Boston Flora

Tag: Mt. Cuba Center

  • Wednesday, January 29, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – Unraveling Botanical Names, Online

    Scientific names offer precision and accuracy when identifying plants, but they can also intimidate even the most seasoned gardener. Mt. Cuba’s conservation scientist, Élan Alford, PhD, breaks down the various components in a Latin binomial, including why plants are named in this way and what a Latin name can teach us about a plant. This introductory course leaves you well prepared for any magazine article, nursery catalog, or class with a strong Latin component.

    Élan Alford, Plant Conservation Scientist at Mt. Cuba Center, earned a B.S. in Ecology & Evolution at the University of Pittsburgh and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Ecology at Colorado State University. Élan initially worked in ecological consulting where she conducted rare plant, habitat, and wetland surveys. With survey knowledge she aided clients to achieve their projects in a regulatory-compliant manner. After seeing many remarkable sites during her private-sector career, Élan transitioned from finding practical and responsible environmental solutions in development to a conservation-centered approach. Now Elan focuses on using survey and data to tell native plant stories.

    This Mt. Cuba Center program takes place online on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/unraveling-botanical-names-online/

  • Saturday, February 4, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm – The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds, Online

    Even as scientists make discoveries about navigational and physiological feats that enable migratory birds to cross immense oceans or fly above the highest mountains, go weeks without sleep or remain in unbroken flight for months, humans have brought many migratory birds to the brink. Based on his bestselling new book A World on the Wing, author and researcher Scott Weidensaul takes attendees around the globe — with researchers in the lab probing the limits of what migrating birds can do, to the shores of the Yellow Sea in China, the remote mountains of northeastern India where tribal villages saved the greatest gathering of falcons on the planet, and the Mediterranean, where activists and police are battling bird poachers — to learn how people are fighting to understand and save the world’s great bird migrations.

    Scott Weidensaul is the author of nearly 30 books on natural history, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist Living on the Wind. Weidensaul is a contributing editor for Audubon and writes for a variety of other publications, including Living Bird. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society and an active field researcher, studying saw-whet owl migration for more than two decades, as well as winter hummingbirds in the East, bird migration in Alaska, and the winter movements of snowy owls through Project SNOWstorm, which he co-founded. A native of Pennsylvania, he and his wife now life in New Hampshire.

    This Mt. Cuba Center program takes place online Saturday, February 4, 2023. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/the-global-odyssey/

  • Saturday, January 15, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm – For Us and Them: Edible Native Plants to Feed Us All, Online

    Ask ten folks why they grow plants and you’re likely to get a variety of answers. The most common reasons are often aesthetic in nature—we like the look of a garden; it gives us a place to relax or play or drink wine with friends. However, simple beauty is not always enough, and in the modern era complicated issues such as sustainability and food stability are becoming more commonplace. Which plants will have the greatest ecological impacts? Which edibles are resistant to diseases and pests? What if you could have it all? Join Dan Jaffe Wilder as he explains how to create beautiful, edible landscapes that feed both us and wildlife using low maintenance native plants that also support the local ecosystem.

    This Mt. Cuba Center program is part of its Winter Lecture Series and takes place online Saturday, January 15 at 11 am Eastern. Register ($25) at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/for-us-and-them-edible-native-plants-to-feed-us-all-online/

    About the Instructor:
    Dan Jaffe Wilder is the Ecological Horticulturist for Norcross Wildlife Foundation specializing in native plant ecology, plant propagation, wildlife habitat construction, and native edible landscapes. His professional experience has ranged from nurseries to botanical gardens to wildlife refuges. A prolific photographer and author, Dan’s book Native Plants for New England Gardens was released in 2018.

    Cuba Center

  • Thursday, November 11, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Ecosystem Management: How Plant Diversity Influences Bird Conservation, Online

    Plant diversity across the landscape affects bird conservation and management in all ecosystems and regions. Join Natasza Fontaine and the Mt. Cuba Center as she discusses the interaction of native plants and birds in the largest U.S. National Forest in the state of Florida, the Apalachicola National Forest. There are numerous natural community types throughout the National Forest with mesic flatwoods covering over 200, 000 acres. This talk will describe some of the unique plants and processes found in this beautiful mosaic landscape, and then focus on the relationship between vegetation structure, plant species composition, and avian diversity during fall, winter, and spring.

    This program takes place online Thursday, November 11. $19. Register at www.mtcubacenter.org.

    About the Instructor:
    Natasza Fontaine has volunteered at several conservation organizations, including NYC Audubon, and worked in the Herbarium department at the New York Botanical Garden. Her love of plants has always been deeply intertwined with her love of birds. This passion inspired her current thesis work at Florida State University on understanding the relationship between plant diversity and avian habitat associations. In addition, Natasza has a passion for behavioral bioacoustics and how bioacoustics are used to monitor biodiversity.

