Boston Flora

Tag: Thoreau

  • Sunday, October 1, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Bog Plants

    One of Thoreau’s beloved landscapes, referenced often in his writings, Gowing’s Swamp is a rare and beautiful bog in a kettle hole below a glacial ridge in Concord, Massachusetts. Neela de Zoysa of the Native Plant Trust will walk the loop around the bog and explore the thriving community of northern bog plants such as pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia), bog laurel (Kalmia polifolia), small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos), large cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), and black spruce (Picea mariana). The field trip takes place Sunday October 1 from 1 – 3 at Gowing’s Swamp, a Sudbury Valley Trustees Property. $30 for NPT members, $36 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/bog-plants/

  • Now Open – In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers: An Exploration of Change and Loss

    In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers is a multisensory experience that marries art and science through a modern interpretation of Henry David Thoreau’s preserved plants. Thoreau was prolific in his practice of collecting botanical samples and plants are important indicators of how our world is responding to climate change.

    A close reflection on Henry David Thoreau’s legacy brings into sharper focus his deep commitment to environmental conservation and civil disobedience, as well as his trove of treasured poems and essays. His decision to make his home at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts solidified Thoreau’s devotion in his role as a naturalist. Through his close relationship with the woods of Walden he observed the ebb and flow of the natural world first-hand. Thoreau’s journals reveal detailed observations on local flora and serve as poignant reminders of our responsibility to protect plant communities.

    Plants are important indicators of how our world is responding to climate change and Thoreau was prolific in his practice of collecting botanical samples. Long preserved in the Harvard University Herbaria, 648 specimens serve as the foundation of this new exhibition. The digitization of these specimens inspired the creation of beautiful blue cyanotypes that are in direct conversation with illuminated rotating selections of Thoreau’s originals and immersive large-scale projected visualizations. The exhibition invites visitors to experience emotionally resonant connections to the profound loss of natural diversity caused by human-induced climate change. The exhibition urges us to ask, “what do Thoreau’s findings tell us about what plants are winning, and what plants are losing, in the face of climate change today?” The show is on view at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge. To learn more, and to learn hours and admission rates, visit https://hmnh.harvard.edu/search-thoreau-flowers-exploration

    Artwork by Leah Sobsey

  • Friday, September 13 – Sunday, September 15, Thursday, September 19 – Sunday, September 22, and Thursday, September 26 – Sunday, September 29 – Nature: A Walking Play

    The Trustees and TigerLion Arts present Nature, the mythic telling of Emerson and Thoreau’s mutual love affair with the natural world. The Old Manse in Concord—where Ralph Waldo Emerson lived while writing his famous essay “Nature” and where he, Henry David Thoreau, and other leading Transcendentalists discussed and debated the issues of the day—provides the most fitting location for a stop on this nationwide touring production.

    Grounded in the story of their friendship, this virtuosic production offers a perspective on their lives that is strikingly relevant, richly complex, and yet utterly simple. Nature is performed outdoors as a “walking play.” A professional ensemble of actors takes the audience on a journey through the natural environment as scenes unfold around them. Bagpipes, ancient flutes, drums and rich choral arrangements are intricately woven into the experience. 

    Nature is an extraordinary, immersive and family-friendly journey that co-mingles story, spirit, and nature, as a means to reconnect its audience with the natural world. This original work is collaboratively created with writer/actor Tyson Forbes, a direct descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

    Performances will take place Friday, September 13 and Thursday & Friday, September 19 & 20 from 5:30 – 7, Saturday & Sunday, September 14 & 15 from 1 – 2:30 and from 5 – 6:30, Saturday, September 21, 1 – 2:30 and 7:30 – 9, and Sunday, September 22 from 5 – 6:30. Please visit www.thetrustees.org for details on times for the final weekend. Member adults $25, member child $15, nonmember adult $35, and nonmember child $20. Contact oldmanse@thetrustees.org or call 978-369-3909. A minimal amount of walking over uneven ground may be expected, and feel free to carry along your own folding chair. Garden Club of the Back Bay members saw the production last year and give it five stars!

  • Wednesday, March 20 – Vernal Equinox Full Moon Hikes

    Join The Trustees on Wednesday, March 20 at one of a number of properties under their care for a full moon hike to celebrate the first day of Spring.

    At the Ward Reservation in Andover, join a Trustees staff member at 6:30 pm on the trails at Ward Reservation to discover what signs of spring have already sprung. Wear shoes that can get wet and muddy, just in case. Flashlights are welcome but not required as we will be using the light of the full moon to guide us. This hike will be approximately 2 miles long. Please wear appropriate footwear and dress for the weather.

