Boston Flora

Tag: Monarch butterflies

  • Tuesday, September 10, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Wings, Webs, & Wonders: Milkweeds & Monarch Migration, Online

    Embark on a captivating journey into the enchanting world of Monarch Butterflies, a fascinating delight to see in flight or alighting on a warm summer day. Uncover the extraordinary bond Monarchs share with their habitat, particularly native milkweed plants which are essential to their life cycle and survival. Delve into the saga of their epic migration, one of nature’s greatest marvels, and learn how protecting milkweed habitats is crucial in safeguarding the future of these magnificent butterflies and their habitats. This Massachusetts Audubon Society online session takes place September 10 at 7 pm, and is $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at www.massaudubon.org

  • Wednesday, February 1, 12:00 noon Eastern – 100 Plants to Feed the Monarch Butterflies, with Stephanie Frischie, Online

    A book about planting for monarchs (and for motivated readers and gardeners) is not quite as wondrous as monarchs and their individual life cycles, their host relationship with milkweeds, or their annual migrations in North America, but it is something of a miracle. Only a few decades ago, the concept of creating native-plant gardens was just beginning to gain traction. Read more about this February 1 Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar and register HERE

    Stephanie Frischie provides pollinator and beneficial insect habitat expertise in Canada, the U.S. and Latin America for a range of land use types – farms, the energy infrastructure, natural areas, and urban green spaces. She also works with the native seed industry and researchers to plan and develop seed supply of important plant species for creating and restoring habitat. Ms. Frischie volunteers as a rare plant monitor with Plants of Concern and is the secretary of the International Network for Seed-based Restoration.

  • Saturday, August 7, 10:00 am and 2:00 pm – Butterfly Celebration Day: Release of Butterflies

    Spohr Gardens, 45 Fells Road in Falmouth, will mark Butterfly Celebration Day with two releases of butterflies at 10 am and 2 pm on August 7. This 6-acre woodland garden, next to Oyster Pond, is the perfect place for a walk with nature. Forget about the traffic, congestion, noise and pollution, and take a stroll through the garden’s paths and winding trails. Enjoy the literally thousands of beautiful flowers — daffodils, rhododendrons, azaleas, day lilies and more — or take a seat by the pond and just tune out for a bit.

    The fourth year of the butterfly grow and release project is coming to a close. At present, over 200 Monarchs, 20 Spicebush Swallowtails, about 20 White Cabbage, and 10 Painted Lady butterflies were raised and released. We had numerous Tiger Swallowtails, Red-Spotted Purples, Silver-spotted Skippers, Hummingbird Moths, and Pearl Crescents visited the flowers during July, August, and September of last year. For more information visit https://www.spohrgardens.org/

  • Monday, December 4, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Of Monarchs and Milkweed: A Story of Coevolution, Cultural History, and Conservation

    What if your host truly didn’t want you to visit? Found you intolerable, in fact, and didn’t want you to stay? You’d think that you’d be kicked out, but that isn’t the case with monarch butterflies and the common milkweed that supports their life cycle. Using striking visual imagery, evolutionary biologist Anurag Agrawal of Cornell University will speak about some of the natural history of monarchs and milkweed, the cultural importance of milkweed’s toxins, and the current predicament of monarch declines. The talk will be held in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum on Monday, December 4 at 7 pm. Dr. Agrawal is an award-winning scientist and educator, who has delved deeply into the coevolution of plants and animals. His book, Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution, will be available for purchase and signing. Fee: Free Arboretum member and student, $10 nonmember. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

  • Thursday, April 12, 10:00 am – The Green Garden: Earth-Friendly Gardening in New England

    Ellen Sousa, whose book, The Green Garden, offers a step-by-step way to make your garden more ecologically friendly, will speak at Elm Bank on Thursday, April 12, at 10:00 a.m. She will offer an illustrated talk on earth-friendly gardening in New England.

    Ellen enjoys a reputation as a renowned garden coach, working with homeowners who want to make their gardens more natural and welcoming to a variety of inhabitants. Many of those techniques are explained in her book, The Green Garden: a New England Guide to Planning, Planting and Maintaining the Eco-Friendly Habitat Garden, which was reviewed in the January Leaflet. Her ideas are put into practice at her central Massachusetts property, Turkey Hill Brook Farm, where she works with her husband, Robert.

    Ellen sets a high but reasonable threshold for her gardens; namely, that they must be sustainable for enjoyment by future generations. They should be beneficial in that they attract the animals and insects that were indigenous to our area before European settlement. Her goal is to gradually reverse the missteps made over a period of centuries. She acknowledges that doing so takes hard work, but that it can be done in small, manageable steps.

    But the results are both tangible and rewarding: Turkey Hill Brook Farm won the 2011 New England Wildflower Society’s Katherine T. Taylor Award for Private Gardens. The farm is also a certified Monarch Waystation.

    Everyone is welcome to attend the talk. There is no fee and light refreshments will be served. Copies of The Green Garden will be for sale. While no reservation is required, Librarian Maureen Horn says it would be helpful to have an idea of how many people to expect. You can call or email her at 617-933-4912 or MHorn@Masshort.org.

  • Sunday, January 30 – Friday, February 4 – Kingdom of the Monarchs

    The Harvard Museum of Natural History will sponsor a six day trip led by Dr. Alfonso Alonso beginning January 30 to Kingdom of the Monarchs.  One of the world’s most astounding natural events occurs each year in North America, featuring one of its most unlikely creatures, the delicate monarch butterfly.  Up to 300 million monarchs set flight on a remarkable 2,500 mile journey from the  northeastern US and Canada to their ancestral wintering grounds in the volcanic mountains of central Mexico.  Until recently, the location of their breeding grounds remained a mystery.  How an infant generation of butterflies finds it anew each year is still an enigma.  Join a small group to experience this moving phenomenon, as well as Mexico’s charming colonial villages.  There is an optional humpback whale post-extension.  Price $2,995 per person double occupancy, with a $545 single supplement available.  To learn more, log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu and click on World Expeditions: Travel.