  • Wednesday, November 17, 12:00 noon – Nature’s Sanctuary: Challenges of and Solutions for a SITES Gold Landscape

    Join the Ecological Landscape Alliance and Horticulturist Gregg Tepper online on November 17 at noon to learn about and understand the history and challenges of a SITES Gold landscape and real-world solutions to achieve the desired results. From the site’s creation in 2008 and original design intent, to 2020 and its evolved management plan, Tepper will share the difficulties faced and detailed, pragmatic solutions needed to overcome them. The topics include invasive species and stormwater mitigation, native plant choices, and maintenance strategies effectively utilized for this managed-succession site. From its current existence as a meadow through its future progression to a late-succession woodland, you’ll learn what Tepper has planned, and you’ll find the revealed surprise of this truly unique site. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org

    Gregg Tepper is a professional horticulturist, lecturer, consultant, and lifelong native plant enthusiast. After studying Ornamental Horticulture at the University of Delaware and several years creating his own ornamental and native plant gardens, Mr. Tepper started a horticultural maintenance business designing and managing private gardens in southeast Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. He went on to work at Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, DE where he held the positions of Horticulturist, Woods Path Horticulturist, and Director of Horticulture. Subsequently he was Director of Horticulture and board member of Delaware Botanic Gardens in Dagsboro, DE. He was instrumental in developing the initial horticultural mission, leading the garden steward volunteers, and implementing a two-acre meadow designed by world-renown garden designer Piet Oudolf. Mr. Tepper is now the Horticulturist at the Arboretum at Laurel Hill and West Laurel Hill Cemeteries in Philadelphia, PA where he manages various display gardens including Nature’s Sanctuary, a SITES Gold credited landscape. Gregg has lectured extensively in the United States and Great Britain. Also, he is co-author of the book Deer-resistant Native Plants for the Northeast.

  • Wednesday, May 1, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – A Grassland Restoration Tale of Weeds, Wildlife, and Renewal

    Restoring weed-dominated habitats comes with many complex challenges and often involves difficult tradeoffs. This process is even more complicated in public landscapes with diverse constituencies. Join landscape designer Jenna Webster, co-curator of the New Directions in the American Landscape conference, and a teacher in the Ecological Gardening Certificate program at the Mt. Cuba Center, on May 1 at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library at 449 Broadway in Cambridge to learn how Larry Weaner Landscape Associates negotiated these challenges in their restoration planning for a 100-acre grassland at Croton Point Park in New York. Located atop a capped landfill, this site provides vital habitat for imperiled bird species. The Park’s popularity and complex history led Jenna and her team to seek stakeholder input, synthesize crowd-sourced ecological data, and utilize scientific research— creating a thoughtful restoration plan that is now under construction. This case study gives us valuable lessons for land restoration on sites both large and small, and particularly for protecting specialized habitat used by native wildlife.

    The Grow Native Massachusetts free program is part of its Evenings with Experts 2019 slate.

    Image result for croton point park Larry Weaner

  • Thursday, October 18 – Saturday, October 20 – Gardener’s Study Weekend in the Brandywine Valley and Perennial Plant Symposium at Scott Arboretum

    Join Berkshire Botanical Garden staff members October 18 – 20 for a three-day study weekend in the Brandywine Valley of Pennsylvania. The cornerstone of this trip includes attendance to the Perennial Plant Conference held at the extraordinary Scott Arboretum located on the campus of Swarthmore College. Attended by professionals and avid home gardeners from the northeast and mid-Atlantic states, this conference is by far the most sophisticated, cutting edge gardening conference held on the East Coast. This three-day trip includes transportation, tours of exceptional gardens and admission to a world class gardening conference. There will be a bit of free time for relaxing and resting weary feet! The BBG staff is eager to share this wonderful gardening adventure with you.

    Included in the $1,075 cost:

    Motor coach transportation
    Attendance to the Fall Perennial Plant Conference at Swarthmore College
    Admission to Mt. Cuba Center, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA, Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore, PA
    Overnight accommodation Thursday and Friday night.
    All breakfasts and lunches.

    Evening meals are on your own; a variety of different restaurants are located within walking distance of the hotel. The cost includes a $150 tax deductible donation to the Berkshire Botanical Garden. This trip is for Berkshire Botanical members only, so join now.

    Withdrawals: To withdraw your registration from a class, please contact us as soon as possible so we can make your space available to others. If you give us at least 7 days’ notice prior to the event, we will refund you less an administrative fee equaling 25% of the program cost. To register, visit https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/gardener%E2%80%99s-study-weekend-brandywine-valley-perennial-plant-symposium-scott-arboretum

    Image result for scott arboretum

  • Tuesday, February 23, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Principles of Ecological Landscape Design: Getting It Right

    There is growing expectation and demand that designed landscapes from public parks to backyards should not only be  beautiful and functional, but also sustainable. For constructed landscapes to perform as we need them to, we must get their underlying ecology right. Based upon his recently released Principles of Ecological Landscape Design, Travis Beck helps translate the science of ecology into design practice.

    In this February 23rd Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar from 12 – 1 EST, Mr. Beck explains key ecological concepts and their application to the design and management of sustainable landscapes. Through photos and descriptions, Travis Beck takes us on a tour of Mt. Cuba Center, discussing the real world implementation of ecological concepts from his book.

    Located in the Piedmont region of Delaware, Mt. Cuba Center is a botanical garden that spans nearly 600 acres of natural lands, grounds, naturalistic and formal gardens. Moving along a continuum from the wildest to the most intensively managed areas, Beck will shed light on the opportunities and challenges of applying ecological understanding to landscape design and management.

    Travis Beck is the Director of Horticulture at Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware, where he oversees the care and evolution of 582 acres of native plant gardens and natural areas. Prior to Mt. Cuba, Travis worked at the New York Botanical Garden, where he managed large landscape design and construction projects. He is a registered landscape architect and holds a master’s degree in Horticulture from The Ohio State University. His book, Principles of Ecological Landscape Design, published in 2013 by Island Press, applies current scientific thinking to the design and management of successful, sustainable landscapes. – See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/principles-of-ecological-landscape-design-getting-it-right/#sthash.56bDSztJ.dpuf. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers.