Boston Flora

Tag: Mount Auburn Cemetery

  • Tuesday, June 14, 5:30 pm – From Lichens to Lindens: A Walk Through Plant Evolution

    The botanical family tree has been dramatically rewritten in recent years, as DNA analysis has brought a refined understanding of how plants evolved from primitive forms.  Robin Hazard Ray and Jim Gorman will lead a botanical tour through Mount Auburn Cemetery on Tuesday, June 14, beginning at 5:30 pm, to demonstrate the cemetery’s diverse plant collection, victors of the struggle for survival over geologic time.  $5 for Friends of Mount Auburn, $10 for non-members.  To register, call 617-607-1952, or email Michelle Pizzillo at mpizzillo@mountauburn.org.  Photo by Alida Thorpe.

  • Sunday, April 17, 1:00 pm – Plants from the Bible

    The Friends of Mount Auburn would like to welcome you to visit Mount Auburn Cemetery on Sunday, April 17, beginning at 1 pm, for a walking tour entitled Plants from the Bible.  Jim Gorman will identify plants known with either certainty or probability to be growing in Biblical times.  Additionally, he may visit closely allied species – relatives of plants mentioned in the Scriptures.  Consider this tour a walking recollection of the Holy Land.  The fee is $5 for Friends of Mount Auburn, $10 for non-members.  For more information, call 617-607-1952.  Below is spikenard, from Song of Songs.

  • Wednesday, March 9, 10:00 am – Tree and Shrub Pruning Workshop

    Join Darryl Sullivan and Jonathan Webb, Mount Auburn’s Gardening Supervisor and Arbor Supervisor, for this walk and hands-on demonstration to learn about pruning ornamental trees and shrubs, Wednesday, March 9 beginning at 10 am at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge. They will discuss pruning methods and tools and look at examples. Bring your questions and hand pruners. Space is limited. $5 for Friends of Mt. Auburn, $10 for everyone else. For more information, to register, and to find out where to meet, call 617-607-1982, or email mpizzillo@mountauburn.org. Rain/snow date: March 11, 2011.  Hand colored engraving below by Bartlett.

  • Tuesday, February 15, 1:00 pm – Conifers: Suviving Winter with Grace

    The “flowering plants” that get all our attention during the growing season have finally cleared the stage. It’s now time to see another group of plants shine.

    Mount Auburn’s conifer collection is notable for its diversity (nearly 80 different types) and depth (more than 1,500 plants). Some of the specimens are truly unique for their great age, impressive size or rarity.

    On Tuesday, February 15 at 1 pm, join Dennis Collins, Mount Auburn’s Horticultural Curator, for a walk to see and learn about some of the many conifers that make up this ancient and sometimes under-appreciated group of plants. $5 for Friends of Mt. Auburn, $10 non-members. Call 617-607-1982, or log on to www.mountauburn.org for more information, or to register.

  • Wednesday, January 19, 7:00 pm – Celebrating Tu B’Shvat: New Year for Trees

    Everyone is invited to Mount Auburn Cemetery on Wednesday, January 19 beginning at 7 pm to participate in this annual birthday of the trees during which we will explore the significance of trees and our relationships with them—in the world, in Jewish tradition, and in the history of Mount Auburn Cemetery. Natasha Nataniela Shabat, a Biblical Hebrew Teacher, will lead this interactive celebration in Bigelow Chapel. Please bring a poem or writing that reflects your own appreciation of trees; readings will also be provided. This celebration will also include traditional Tu B’Shvat nuts, fruits, and juice. Limited enrollment; preregistration required.
    Fee: $5 members; $10 non-members. Log on to www.mountauburn.org to register, or for more information.

  • Sunday, January 2, 1:00 pm – Cherubs and Angels of Mount Auburn

    Start the New Year with a walking tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery on Sunday, January 2 at 1 pm. Images of celestial beings are found throughout the Cemetery, proudly posing on pedestals or tucked into the decorations of many monuments. Can you find them? Join Mount Auburn Docent Rosemarie Smurzynski for an exploration of the grounds, seeking cherubs and angels in marble and granite.  Fee: $5 members; $10 non-members. Register online at www.mountauburn.org. Photo copyright 1998 by Kimberly Nyce.

  • Sunday, December 5, 1:00 pm – New England Champions

    Join Mount Auburn Cemetery Visitor Services Assistant Jim Gorman on Sunday, December 5 at 1:00 pm for a walk through Mount Auburn, an arboretum of national importance, to view its numerous trees that have been measured as the largest specimens of their respective species found within New England.  Rain or shine.  Admission is $5 for Friends of Mount Auburn, $10 for non-members.  Mount Auburn Cemetery is located at 580 Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge, and more information may be found at www.mountauburn.org, or by calling 617-876-4405.  Photo below of Camperdown elm by Monkeyfilter.

  • Thursday, November 18, 12:00 noon – Darwin’s American Champion: Asa Gray, Louis Agassiz, and The Debate over Evolution

    Following Darwin’s breakthrough on the theory of evolution in 1859, two of Harvard’s leading men of science squared off.  Biologist Louis Agassiz rejected evolution, keeping to his theory of multiple divine creations, while botanist Asa Gray (pictured below,) whose bicentennial is November 18, became Darwin’s chief champion in America.  Mount Auburn Cemetery Docent Robin Hazard Ray and Visitor Services Assistant Jim Gorman will discuss the  history of this conflict, and Gray’s research on the plants of eastern Asia that convinced him of Darwin’s theories, on Thursday, November 18, beginning at 12 noon.

    This program is part of Mount Auburn’s “Brown Bag Lunch Series.”  Bring your lunch and enjoy this lunch and learn opportunity.  During the fall and winter Mount Auburn staff and volunteers will present a series of free hour-long talks to shed light on the lives of those buried here.  All talks take place in Story Chapel.  Coffee and tea are provided, and the program is free.  Mount Auburn is located at 580 Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge, and for more information, log on to www.mountauburn.org, or call 617-607-1981.

  • Sunday, November 14, 1:00 pm – Monarchs of Mount Auburn

    Deeply rooted in our cultural history, the oak tree is often equated with strength and permanency.  Join Mount Auburn Visitor Services Assistant Jim Gorman for a walk to survey some of these aged monarchs (some of them even pre-date Mount Auburn) and recount oak facts and lore.  This rain or shine event will take place Sunday, November 14 beginning at 1:00 pm.  Admission is $5 for Mt. Auburn members, $10 for non-members.  Mount Auburn Cemetery is located at 580 Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge, and for more information you may call 617-607-1981. Picture below courtesy of Vulgare.

  • Saturday, October 9, 9:00 am – Walking Tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery

    Asa Gray’s central role in establishing Harvard as the botanical center of North America can be appreciated through the impressive landscape, history, and flora of the Mount Auburn Cemetery. Join Donald Pfister, Asa Gray Professor of Botany and Director of the Harvard Herbaria, for a Saturday, October 9 tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery, site of Gray’s grave and the Asa Gray Garden, and other sites of interest, including the monument to the lost members of the United States Exploring Expedition, Louis Agassiz’s grave, and numerous horticultural gems. Space is limited for this Harvard Museum of Natural History member tour. Pre-registration required. RSVP to members@oeb.harvard.edu, or call 617.496.6972 to learn more about membership in the museum.  The tour begins at 9 am, and there is a raindate of Sunday, October 10.  Part of the Asa Gray Bicentennial series. Photo below by KarenMarleneLarsen.