Boston Flora

Tag: Smithsonian

  • Sundays, February 4 – February 18, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Eastern – Botanical Gardens: A World Tour, Online

    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

  • Monday, February 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – A Geologic Year in North America: Three Geologic Eras in 365 Days, Online

    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

  • Tuesday, March 5, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern- Native Orchids of Longwood Gardens, Online

    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.

    Special Program Information

    • The instructor is Barbara Schmidt.
    • This program includes one 2-hour session.

    General Information

    • 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.

    $35 for Smithsonian Associates members, $45 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/native-orchids-longwood-gardens

  • Tuesday, January 23, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – The Bone Wars, Online

    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

  • Thursday, January 4, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – National Parks of Washington State: North Cascades, Olympic, and Mount Rainier, Online

    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

  • Wednesday, October 18, 6:45 Eastern – Darkness in Distress: Halting the Rise of Light Pollution, Online

    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

  • Monday, August 7, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm Eastern – The Epic Story of Wildlife and People in America, Online

    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

  • Friday, September 29 & Saturday, September 30 – Garden Futures Summit 2023: How Gardens Are Changing the Future

    The Garden Futures Summit is a two-day, in-person event that looks to sustain the remarkable passion and interest in gardening today by presenting a selection of the most exciting ideas shaping the future of gardens and society at large. The Summit, on September 29th and 30th, will focus on three essential topics within contemporary gardening: environment, community, and culture.

    On the first day of the Summit, to be held at The New York Botanical Garden, more than a dozen influential speakers from across the gardening world will participate in sessions organized around the Summit topics. They will discuss the extraordinary potential of gardens and gardening to improve our physical, cultural, and emotional health and well-being.

    On the second day of the Summit, attendees will be treated to exclusive experiences at both private and public gardens throughout New York City and the greater metropolitan area that embody the forward-thinking and transformative potential in gardens today. Tours will be announced later this summer.
     

    The breadth of speakers at the Summit and the combination of talks and tours will be of interest to all gardeners, designers, architects, and students who are passionate about gardens and their enormous potential in society. The Keynote Address will be given by Lady Isabella Tree (pictured below) on The Book of Wilding – A Practical Guide to Rewilding Big and Small. Isabella Tree is an award-winning journalist and author of five books. Her first best-selling book, Wilding, tells the story of the daring wildlife experiment she began in 2000: rewilding her and her husband Charlie Burrell’s 3,500 acres of unprofitable farmland at Knepp Estate in West Sussex, UK. In less than twenty years their degraded land has become a functioning ecosystem again, wildlife has rocketed, and numerous endangered species have made Knepp their home. What has happened at Knepp challenges conventional ideas about nature, wildlife, and how we manage and envisage our land. It reveals the potential for the landscapes of the future. Isabella also writes for The Guardian, National Geographic Magazine, and Granta.

    Other speakers include Edwina von Gal, founder of The Perfect Earth Project. Edwina von Gal is a leading voice in sustainable gardening and landscape design. She founded the Perfect Earth Project in 2013 to promote nature-based, toxic-free land care for the health of people, their pets, and the planet. As principal of her eponymous landscape design firm since 1984, Edwina creates landscapes with a focus on simplicity and sustainability for private and public clients around the world. Joining her as session speakers will be Horatio Joyce of The Garden Conservancy, Vanessa Keith of StudioTEKA Design, Jeff Lorenz of Refugia Design, and Rebecca McMackin, horticulturist and garden designer.

    You will also have the opportunity to hear Jennifer Jewell, Radio Host and Author of Cultivating Place. This year, Jewell was awarded the American Horticultural Society’s Great Gardener Morrison Award for outstanding horticultural communication. Her third book, What We Sow, On the Personal, Ecological, and Cultural Significance of Seeds will be published in September. On the topic of Community, session speakers will include Ivi Diamantopoulou, Jaffer Kolb, and Sam Stewart-Halevy of New Affiliates, Adam Greenspan of PWP Landscape Architects, Peter Lefkovits of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Nicole Thomas of Urban Health Lab.

    In another thread, horticulture and culture are on a collision course—and that’s a good thing. Forgotten garden histories, the challenges of preserving mid-century landscapes, and the growing engagement of the visual arts with the natural environment are the animating topics in a session to be led by Melissa Chiu. She is director of the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the national museum of modern and contemporary art. Dr. Chiu’s current organizational focus is transforming the Hirshhorn into a 21st-century institution through the revitalization of the museum’s campus, including a new design for the Hirshhorn’s Sculpture Garden by artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto. Joining Melissa will be Cindy Brockway of The Trustees of Reservations, David Godshall of Terremoto of LA, Abra Lee, horticulturist and historian, and Brent Leggs of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.

    Registration – $30 Students, $170 Garden Conservancy members, $200 general public, is available at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/education/education-events/garden-futures-summit-2023

  • Thursday, August 17, 6:45 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – The Deep Ocean: A Mysterious World Beneath the Waves, Online

    For all human history, the deep ocean has been a source of wonder and terror, an unknown realm that evoked the question: What’s down there?

    Unable to answer this question for centuries, people believed the deep was a sinister realm of fiendish creatures and deadly peril. But as cutting-edge technologies have allowed scientists and explorers to dive miles beneath the surface, we are beginning to understand this exotic underworld: It’s a place of soaring mountains, smoldering volcanoes, and valleys 7,000 feet deeper than Mount Everest is high, where tectonic plates collide and separate. The deep also is home to pink gelatinous predators, shimmering creatures that are 100 feet long, ancient animals with glass-like skeletons, and sharks that live for half a millennium.

    Join Smithsonian Associates and award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Susan Casey for a journey through the history of deep-sea exploration and a look at the mind-blowing complexity and ecological importance of the myriad creatures who live in realms long thought to be devoid of life. She also addresses how vital the deep is to the future of the planet and how urgent it is that we understand it in a time of increasing threats from climate change, industrial fishing, pollution, and the mining companies that are exploring this world. The live stream will take place August 17 at 6:45 pm Eastern, and is $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Discounted books are also available for purchase. Visit www.smithsonianassociates.org to register and for complete details.

  • Thursday, June 15, 6:45 – 8:00 pm Eastern – The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future, Online

    From the creation of the planet billions of years ago to the present day, water has always been central to existence on Earth. And since long before the mythical Great Flood, it has been a defining force in the story of humanity.

    Leading scientist and water expert Peter Gleick traces the long, fraught history of our relationship to this precious resource. Water has shaped civilizations and empires and driven centuries of advances in science and technology—from agriculture to aqueducts, steam power to space exploration—as well as progress in health and medicine.

    But the achievements that propelled humanity forward also brought consequences: unsustainable water use, ecological destruction, and global climate change. Gleick outlines how the lessons of the past can be the foundation of action designed to support a sustainable future for water and the planet.

    Gleick’s book, The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future (PublicAffairs), is available for purchase upon registration for this Smithsonian Associates Zoom lecture on June 15 at 6:45 pm Eastern. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/three-ages-of-water $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers.