Smithsonian Associates presents a Zoom talk on October 21 at 6:45 pm Eastern on The Great Wide Ocean. The open ocean, far from the shore and miles above the sea floor, is a vast and formidable habitat that is home to the most abundant life on our planet, from giant squid and jellyfish to angler fish with bioluminescent lures that draw prey into their toothy mouths.
In an illustrated lecture, sea-going scientist Sönke Johnsen explores how life thrives in one of the most mysterious environments on Earth and vividly describes how life in the open sea contends with a host of environmental challenges. He also interweaves stories about the joys and hardships of the scientists who explore this beautiful and mysterious realm, which is under threat from human activity and rapidly changing before our eyes.
Johnsen is professor of biology at Duke University. His new book, Into the Great Wide Ocean: Life in the Least Known Habitat on Earth(Princeton University Press), is available for purchase at registration. The lecture is $20 for Smithsonian members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/great-wide-ocean
The Philadelphia region boasts a great wealth of exceptional gardens, both public and private. Nicole Juday, author of the new book Private Gardens of Philadelphia, digs into the history and circumstances—from politics to economics to religion—that have contributed to the intense concentration and high quality of horticulture in the area.
Using stunning photos, Juday showcases examples of the region’s finest private gardens, ranging from small urban jewel boxes to vast estates. She finds themes that connect these disparate spaces, shares details about what makes them so special, and reveals the stories of the fascinating people who created these gardens, often under challenging conditions. This Smithsonian Associates webinar will take place on Zoom on Wednesday, April 17 from 7 – 8:30 Eastern, and is $25 for Smithsonian members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org
Organized by Smithsonian Gardens and the United States Botanic Garden, “The Future of Orchids: Conservation and Collaboration” fills the entire Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery with nearly 350 live orchids through April 28. The exhibition explores the numerous challenges facing wild orchids today, including climate change, habitat destruction, and over-collecting, and offers a glimpse into the work being performed by a diverse group of scientists to and conservationists to protect the future of orchids.
If orchids are part of your own future (or present), Barb Schmidt, a noted orchid care expert, leads three Smithsonian Associates studio arts programs you won’t want to miss. On Tuesday March 5, she offers a virtual tour and history of the native orchid collection at Longwood Gardens. If you’re a from-the-ground-up novice, Schmidt’s Tuesday, March 12 class is ideal for beginners who want to keep their orchids blooming at home. And on Saturday, March 16, learn to free your orchid from the confines of its pot and mount it on a piece of wood.
Join Smithsonian Associates expert presenters on three consecutive Sundays in February, online, to tour some of the world’s greatest botanical gardens. Indulge in a colorful midwinter escape as horticultural experts lead a series of virtual visits that highlight the beauty of notable botanical gardens in settings as far-flung as Morocco, New Zealand, Israel, Belgium, and the East Coast of the United States. In vibrant visuals they explore how each garden has taken a unique approach to design and interpretation as they celebrate plant collections, conservation, education, and the distinctive environments and landscapes in which they bloom.
February 4 Donabo Gardens of Tangier, Morocco, and the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, Israel
Visit two Mediterranean public gardens in bustling historic cities that provide horticultural and ecological education while conserving open space in highly urbanized areas. Each garden strives to manage water in a seasonally dry environment as it develops collections of native and exotic plants. While in Tangier, make a brief visit to an extraordinary private garden rarely seen by visitors.
Presenter Keith Tomlinson has worked as a naturalist and public garden administrator for 25 years, visiting wilderness areas and botanical gardens around the world. He is the author of numerous articles on plant conservation, botanical garden travel, and environmental education.
February 11 The Royal Greenhouses, Laeken, Belgium, and Chanticleer Gardens, Pennsylvania
If glasshouses can be a confection, then the Serres Royales (Royal Greenhouses) is a sumptuous dessert. Dating to the Victoria era when architecture was equally as important as a plant collection, these indoor gardens are second to none. Open to the public for only a few weeks each spring, it’s worth planning a trip to experience them. Narrow corridors flanked with flowers open into multi-story rooms encircled by exotic trees collected from around the globe. This is a world horticultural treasure of beauty, innovation, and history.
Chanticleer has been described as one of the most romantic, imaginative, and innovative gardens in the United States. Nestled in the heart of America’s Garden Capital, this Philadelphia-area gem is brimming with intriguing plants and artistic accoutrements. The garden is relatively new, having come about in the 1990s. Survey its development over the years as well as some of the highlights of Chanticleer’s captivating, ever-changing displays.
Presenter Karl Gercens is the conservatory manager at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, where he has been in the glasshouses for 25 years. With more than 3,000 individual gardens visited in almost 30 countries, Karl seeks inspiration from across the globe.
February 18 Dunedin Botanic Gardens, New Zealand and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Virginia
Known as the Wildlife Capital of New Zealand, the city of Dunedin prides itself on stunning scenery and unique biodiversity. The Dunedin Botanic Garden, New Zealand’s first, marked its 160th anniversary in 2023. With extensive plant collections, viewsheds, and beautiful walks through the native bush, the garden acts as a green sanctuary for those looking to escape the urban environment. Explore this jewel within the city and understand how it fulfills its international responsibility for conservation.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in central Virginia, by contrast, is a relatively young botanical garden celebrating its 40th anniversary. Devoted to inspiring communities and enhancing relationships with the natural world, the garden is continuously growing and evolving, immersing visitors in a world of beauty with surprising vistas around every turn. Enjoy a virtual tour of the 50 acres of gardens, explore the evolving exhibitions, and find inspiration in the programmatic offerings.
