Boston Flora

Tag: Smithsonian

  • Thursday, July 28, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm – Good for the Land, Good for Us: How Farming Can Improve Human Health, Online

    Are you really only what you eat? David R. Montgomery, a professor of earth and space sciences at the University of Washington, and biologist and environmental planner Anne Biklé view human health as dependent on the health of the soil on farms, which ripples through to that of crops, livestock, and ultimately us.

    The long-running partnerships through which crops and soil life nourish one another suffuse plant and animal foods in the human diet with an array of compounds and nutrients our bodies need to protect us from pathogens and chronic ailments. Unfortunately, say Montgomery and Biklé, conventional agricultural practices unravel these vital partnerships. Can farmers and ranchers produce enough nutrient-dense food to feed us all? Can we have quality and quantity?

    Drawing on their new book What Your Food Ate, Montgomery and Biklé examine why what’s good for the land is good for us, too. They reveal why regenerative farming practices, which strengthen the health and vitality of soil, can also offer untapped potential for improving human health. This Smithsonian Associates webinar on July 28 from 6:45 – 8:15 is $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Sign up, and learn how to purchase the book at a discount, at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/good-for-land-good-for-us

  • Monday, April 11, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Geology of Africa: East Africa and the Great Rift Valley, Online

    Join Smithsonian Associates and geologist Kirt Kempter online on April 11 at 7 pm for a fascinating survey of the African continent that covers a distinctive geologic history that extends from billions of years ago to today.

    Enhanced by numerous maps, photos, diagrams, and Google Earth imagery, Kempter explores the big-picture geology of the continent of Africa before looking more closely at the Great Rift Valley, which traverses Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. The rift is actively tearing the continent apart, fostering grand volcanic landforms such as Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro caldera. In addition to rift-related volcanic activity, he examines sedimentary deposits within the rift, such as those at Olduvai gorge, that have preserved countless vertebrate fossils, including a variety of important hominin fossil discoveries over the past five decades. $25 for Smithsonian Associates members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org

  • Tuesday, April 5, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Saving Yellowstone: The Creation of a National Icon, Online

    In 1871, the Smithsonian-backed geologist-explorer Ferdinand Hayden led a team of scientists through a narrow canyon into Yellowstone Basin, one of the last unmapped places on the continent, in hopes of proving that the rumors of majestic landscapes and untold natural wonders were true.

    Upon returning, Hayden and his team urged Congress to take ownership of the land and give control of it to the Department of the Interior, an unprecedented extension of the federal government’s authority. On March 1, 1872, with little fanfare, the Yellowstone Act was signed into law by President Grant.  

    Author Megan Kate Nelson traces Yellowstone’s journey online on April 5 from 7 – 8:30. Her new book, Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America, traces Yellowstone’s journey from unexplored landscape to national icon.

    Far more than a story of adventure and exploration, it exposes the conflicting interests in this wilderness of individuals ranging from Sitting Bull, who tried to protect the rights of the Hunkpapa Lakota peoples, to railroad magnate Jay Cooke, who hoped to exploit the region to expand his business.

    It also recalls how the Yellowstone Act came to overshadow Congressional investigations into the Ku Klux Klan in the Reconstruction-era South, and how the focus on “unifying” the country through this symbolic act denied newly freed Black citizens desperately needed federal support. Ultimately, the Yellowstone story reveals how the government tested the reach of its power across an expanding and divided nation.

    $20 for Smithsonian members, $25 for nonmembers. Register HERE. A purchase discount for the book is available through the link.

  • Thursday, April 7, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm – Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet, Online

    Five stunningly large forests remain on Earth: the Taiga, extending from the Pacific Ocean across all of Russia and far-northern Europe; the North American boreal, ranging from Alaska’s Bering seacoast to Canada’s Atlantic shore; the Amazon, covering almost the entirety of South America’s bulge; the Congo, occupying parts of six nations in Africa’s wet equatorial middle; and the island forest of New Guinea, twice the size of California.

    These megaforests are vital to preserving global biodiversity, thousands of cultures, and a stable climate, argues economist John W. Reid. They serve an essential role in decarbonizing the atmosphere—the boreal alone holds 1.8 trillion metric tons of carbon in its deep soils and peat layers, 190 years’ worth of global emissions at 2019 levels—and saving them is an immediate and affordable large-scale solution to our planet’s most formidable ongoing crisis.

    In a Smithsonian Associates online program on April 7 that captures the majesty of these ancient forests, along with the people and animals who inhabit them, Reid offers practical solutions to meet today’s biggest challenges, from vastly expanding protected areas to supporting Indigenous forest stewards to planning smarter road networks.