    If you are in Ipswich, join a group at Castle Hill at 6:30. March’s full moon coincides with the Vernal equinox and the first day of Spring. Known to Native Americans as the Worm Moon because of the earthworms that come out at the end of winter, it is also known as the Crow Moon or Sap Moon. Always a cause for celebration, we’ll honor the first day of Spring by taking a brisk walk on the beach at sunset and a hike among the dunes of the Crane Wildlife Refuge. Recommended for ages 13 & up. Pre-registration is required.

    In Concord, at the Old Manse, from 7 pm – 8 pm, you’ll share readings from Emerson and Thoreau before taking time for quiet reflection under the full moon and perhaps even hear the sounds of spring. The fire will keep you warm if needed and also provide the hot coals for s’mores that will cheer you at the end of the meditation. Members $5, nonmembers $10.

    At Fruitlands in Harvard at 6:30, a program ($9 members, $15 nonmembers) is entitled Night and Moonlight: A Transcendental Night Hike. We will take to the trails to discover nature by night and explore the elements, sites, and sounds that awaken when the sun sets, pausing along the way to hear and contemplate passages from Thoreau’s 1863 essay “Night and Moonlight.” Thoreau describes, “As for the moon, I had seen her only as it were through a crevice in a shutter, occasionally. Why not walk a little way in her light?” Please note that space is limited and pre-registration required.

    For complete details on all the above excursions, visit http://thetrustees.org Image below from The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

    Image result for worm moon 2019

  • Friday, September 22 – Sunday, October 1 – Nature

    The Trustees of Reservations announces that it will present TigerLion Arts’ critically acclaimed outdoor walking play Nature at the Old Manse in Concord September 22 through October 1. The Old Manse is a National Historic Landmark and popular destination for tourists and literary enthusiasts situated on the banks of the Concord River next to the Old North Bridge and Minuteman National Park. It was built by Patriot Minister William Emerson in 1770, grandfather of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Nature is an original work collaboratively written and created by Tyson Forbes, a direct descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson who also plays the role of Emerson, and his wife, Markell Kiefer, who serves as the director. The play explores humankind’s relationship to nature through the eyes of two of America’s greatest environmental voices and friends, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, who is celebrating his bicentennial birthday this year.

    Emerson lived and wrote some of his most famous works at The Old Manse, including the first draft of his famed essay, “Nature.” The Manse also served as a focal point of America’s political, literary, and social revolutions. Thoreau was a frequent visitor and guest. Through a series of 11 performances starting September 22, 2017 and running through October 1, 2017, audiences will experience a playful and deeply moving outdoor “journey” among the Old Manse’s grassy meadows and native trees and plantings as scenes unfold through a combination of music, story, and song. The 90-minute family-friendly performance will be presented by an award-winning ensemble of professional traveling actors, including a local chorus led by The First Parish Church of Concord’s Music Director, Beth Norton and child cast member from the Concord community. This is Nature’s first performance on the East Coast after a successful season touring multiple sites in the Midwest in 2015 and 2016.

    Producer and actor Tyson Forbes has always felt honored to be an Emerson descendent and developed Nature to help fulfill a sense of responsibility to share his ancestor’s spirit and teachings with a broader audience. He has long hoped that one day the play would be presented in Concord where their friendship and many works were first incubated. “Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were authors, friends, and radicals of their time, calling on their peers to think for themselves, live more deeply, and be agents of change,” adds Forbes. “I believe their words and ideas are as relevant and necessary now as they were then and I am thrilled to be able to share this story of their friendship and history in Concord, where it all began, for the first time.”

    The professional ensemble cast features Michael Wieser (Williamstown, Jungle Theater, Classic Stage Company, Manhattan Arts Center) as Thoreau; Tyson Forbes (Guthrie Theater, Ordway, Jungle Theater and multiple TigerLion Arts productions) as Emerson; Norah Long (Guthrie Theater, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Skylark Opera, Chanhassen Dinner Theater, Nautilus Music-Theater) as Mother Nature, Emily Gunyou Halaas (Guthrie Theater, Jungle Theater, Park Square) as Mary Moody, Aeysha Kinnunen as Margaret Fuller, Shana Berg as Lydian Jackson, Tony Sarnicki, Matt Sciple, Nathan Gebhard and Andrew Forbes, as well as a volunteer community chorus led by Beth Norton, Music Director at the Concord First Parish Church who will be joined by singers from the church and other members of the community. Addison Boger, great niece of past Garden Club of the Back Bay President Francine Crawford, will play the role of Elly, Emerson’s daughter.  Bagpipes, ancient flutes, drums and rich choral arrangements are intricately woven into the script with compositions by Dick Hensold (2006 Bush Artist Fellow).