Presenter Chelsea Mahaffey is a public garden professional at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. She is an advocate for horticulture as a career and passionate about the importance of plants in our lives.
$60 for the three session package for Smithsonian Associates members, $75 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org
The geologic time scale is one of the most difficult concepts in geology to grasp, yet is fundamental to our understanding of how Earth and life processes have changed the face of our planet over the past 4.6 billion years. In a Smithsonian Associates program geared to the layperson, world traveler, or aspiring geology student in awe of deep time and the geologic record, geologist Kirt Kempter offers a unique approach to making the topic approachable: He condenses the last three geologic eras into a humanly comfortable time frame of a single calendar year.
Within those 365 days, Kempter explores the evolution of life and land from the perspective of North America, beginning 541 million years ago at the start of the Paleozoic Era. He covers the formation of significant mountains, including the Appalachians and the Rockies, and the first appearance of major animal groups, such as amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Not surprisingly, the human story in North America takes place in just the last hour of this geologic year. Kempter’s approach to geologic time provides a simplified strategy to perceive and digest temporal connections among important events in the Earth’s history.
The program on February 12 at 7 pm Eastern is presented on Zoom and is $25 for Smithsonian Associates members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org
Pierre du Pont started Longwood Gardens’ native orchid collection in 1923 when he brought in Galearis spectabilis, an orchid that’s native to Pennsylvania. It’s one of several orchids that still grow on the Longwood property. This class not only takes you on a tour of Longwood’s native orchids but also shows you how this simple orchid purchase blossomed into a world-renowned conservation, plant breeding, and collections project.
This studio arts program is a Zoom Meeting to allow for patron and instructor interaction online.
All Studio Arts programs require an online ticket for each participant so that the instructor can provide individual attention to every student registered for the online program.
This program will be recorded. Please see our FAQ for recording terms and conditions.
Please refer to the “Materials for this program” section for any applicable supply list information and/or special documents for this program.
Not long after the California Gold Rush, a different frenzy captured Americans’ attention: A rivalry dubbed the Bone Wars emerged in the fledgling field of paleontology between two young scientists, Othniel Charles Cope (on right, below) and Edward Drinker Marsh (left). Originally amicable colleagues–they even named fossils after each other—they became rivals in a long and bitter turf war complete with theft, corruption, and sabotage. Cope and Marsh would go on to name over 130 species of dinosaurs between them, but each would die impoverished and with damaged reputations due to their relentless fight.
Hans Sues, a paleontologist at the National Museum of Natural History, discusses the struggle between Cope and Marsh, plus their contributions to the field of paleontology and to the Smithsonian. This Zoom program takes place Tuesday, January 23 at 7 pm Eastern. $25 Smithsonian Associates members, $30 nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/bone-wars
Journey with Smithsonian Associates to high volcanoes, ancient temperate rainforests, glaciers, and big rivers in these geographically and topographically interrelated national parks. Among the most unique public lands in the country, these parks harbor a dazzling array of habitats and recreational opportunities.
Naturalist Keith Tomlinson discusses the region’s geologic evolution, biological diversity and unique hydrology from glaciers to the sea. His tour highlights ways to access and enjoy these extraordinary natural treasures and covers conservation priorities in all three parks.
Chris Williams, Interpretive Park Ranger with the National Park Service working in Olympic and North Cascades National Park, will join the program as a guest speaker. This program is presented on Zoom on January 4 from 7 – 8:30 pm Eastern. $25 for Smithsonian Associates members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/national-parks-washington-state
Light pollution has become a pervasive and ugly consequence of our 24/7 society, and it has grown at the alarming rate of 10% per year over the past decade. Few of us can enjoy a star-spangled night sky any longer, thanks to the glowing pall caused by all the lights that line roadways, parking lots, and backyards. More ominously, a growing body of research finds that excessive light at night disrupts nocturnal ecosystems, sometimes dramatically. It can also inhibit the production of melatonin, a compound produced as we sleep—and only in darkness— that seems to play multiple roles in maintaining general human health.
The situation has not been helped by the widespread rollout of light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. Fortunately, the spread of light pollution can be halted and even reversed. Join Smithsonian Associates and Sky and Telescope magazine’s Kelly Beatty on October 18 at 6:45 Eastern, online, as he discusses how we can safely light up our homes, businesses, and communities without wasting energy, disturbing the neighbors, or creating an unhealthy environment for humans and wildlife. $20 Smithsonian members, $25 nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org
In 1908, near Folsom, New Mexico, a cowboy discovered the remains of a herd of extinct giant bison. By examining flint points embedded in the bones, archaeologists determined that a band of humans had killed the animals 12,450 years ago. While this discovery expanded America’s known human history, it also showed the long-standing danger Homo sapiens has presented to North America’s evolutionary richness.
Historian Dan Flores chronicles the epoch in which humans and animals have coexisted in the “wild new world” of North America—a place shaped by evolutionary forces and momentous arrivals of humans from Asia, Africa, and Europe. These arrivals precipitated a massive disruption of the teeming environment they found. In telling the story, Flores sees humans not as a species apart but as a new animal entering a place that had never seen our like before.
He traces the origins of today’s sixth mass extinction to the spread of humans around the world; tells the history of a hundred centuries of Native America; explains how Old World ideologies were responsible for 400 years of market-driven slaughter that devastated many ancient American species; and explores the decline and miraculous recovery of species in recent decades.
Flores is a professor emeritus at the University of Montana. His book Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals and People in America (W.W. Norton & Company) is available for purchase. Smithsonian Associates is sponsoring a live Zoom on Monday, August 7 at 7 pm. $20 Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Registration page will give details on book purchase option: www.smithsonianassociates.org
