Boston Flora

Tag: Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary

  • Wednesday, December 8, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Taking on the Big Places: How to Build and Maintain Self-Sufficient Landscapes, Online

    There are a variety of strategies for landscape maintenance that gardeners employ, but mulching, weeding, planting, and various other tasks become problematic when we start looking at acres instead of square feet. How does one manage a woodland as opposed to a woodland garden? What strategies can be applied to multi-acre meadows? How can we manage for specific species when getting down on our knees and weeding is not a viable option? Join Jaffe Wilder, author and ecological horticulturist, and The Ecological Landscape Alliance online on December 8 at noon to explore how to manage the big places. With case studies from Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary he will explain various strategies for creating and maintaining large landscapes with ecology and self-sustainability at the forefront.

    Photographer and author Dan Jaffe Wilder has over fifteen years’ experience with ecological horticulture. He is a propagator of native species, the photographer and co-author of Native Plants for New England Gardens, and a lecturer on numerous topics including pollinators, sustainable landscape practices, foraging and cultivation of edible species, low-maintenance horticulture, among others. He has developed a native plant horticultural database (https://plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.org/Plant-Search) and has years of nursery management experience. Dan earned a degree in botany from the University of Maine, Orono, and an advanced certificate in Native Plant Horticulture and Design from Native Plant Trust (formerly New England Wild Flower Society). He is the Horticulturalist and Propagator for Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Wales, MA and is currently building his own home-scale homestead, growing and foraging numerous edible species, preserving and cooking whenever possible, and raising small animals.

  • Saturday, August 14 (Rain Date August 21) – Rare Fall Blooms Walk

    From high, dry glacial ridgetops to swamps and bogs, Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Monson, Massachusetts is a unique blend of natural, semi-natural and built landscapes. With over 8000 acres, NWS is one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in the area and at its center is a 75-acre core complete with walking trails for the public to enjoy. Specifically timed to overlap with the bloom season for some of the rarer plants at the sanctuary, participants in this New England Botanical Club summer field trip on August 14 can expect to see Plymouth gentian (Sabatia kennedyana) pictured below, sickle-leaved golden aster (Pityopsis falcata), flat-topped goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum) and more.

    We will follow COVID-19 Regulations & Guidance | Mass.gov as the minimum safety standard for our field trips. Attendees sharing a car with other participants as part of a field trip are expected to wear masks during the car ride, unless everyone is fully vaccinated. Anyone who is not vaccinated is requested to wear a mask, except while they are outdoors, and to maintain appropriate social distance from others on the trip. Summer day field trips are informal, small-group outings to explore interesting places and to see interesting plants, facilitated by knowledgeable and enthusiastic leaders. Bring your lunch, water, insect repellent, field guides, hand lens, and curiosity. Be prepared for the terrain and level of difficulty indicated for each trip. You should contact the trip leader at least 1 week in advance to register and to get time and directions. Trips will be limited to 10 participants. Contact Dan Jaffe Wilder (danjwilder@norcrosswildlife.org) for times, more information and to register.

  • Saturday, May 15, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – What is That Plant?

    Join Tower Hill Botanic Garden and Leslie Duthie on May 15 at 9:30 outside at the garden for a lesson in plant identification. instead of “Hey, what has yellow petals and is growing over there?” you will learn what to look at and how to determine leaf arrangement, pick out flower parts, and look at growth habits. Then, we will use our new skills in the inner park and a field guide to actually identify what that plant is! We will provide a field guide to use for each person. Bring a hand lens and your enthusiasm!

    Leslie is the horticulturist/plant propagator at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Wales, MA where she gardens for wildlife and habitat types. She has 40 years of experience in native plant gardens.