    Ever Green: Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet (W. W. Norton & Company), co-authored by Reid and the late biologist Thomas E. Lovejoy, is available for purchase. Politics and Prose is offering a 10% discount to Smithsonian Associates ticket-holders. To claim your discount, enter the code SPECIAL10 (no space between letters and numbers) in the “Coupon discount” section on Politics and Prose’s check-out page.

    Lovejoy, a giant in the fields of biodiversity and conservation biology, spent part of his career at the Smithsonian, as assistant secretary for environmental and external affairs and, in 1994, as counselor to the secretary on biodiversity and environmental affairs. He established the Smithsonian’s Institute of Conservation Biology.

    Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org. Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org. Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.

  • Tuesday, March 15, 6:45 pm – 8:45 pm – Charles Darwin in Context: Evolution of Dangerous Ideas, Online

    Charles Darwin has long been put on a pedestal and idolized as an objective, rational thinker who challenged the theist views of his day and changed for the better how we see the world. The truth, however, is a lot more complicated. Not all of Darwin’s ideas are as original or unique as was widely believed. Many are drawn from the false assumptions and prejudices of his (Victorian) era, and then restated as factual scientific observation. They helped buttress racist and sexist worldviews in ways that continue to haunt us to this day.

    Rui Diogo, an evolutionary biologist and associate professor of anatomy at Howard University’s College of Medicine, has extensively reviewed Darwin’s books, diaries, notebooks, and letters. Diogo shares an unflinching look at how the acclaimed naturalist’s racism and sexism undermined his work.

    The goal is not to completely jettison Darwin’s work: He was in fact right about some important things. Instead, Diogo seeks to offer a more complete, nuanced, and clear-eyed assessment of his work that might better equip us to reject prejudices and false assumptions and evolve in our own thinking. This Smithsonian Associates online event will take place March 15 beginning at 6:45, and is $25 for Smithsonian Associates members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org

  • Wednesday, March 2, 6:45 pm – 8:00 pm – Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing

    Smithsonian Associates, in collaboration with the National Museum of Natural History, presents Katharine Hayhoe on March 2 in an online lecture.

    Despite the fires that raged across the western United States and severe hurricanes and flooding that threatened the South and the East Coast, the tragic pushback against climate action continues. Katharine Hayhoe, a leading expert on the science, impacts, and communication of climate change, is committed to transforming the way we think about this urgent issue. Over the past 15 years she has found that the most effective way to talk about climate change is not by focusing on the facts, but on shared values and common ground.

    In her new book, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, Hayhoe draws upon interdisciplinary research and personal stories to demonstrate that climate change affects someone or something you care about, which means you already have power to act for change. Eschewing doomsday scenarios, Hayhoe ‘s approach is optimistic and inclusive. She argues that climate action doesn’t depend on what type of person you are or how you vote. It’s about how each of us connects with our communities based on the values we already have, to inspire collective action.

    In conversation with Carla Easter, Broh-Kahn Weil Director of Education at the National Museum of Natural History, Hayhoe discusses how climate change became one of the nation’s most polarizing topics; how being a person of faith shaped her perspective on climate change and climate action; and important goals to consider when it comes to climate change going forward.

    Saving Us (One Signal Publishers/Atria Books), is available for purchase.

    • Purchase your copy of Saving Us by Katharine Hayhoe here.
    • SPECIAL NOTE: Politics and Prose is offering a 10% discount to Smithsonian Associates ticket-holders. To claim your discount, enter the code SPECIAL10 (no space between letters and numbers) in the “Coupon discount” section on Politics and Prose’s check-out page.
    • If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
    • Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
    • Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
    • Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.

    $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org.

  • Fridays, March 11, 18, and 25, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Felted Flowers in Bloom, Online

    Felted-flower bouquets have become a popular gift and are a jeweler’s and milliner’s delight when used in brooches, pins, necklaces, rings, fascinators, or hat adornments. Create a lovely bouquet of felted flowers as you explore the basics of wet-felting techniques in a workshop ideal for beginners and challenging enough for more experienced felters.

    Using your choice of art or photos for inspiration, move from two-dimensional to three-dimensional work as you create the individual elements of a flower and put them together to make botanically accurate blooms.

    This Smithsonian Associates class will be recorded. Please see our FAQ for recording terms and conditions. $135 for Smithsonian members, $155 for nonmembers. Register HERE. A kit of materials is available for $28 plus Priority Shipping. Please order no later than 7 – 10 days prior to the start of class.

