Boston Flora

Tag: NEWFS

  • Thursday, October 8, 3:30 – 5:30 pm – Seed Safari

    The New England Wild Flower Society is sponsoring a family program entitled Seed Safari – Study and Collect Seeds, on Thursday, October 8, from 3:30 – 5:30 at the Garden in the Woods in Framingham.  Seeds explode like grenades, shoot like cannons, stick like glue, float like feathers, all in an effort to disperse themselves.  Bonnie Drexler shows how to collect seeds from around the Garden and study them, using all of your senses as well as powerful stereo-microscopes.  Make a seed display to take home and plant some pots of wildflower, shrub, and tree seeds to sprout in the spring.  $12 for members of NEWFS, $14 for non-members.  Pre-registration is necessary.  You may phone 508-877-7630, ext. 3303, or email registrar@newenglandWILD.org.  For additional information log on to www.newfs.org.

    http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/~kenr/prairiephotos/ascltube.seeds.comose2.jpg

  • Saturday, October 10, 10 am – 2 pm – Double Drumlin with Fire

    Join the New England Wild Flower Society on a hike botanizing two different communities formed by two dramatic glacial features:  a double drumlin and a kettlehole, owned by The Trustees of Reservations. We visit Weir Hill Reservation with Frances Clark and walk through 80 acres of field and woodland under fire management.  Oaks, hickories, blueberries, grasses, and sedges, with a variety of fall wildflowers of various colors highlight the mosaic formed by different burning regimes.  Descending from these dry slopes, we enter a wet meadow and visit the Ward Reservation to investigate the classic kettlehole bog, one of the best examples in eastern Massachusetts.   The colors should be spectacular, with many end-of-season fruits and flowers.   This botany hike emphasizes the different ecologies of these very different sites. Walking is on a wide but steep path over the drumlin, moist in the meadow, and easy along the board walk through the bog.  Bring Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Peterson’s Fern Guide, and a hand lens, as well as water and lunch.  Limit 15 participants, fee is $32 for NEWFS or Trustees of Reservations members, $36 for non members.  To register, log on to http://www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.

    http://www.townofnorthandover.com/Pages/NAndoverMA_Conservation/StevensPd1.jpg

  • Saturday, October 3, 10 – 2 – Ecology of a Barrier Beach

    Explore one of the Cape’s largest and most spectacular barrier beach ecosystems, Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, with an emphasis on identifying common plants and many species of wildlife that live here. The hike, led by C. Diane Boretos, will take you through heather-covered secondary dunes, along the 4,000 year-old Great Barnstable Marsh, and into a mature maritime forest. As you investigate the fall flora, you’ll look for track and sign of fox, osprey, deer, coyote, and northern diamondback terrapin. This program is sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society, and is limited to 15 participants.  Cost is $32 for members of NEWFS, $36 for nonmembers.  To register, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7639.

    Barrier Beach HDR-Pano by elventear.

  • Sunday, October 18, noon – 4 pm – Fall Family Festival

    The New England Wild Flower Society holds its Fall Family Festival at Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts, on Sunday, October 18, from noon to four.  Explore the changing season and enjoy special events, prior to the closing of the Garden for the season on October 31.  For more invormation, call 508-877-7630, ext. 3405, or log on to www.newfs.org.

  • Tuesday, October 6, 7:00 – 9:00 pm – Framework Trees of New England

    Trees are the dominant plant type of New England, with forests covering most of the land area.  Instructor Karen Sebastian addresses identification and natural history of individual species as well as forest ecology. Since understanding today’s forests requires familiarity with their history, she will review the changing landscape from the Ice Age through European settlement. Students learn to identify native New England trees and their habitats, to recognize different aged stands (pioneer, second growth, and other growth) and become familiar with forest communities of the northeastern temperate region.

    You will consider the natural conditions and human disturbance factors that produce the different forest associations. Weekend field trips take you to a variety of forest types off-site. Bring a bag lunch and water.

    Location:
    Garden in the Woods
    Framingham , MA

    Sponsor: New England Wildflower Society and Arnold Arboretum
    Time(s): Tues. Oct. 6,13, 20, 27 from 7-9 p.m.; Sat. Oct 17, noon-4 p.m.; Sat. Oct. 24, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
    Cost: $176 (Member) / $204 (Non-Member); pre-registration is necessary
    Phone: 508-877-7630, ext. 3303
    Email: registrar@newenglandWILD.org
    http://www.newfs.org/learn/adult/by-month/oct/

  • Wednesday, October 7, 10 a.m. – 12 noon – Secret Garden in Sudbury

    Through a white picket fence, discover an enchanting series of spaces, each with a different theme and focus, on this garden tour sponsored by The New England Wild Flower Society on Wednesday, October 7, from 10 – noon.  Landscape architect Karen Sebastian describes the collaborative design process working with clients and contractors and then leads a tour through this recently completed project. The woodland-themed entry garden thrives under mature trees with shade tolerant shrubs and perennials.  The Secret Garden is a quiet shady retreat with a focus on foliage and texture, planted with a mix of native and non-natives, including ferns, viburnums, hydrangeas and boxwoods. The terrace garden is a hub of family activity with an out door kitchen and dining area. The wide joints between the irregular bluestone paving stones are planted with a variety of thymes, sagina, and sedums.  Stone seating walls surround a raised central bed planted with a Cornus kousa and the raised stone vegetable garden with a pergola.  The Children’s Play Area is a “woodland adventure trail” with a stepping stone path, swings, a slide, and even a tree house.  Fee is $20 for NEWFS members, $24 for non-members, and is limited to 20 participants.  For more information, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.

    http://fineartamerica.com/images-medium/autumn-fence-jim-bachmeier.jpg

  • Sunday, September 27, 11 am – 3 pm – Hop Brook Floodplain Walk

    The secluded Tyringham Valley is one of the most scenic areas in the southern Berkshires.  This field trip will take us through a variety of natural and pastoral landscapes, climaxing with a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside from the top of the Tyringham Cobble, a natural area owned by the Trustees of Reservations.  We will look closely at the flora of the Hop Brook floodplain, a calcareous wetland community with a remarkable variety of grasses, sedges, and wildflowers, including several rare species.  As we hike towards Tyringham Cobble, we will explore successional old fields and mixed hardwoods-hemlock slopes.  Songbirds and butterflies, as well as wildflowers, grace the meadows of this special area.  The hike is about 4 miles long and moderately strenuous.  Wear suitable foot gear (feet may get wet in the floodplain) and bring a lunch.  The walk on Sunday, September 27, will begin at 11 a.m., will be led by Ted Elliman, is limited to 15 participants, and is co-sponsored by The Trustees of Reservations. $40 fee for members of NEWFS and The Trustees of Reservations, $45 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.

    http://www.newfs.org/visit/picture-gallery/Fall/Fall%20Foliage%20GITW%20S.Ziglar%2010.14.08%20011.jpg/image_preview

  • Sunday, September 13, 10 am – 3 pm – Mastering Asters – Nasami Farm Workshop

    Asters can be among the more difficult species of native plants to identify in the field, for both amateurs and professionals. However, they are an important family of plants to know, for they comprise a substantial proportion of the late summer and fall-blooming herbaceous flora of our region. They’re also beautiful and have an exquisite structure which makes them exciting to study.

    This workshop will focus on identifying 15-20 of the most common species – the ones most likely to be found in the wild most of the time. A field trip to a natural area close to the classroom will follow a two-hour lab.

    Please note that this subject is somewhat technical. An identification key and other handouts will be provided. Bring hand lens, bag lunch, and wear hiking boots for damp conditions.

    Location:
    Nasami Farm
    128 North Street
    Whately , MA 01373

    Sponsor: New England Wild Flower Society
    Time(s): 10 a.m – 3 p.m.
    Cost: $55 (NEWFS Member) / $65 (Nonmember)
    Phone: 508-877-7630, ext. 3303
    Fax: 508-877-3658
    Email: registrar@newenglandwild.org

    http://www.botany.wisc.edu/art/images/outreach/thumbs%20posters/asters.jpg

  • Saturday, September 26, 10 am – 2 pm – Sustainable Gardens at the Perkins School

    On Saturday, September 26, from 10 – 2, join Sonia Baerhuk, lead grounds-person, for a tour of the extensive campus at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, the country’s first school for the visually impaired, founded in 1832. The school’s sustainable garden highlights range from the leaf and fallen tree composting systems to a tropical “Cathedral” greenhouse that operates without the use of chemicals. See the two recently installed rain gardens funded by a grant from the Watertown Community Foundation, as well as orchards that grow with biological controls and visit several native plant gardens.  The smells, textures and sounds in the various gardens enrich the lives of students, staff and visitors. Bring a bag lunch. Sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society, $35 for NEWFS members, $42 for nonmembers, limited to 20 participants.  For more information, directions, and to register, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.

    http://support.perkins.org/images/content/pagebuilder/15915.gif

  • Saturday, September 26, 11 am – 3 pm – Ferns of the Blue Hills

    The Blue Hills Reservation is the largest preserved natural area in eastern Massachusetts. It has quite a few spots that are rich in ferns. Join the New England Wild Flower Society and instructors Don Lubin and Raymond Abair on Saturday, September 26 at 11 am. They plan to  travel a new route and see more than a dozen fern species, including dramatic large displays of Virginia chain fern, ostrich fern (below), and Christmas ferns. Wear long pants for poison ivy and bring a lunch and hand lens.  Participants limited to 15, fee $32 for members of NEWFS, $36 for nonmembers.  To register, call 508-877-7630, or log on to www.newfs.org.

    http://www.fernridgefarms.com/images/OstrichFern.jpg