  • Wednesday, November 4, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Native Shrubs: Colorful Throughout the Year Webinar

    Shrubs are an important part of the New England landscape. Learn about a variety of native shrubs and where they will thrive that provide nice fall color, interesting fruits, or unusual growth habits. Most of these shrubs are also important landscape components for our migratory songbirds and other wildlife. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden program will be held virtually. Once you register you will receive a Zoom link in the confirmation. This November 4 webinar from 6:30 – 7:30 will also be RECORDED and available for 2 months to all registrants. $10 for Tower Hill members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

    Leslie Duthie, the instructor, is the horticulturist/plant propagator at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Wales, Massachusetts, where she gardens for wildlife and habitat types. She has 40 years of experience in native plant gardens.

  • Wednesday, April 1, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Designing with Plant Communities – Postponed

    Grow Native Massachusetts is proud to present our 2020 Evenings with Experts lecture series. These talks at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, are free and open to all.

    Join us for this April 1 talk beginning at 7 pm with Dan Jaffe, Horticulturist at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary.

    All too often, during the design process, we think of plants on an individual or species basis. Yet in the landscape, plants are constantly interacting with one another in intricate ways. What happens if we create planting plans focused on complete systems rather than collections of individuals?

    Join us to learn how to create healthy, resilient plant communities that are beautiful and ecologically vibrant. Dan Jaffe will discuss how to select and combine the right species for specific site conditions, and how this community-oriented approach can be applied to plantings of all sizes.

    Dan Jaffe is passionate about ecological horticulture, and enhancing the wildlife value of every landscape. Prior to joining Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, he was the senior plant propagator at Garden in the Woods. He is the co-author of Native Plants for New England Gardens, which features his captivating photographs.

    Thank you to our community partners, the Cambridge Public Library, Mount Auburn Cemetery and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, for their support of this series.

  • Saturday, November 2, 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Seed Collecting

    Learn techniques for collecting, storing and stratifying seed to increase your plant collection. Not all plants produce seed that will come true, but our native plants are easy ones to collect, store and grow. The Tower HIll Botanic Garden class will spend some time in the garden collecting seed and discussing how to handle that seed, we will clean some seed and each student will have the opportunity to take home some seed. Finally we will discuss the best ways to germinate most seed. Class takes place November 2 from 1:30 – 4:30 (rain date November 3), and is $39 for Tower Hill members, $53 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

    Leslie Duthie is the horticulturist/plant propagator at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Wales MA where she gardens for wildlife and habitat types. She has 40 years of experience in native plant gardens.

  • Sunday, October 20, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Going Native: How to Transition Your Garden

    One question frequently arises as gardeners are inspired to transition away from traditional gardens filled with non-native plants and lawn: where do I start? On Sunday, October 20 at 1 pm in Jennison Hall at Bentley University, 175 Forest Street in Waltham, horticulturist Dan Jaffe will help us explore a range of strategies for making a landscape more ecologically beneficial, given the size of the site and the resources available. Dan will delve deeply into plant selection, from choosing species with high value to biodiversity, to finding ones that thrive in challenging spots. He will also discuss key changes to landscaping practices that are just as important as shifting to a native plant palette. Whether you are an experienced gardener looking for a fresh approach, or a novice looking for the best way to begin, this program will give you the tools to create a beautiful and biodiverse landscape. The program is $42 for Grow Native Mass members, $52 for nonmembers. Register at www.grownativemass.org

    Dan Jaffe is the horticulturist and staff photographer at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary. He served as the plant propagator at Native Plant Trust for nine years, and is passionate about ecological horticulture, and building wildlife value into every landscape. He is the co-author of Native Plants for New England Gardens, which was published in the spring of 2018.

  • Thursday, September 19, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Native Grasses for Garden Interest

    Thursday, September 19, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Native Grasses for Garden Interest

    Warm season grasses are important for many of our native insects and provide late summer and winter interest in the garden. Grasses are great as background plants and also as specimens in the garden. Explore the unique qualities that makes them useful in our gardens in this Tower Hill Botanic Garden class on September 19 from 6 – 8 at 11 French Drive in Boylston with instructor Leslie Duthie.

    Leslie is the horticulturist/plant propagator at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Wales, Massachusetts, where she gardens for wildlife and habitat types. She has 40 years of experience in native plant gardens. $26 for Tower Hill members, $31 for the general public. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Thursday, July 11, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Growing Ferns from Spore

    Join the Ecological Landscape Alliance and the Native Plant Trust at 10 am on July 11 at Nasami Farm in Whately and learn easy methods for growing ferns from spores for your home! This class covers the morphology, life cycle, and vegetative propagation of ferns. You will also learn spore collection and storage techniques, and tips on how to identify when spores are ripe. Before you know it, you’ll have your own sporophytes! $33 for sponsor members, $40 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org.

    Leslie Duthie is a horticulturalist at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary. She has dedicated her career to learning about, gardening with, and propagating native plants. A life-long gardener, Leslie’s devotion to ferns began the first time she grew a fern from spore. The gardens of Norcross are full of plants that she has raised and her knowledge of the ferns is extensive. Leslie has a BS in Plant Science and has experience in greenhouse growing of both landscape plants and native plants. She works with the local Land Trust and Conservation Commission to preserve land for both our native plants and wildlife as well as for people to enjoy.

  • Thursday, August 2 – Sunday, August 5 – Northeast Chapter Dragonfly Society of the Americas Regional Meeting

    Massachusetts is generally well-studied for Odonata, but Hampden County has received less attention than most of the state. The Nature Conservancy has invited the Dragonfly Society of the Americas to survey the Stebbins Wildlife Refuge, which includes extensive swamp and floodplain as well as a section of the Connecticut River. The town of Wilbraham has granted us permission to explore its McDonald Farm Nature Preserve, home to the state’s westernmost and farthest-inland Atlantic White Cedar swamp and extensive Sphagnum bog habitat. The Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary has also laid out a welcome mat for us, and we have several other intriguing chunks of habitat to explore. At the top of our target species list are the three species of Stylurus, the Arrow (S. spiniceps), Zebra (S. scudderi), and (most tantalizingly, pictured below) Riverine Clubtail (S. amnicola); Ocellated Darner (Boyeria grafiana); and, of course, as many Somatochlora species as we can find.

    Our headquarters will be in Ludlow, Massachusetts, just off of the (in)famous Mass Pike, providing convenient access to points east or west, and not far from I-91 for easy north-south transit. We will be less than a half-mile from the Chicopee River. The I-91 Springfield-Holyoke corridor is heavily urbanized with lots of eating, sleeping, and other commercial options, but we’ll have no shortage of green spaces to explore both east and west of there.

    One day of our field trips will probably focus primarily on the Stebbins Refuge; another primarily on the Wilbraham White Cedar Swamp, Conant Brook Dam, and Norcross Sanctuary; and the third we’ll probably visit west of the Connecticut River to Fox Den Wildlife Management Area, the Westfield River, and other spots over that way. Which day is which will be figured out once we have a clearer idea of the weather forecast for the three days. Individual meeting participants are, of course, welcome to go to the sites on their own rather than following the crowd.

    Thursday evening, August 2

    Check into accommodations, informally gather at the Holiday Inn Express in Ludlow, and head out to eat somewhere

    Friday, August 3

    Quick morning organizational meeting, then head into the field, most likely Wilbraham-Norcross-Conant. If anyone wants to give a research talk, it will probably be after dinner on this day.

    Saturday, August 4

    8AM – Quick morning meeting and recap from Friday, then head out into the field, most likely Stebbins. In the evening, group photo and dinner (venue TBA).

    Sunday, August 5

    8AM – Final meeting, then head out into the field, most likely to sites west of the Connecticut River. Then we all head home.

    Meeting fee is $25 for the weekend, $15 for a single day. Register at https://bryanpfeiffer.com/nedsa2018/

    Image result for Stylurus amnicola