Native Plant Trust has partnered with staff at university herbaria throughout New England to offer a special inside look at the region’s most impressive plant specimen collections. All programs will be conducted virtually. On Wednesday, November 18, tour the Brown University Herbarium with Rebecca Y. Kartzinel. $12 for NPT members, $15 for nonmembers.
What does it take to create a conservation and restoration landscape project in your own backyard? In this October 24 half-day Native Plant Trust workshop with Staci Jasin, we will explore the principles and specific steps to keep you engaged and confident in small-scale projects. You will learn tips, techniques, and a well-defined process for transforming a small plot of land to a native plant landscape. Topics cover everything from removing invasives to analyzing the site, conserving resources, and enhancing aesthetics and wildlife habitat. $38 for NPT members, $45 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/eco-restorative-garden-design/
What can the presence (or absence) of greenery teach about the layered history of a place? Together, we walk and analyze the changing landscape, guided by evidence from significant trees in the neighborhood. The discussion addresses local inhabitants’ relationship to native plants over generations. This Native Plant Trust outdoor session with Courtney Allen takes place Wednesday, September 30 from 1:30 – 3:30. $30 for NPT members, $36 for nonmembers. Masks required. Meeting location will be shared following registration at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/tracing-landscape-history-cambridge/
Go beyond conventional bird feeders—use native plants to turn your backyard into a diverse, year-round avian habitat! Learn what the birds of New England actually need from us and become part of the new, natural approach to meeting their needs using planting aesthetics that embrace the ecological value of native species, variety, and untidiness. This Native Plant Trust program at Garden in the Woods on August 28 from 10:30 – 12:30 addresses fruit-bearing shrubs, pollinators, and birds’ feeding and nesting preferences. Led by Chris Leahy, the fee is $30 for NPT members, $36 for nonmembers. As with all classes scheduled during the pandemic, please confirm with NPT the week of the class, in the event the program is moved online. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/gardening-birds-2/ Photo courtesy of www.joegardener.com
Vines and climbers are an ecologically important and varied group of plants in New England. This Native Plant Trust online session on July 23 from 10:30 – 2:30 covers the diversity of native vines through 50 climbers that vary widely in their size, form, and adaptations. You will become familiar with adaptations to climbing, groups of climbing plants, and vine identification tools and features. Neela de Zoysa leads the session. $60 for NPT members, $72 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/new-england-vines/
Memorable gardens and sustainable landscapes create a strong impact using structural shrubs and trees. These essential beauties provide both ambiance and organizing principles in the landscape. This Native Plant Trust online workshop, co-sponsored with the Ecological Landscape Alliance, on July 18 from 1 – 4 explores which native plants work well together, and how and why. Wet feet, dry shade, part sun – we will address the options for a spectrum of site conditions. We will also take a virtual walk to observe plant combinations and their growing conditions in a botanical garden setting. $45 for NPT and ELA members, $54 for nonmembers. Cheryl Salatino leads the session. Image courtesy of Gardens Illustrated.
Join Bud Sechler, Ecological Programs Coordinator, to learn about the history and critical ecological resources of Native Plant Trust’s most active sanctuary. This June 17 webinar from 1 – 2 includes updates on recent rare plant surveys and an invasive plant management plan to restore habitats at Nasami Farm. $12 for NPT members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org.
In structuring conservation policies for plant life, biodiversity is often the chief metric used to determine species viability in the wild. This approach to conservation has been critiqued for providing an anthropogenic bias on the value of non-human life. With our focus on merely attaining biological thresholds of species’ viability rather than on species’ abundance (an “ecology of the minimal”), are we acting in an environmentally just manner? Or is there another path? In this Native Plant Trust online class, to be held Friday May 1 from 10:30 – 1 with Michael Piantedosi, we will discuss how we can apply environmental justice concepts to methods of conservation for the benefit of life across Earth. Please note: Due to the COVID-19 threat, this class will be offered as a webinar. $38 for NPT members, $45 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/environmental-justice-botanists/
