Boston Flora

Tag: Robin Hazard Ray

  • 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.

  • 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.