    Tickets  can be purchased by visiting www.thetrustees.org/natureplay. Trustees members: adults $20, children $10; Nonmembers: adults $25, children $15. The Trustees are working with multiple local community partners to present educational programming related to the play such as post show discussions and a family theatre workshop, including: The Thoreau Society; Thoreau Farm Trust; The Walden Woods Project; the Concord Museum; and Minute Man National Historical Park. For more information visit www.thetrustees.org.

    Nature begins near the apple orchard at the Old Manse located at 269 Monument Street, Concord, MA. Audience members are encouraged to arrive early to visit the grounds. Picnic meals are welcome and can be enjoyed during the pre-show bagpiping and choral arrangements performed by local community members 30 minutes before the performance begins. Guests of all ages are encouraged to come as the show has somethings for everyone. Guests should dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes, and bring water bottles.  Run time is approximately 90 minutes without intermission. During the play, the audience will walk short distances between four different locations. Portable lawn chairs or blankets are recommended for seating, as there are a limited number of chairs, which will be reserved for those who need them most. The Trustees will also provide transportation for people with limited mobility. In the event of rain, ticket holders may come back for any subsequent performance.

     

  • Wednesday, May 27, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Walden Warming

    On Wednesday, May 27, from 7 – 8 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Richard Primack will talk about his book Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Woods. By combining Thoreau’s observations from 160 years ago with modern observations, Primack and his colleagues have used Concord as a living laboratory to study the impacts of a warming world.

    Richard Primack is a Professor of Biology at Boston University and past President of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Biological Conservation and author of two widely used textbooks, Essentials of Conservation Biology and A Primer of Conservation Biology.  28 foreign language editions have been produced with local co-authors adding in examples from their own countries. He is also co-author of the book Tropical Rain Forests: An Ecological and Biogeographical Comparison. For the past 13 years, Prof. Primack and his colleagues have been investigating the effects of a warming climate on the plants and birds of Massachusetts, with an emphasis on continuing the observations made 160 years ago by Henry David Thoreau in Concord. Free with admission.  To register visit www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Sunday, October 20, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Thoreau and the Language of Trees

    The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University will present Thoreau and the Language of Trees on Sunday, October 20 in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum beginning at 3 pm with writer and editor Richard Higgins. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) wrote about trees as few others have. He admired their beauty and found poetic forms and mythic meaning in them. He studied how they grow and also took them as his spiritual companions, discerning the individual character of each tree’s “soul”. Richard Higgins has studied Thoreau in depth, and in this presentation, pairs his own images of trees and forests with the writing and philosophy of this hallowed figure of the American Renaissance.  Fee $5 Arboretum member, $10 nonmember.  Register online at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://engl121.digital-english.net//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/thoreau.jpg

  • Friday, April 12 – Sunday, September 15 – Early Spring: Thoreau, Concord, and the Citizen Science Tradition

    Drawing upon its outstanding Thoreau collection, in April 2013 the Concord Museum will present an exhibition and related programs that explore the work of Henry Thoreau as a scientist studying seasonal phenomena. These phenomena include such episodes as the flowering times of flora, arrival dates of migrating birds, leafing out of trees, and ice-up at Walden Pond.

    Thoreau’s choice of Concord as a subject was emulated by a number of citizen scientists, some amateur and some professional, over three centuries.

    Currently, Dr. Richard Primack, Professor of Biology at Boston University, and his team have been systematically comparing the data collected by Thoreau with current data gathered in identical Concord locations. Early Spring will offer general audiences a new understanding of Thoreau and the importance of his work in a contemporary context. The Museum is located on the Cambridge Turnpike at Lexington Road in Cambridge, and hours and directions are available at www.concordmuseum.org.

    http://www.bu.edu/bostonia/winter-spring12/climate-change/climate-change.jpg

  • Thursday, November 18, 6:00 pm – Thoreau as Climatologist: Tracking 160 Years of Climate Change

    Over 160 years ago, Henry David Thoreau initiated a study of flowering times at Walden Pond. Today, a research team including, Charles Davis, Assistant Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator in the Harvard Herbarium (below,)  has updated Thoreau’s records with current data and integrated them with modern evolutionary biology to reveal how climate change and earlier flowering times have affected Walden’s plants. Those that have greatly declined include many charismatic native wildflower species, while those that have thrived include many nonnative and invasive species. Davis will explore how an integration of historical records combined and cutting edge science can help us potentially mitigate the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. This program, taking place Thursday, November 18 at 6 pm, is free and open to the public, at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Part of the Asa Gray Bicentennial series. For more information, log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu.