to use them as they make a huge, beneficial difference in so many ways. This talk gives you all you need to know, plus a few laughs. Jeff Lowenfels is the author of a trilogy of award winning books on plants and soil, and he is the longest running garden columnist in North America. Lowenfels is a national lecturer as well as a fellow, hall of fame member, and former president of the Garden Writers of America.

    Lee Buttala: The Return of the Species

    In a horticultural and agricultural universe where hybrids and vegetative propagation have become commonplace, the biodiversity of many species is being bottlenecked even by those with the best of intentions. In this talk about how to maintain the genetic breadth of species and varieties that allow them to adapt and evolve to local conditions and weather change, Lee Buttala advocates for the importance and ease of growing many of these plants from open-pollinated seed. Citing examples he has learned from writing about seed saving in relation to his work on the preservation of heirloom vegetables at Seed Savers Exchange, Buttala sets forward a simple approach to how we can all contribute to biodiversity in our own backyards, whether we are growing natives, vegetables or ornamental plants, in a manner which is economically and environmentally sound and satisfying, not to mention cost-effective and fun. Learn to preserve the biodiversity of the plant kingdom, one seed at a time.

    Lee Buttala is the Executive Director of Seed Savers Exchange, a seed bank dedicated to the sharing and saving of seeds that define America’s food and garden heritage, and the only non-governmental organization storing seed at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Formerly the director of marketing communications for BBG and the Preservation Manager for the Garden Conservancy, he is also the Chair of the Historic Landscapes Committee of the APGA. He was the Emmy-Award winning garden television producer for Martha Stewart Living, the creator of PBS’s Cultivating Life and editor of the award-winning book: The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Saving Seed. He also writes a weekly garden column for the Berkshire Edge and sits on the board of Hollister House Garden in Washington, CT. He studied garden design at the Chelsea Physick Garden, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Kyoto School of Art and Design.

    Dr. Robert J. Gegear: Humming a Different Tune: An Ecological Approach to Native Pollinator Conservation
    Pollinators are declining at an unprecedented rate worldwide due to human-induced rapid environmental change. These declines pose a significant threat to our food supply and consequently, there has been major focus on the development and implementation of conservation strategies to maintain pollination services to crop plants. However, the overwhelming majority of current strategies do not consider the keystone role that pollinators play in natural ecosystems, making them an ineffective tool for maintaining and restoring biodiversity. Dr. Robert Gegear of WPI Department of Biology and Biotechnology, and Director of the New England Bee-cology Project, researches and presents on the importance of developing an ecologically-focused approach to developing and maintaining your garden, citing examples from his ongoing field research in Massachusetts. Dr. Robert J. Gegear is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Director of the New England Bee-cology Project. Dr. Gegear’s current research focuses on Pollinator neuroecology and conservation, with particular focus on bumblebees native to Massachusetts.

    Sponsored by the Berkshire Botanical Garden, Red Lion Inn, Berkshire School, and the Seed Savers Exchange

    Tuition ($95 for BBG members, $105 for nonmembers) includes lunch. Register at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

    Image result for the seed garden the art and practice of seed saving

  • Tuesday, April 3, 6:00 pm – Life’s Engines: How Microbes Made Earth Habitable

    Paul Falkowski, Distinguished Professor, Bennett L. Smith Chair in Business and Natural Resources, Departments of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, will speak on Tuesday, April 3 at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street, on the topic Life’s Engines: How Microbes Made Earth Habitable. The free public lecture is part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Dr.s Herman and Joan Suit.

    For almost four billion years, microbes had the primordial oceans all to themselves. Over time, they transformed the chemistry of our planet, making it habitable for plants, animals, and humans. Paul Falkowski will discuss how microbes made life on Earth possible—and how human life would cease without them today. By examining the inner workings of these miniature “engines” and the processes by which they are built and assembled—like building blocks— within every creature that walks, swims, or flies, he will reveal how microbes are the great stewards of life on Earth.

    Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. This event will be livestreamed on the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture Facebook page. Check https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/life%E2%80%99s-engines-how-microbes-made-earth-habitable the day of the program for a direct video link. A recording of this program will be available on our YouTube channel approximately three weeks after the lecture.

    https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/styles/large_body/public/imagefield_crop/field_image/person/paul_g_falkowski_0.png?itok=aK2tJ4XW

  • Sunday, November 12, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Microbes Mini-Festival

    Sunday, November 12, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Microbes Mini-Festival

    Join Harvard Museum of Natural History educators, Harvard researchers, and the Art+Bio Collaborative on Sunday, November 12 from 1 – 4 to investigate the world of microbes through observation, stories, and art explorations. Try hands-on activities, observe real microbes hiding in unexpected places, and learn about their role in our lives. Explore the new HMNH exhibit, World in a Drop: Photographic Explorations of Microbial Life, and leave with new perspectives.

    World in a Drop explores the minuscule ecosystem within a single drop of water, home to an astonishing diversity of organisms busily living out their lives and interconnected by myriad complex relationships. The photographic exhibit  is an aesthetic journey into this microbial world, as revealed through cutting-edge imaging technologies. With expertly executed photography, videography, and poetic narration, Scott Chimileski and Roberto Kolter capture the intrinsic beauty of a mysterious world that is seldom recognized. Special Event. Regular museum admission rates apply. Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Monday, March 19, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Exploring Terra Incognita: The Extraordinary Diversity of Microbes on Us, In Us, and Around Us

    Microorganisms are ubiquitous and abundant on Earth. You inhale thousands of microbial cells in every breath and your body is home to 100 trillion of them. Only in the past few years have we been able to describe the enormous diversity of microorganisms that live in familiar environments, including your forehead, your computer keyboard, plant leaves, and the soil in your garden. Noah Fierer, Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Fellow at the Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder, will speak on Monday, March 19, from 7 – 8:30, in the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum, about recent work exploring microbial diversity on the human body, the effects these organisms (most of which are not pathogenic) may have on our health, and how we may be able to use bacteria for forensic identification. He will also discuss ongoing work exploring bacterial diversity in the atmosphere through which unexpected sources of airborne bacteria in U.S. cities have been identified. He will finish by highlighting some future research directions in the burgeoning field of microbial ecology and how this research will likely alter how we think about ‘germs’ and human-microbe interactions. The lecture is free, but registration is required by calling 617-384-5277, or by visiting www.arboretum.harvard.edu.