    Other Information

    • The instructor is Renate Maile-Moskowitz.
    • 3 sessions, 3 hours each
    • This studio arts program is a Zoom Meeting to allow for patron and instructor interaction. All Studio Arts classes require a ticket for each participant so that the instructor can provide individual attention to every student listed on the roster.
    • If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
    • Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
    • Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
    • Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
    • View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.

  • Sunday, February 27, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Botanical Gardens World Tour: Innisfree and Fairchild Tropical Garden, Online

    Smithsonian Associates invites you to 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 Shanghai, the Hudson River Valley, and Australia. In vibrant visuals they explore how each garden has taken a unique approach to design and interpretation as they all celebrate plant collections, conservation, education, and the distinctive environments and landscapes in which they bloom. On February 27, the third and final installment will feature Innisfree and Fairchild Tropical Garden.

    Travel from the scenic Hudson River Valley to subtropical peninsular Florida to visit two diverse gardens. Developed between 1930 and 1960, Innisfree was the private garden of Walter and Marion Beck and drew its inspiration from scroll paintings of the 8th-century Chinese poet and painter Wang Wei. With the help of landscape architect Lester Collins from Harvard University, the garden journey was shaped to lead visitors through individual “cup” garden scenes inspired by the Chinese paintings, which meld seamlessly into one large cup around a glacial lake.

    Fairchild Tropical Garden in Coral Gables (below) melds a sublime subtropical landscape with important plant collections and horticultural excellence, as well as research, conservation, and education. Palms are a particular specialty, with an outstanding collection of over 400 species. An internationally important collection of more than 3,700 cycads is displayed in sweeping beds under spreading oaks. The conservatory features orchids, aroids, and bromeliads. The garden is set against a backdrop of lakes in a park-like setting.

    Presenter C. Colston Burrell is a lecturer, garden designer, and photographer. The author of 12 gardening books, he has twice won the American Horticulture Society Book Award.

    $25 for Smithsonian Associates members, $30 for nonmembers. Register HERE.

  • Wednesday, January 26, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm – Incorporating Fruit into Flower Arrangements, Online

    In the winter, although flowers can be hard to come by, citrus and pomegranates are plentiful and can add color to nature’s otherwise muted palette.

    Learn how to incorporate various fruits into your arrangements and tips on using them as part of a table-scape. Techniques include using wire and skewers to secure your fruit and choosing the best container for your arrangement. This Smithsonian Associates virtual workshop takes place January 26 from noon – 1:30. All levels are welcome.

    Note: This streamed program will not be recorded. $35 for Smithsonian Associates members, $45 for nonmembers.

    Other Information

    • The instructor is Arrin Sutliff.
    • One 1.5-hour session
    • This studio arts program is a Zoom Meeting to allow for patron and instructor interaction.

    Patron Information

    • All Studio Arts classes require a ticket for each participant so that the instructor can provide individual attention to every student listed on the roster.
    • If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
    • Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
    • Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
    • Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
    • View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.

  • Tuesday, December 7, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm – Nurturing a Bird-Friendly World, Online

    The interest and pleasure in the observation of birds, concern about how climate change is affecting our planet, and the necessity of preserving trees and forests are topics that continue to take on increasing prominence. On December 7 at 6:45, hear from representatives of the National Audubon Society and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo about new and upcoming projects that offer insights into the world of trees and the birds that inhabit them.

    This spring saw the publication of the first field guides to appear from the National Audubon Society since 1995, new and expanded editions of Birds of North America and Trees of North America. The reference books spotlight the conservation statuses of species, highlight the impact of climate change, and feature thousands of full-color photographs. John Rowden, senior director of bird-friendly communities at the National Audubon Society, provides an overview of the new guides and Audubon’s conservation efforts to protect birds and the places they need, from backyards to projects abroad.

    Birds, their migration patterns, and trees are also central to the work of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and by spring 2022 the zoo’s historic 1928 Bird House will be transformed into a celebration of birds and bird migration through the Americas.

    With almost 100 species of birds, this will be the first zoo exhibition of this size that focuses on the miraculous annual journeys of migratory songbirds, waterfowl, and shorebirds integral to North, Central, and South American ecosystems.

    Through themed walk-through aviaries, interactive experiences, and educational programming, the new Bird House will offer visitors opportunities to connect to birds and the phenomenon of migration in entirely new ways.

    Research wildlife biologist Scott Sillett, head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, previews the Bird House project and shares information about bird-friendly campaigns underway at the Smithsonian.

    Rowden and Sillett also discuss ways that anyone can help birds by creating and encouraging bird-friendly spaces and communities, particularly during the winter holiday season.

    Book Sale Information

    Registration Information

    $20 for Smithsonian Members, $25 for nonmembers. Register HERE.