Boston Flora

Tag: Tree Spotters

  • Sunday, May 7, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Botany Blast: A Look at Plant Development

    Have you ever wondered why some plants have flowers before they have leaves, while others leaf out before they flower? Looked at flower and leaf buds and asked yourself what protects them as they develop and how they know when it’s OK to open? Arnold Arboretum Director William (Ned) Friedman will lead this walk on Sunday, May 7 from 1 – 2 through the Arboretum, drawing your eye to ephemeral developments in the springtime landscape. He will look at some of the trees observed in our Tree Spotters phenology program, but will also stop to point out other trees and shrubs that show interesting morphological characteristics. Bring a loupe or hand lens if you have one. Fee Free, but registration required. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

  • Sunday, September 18, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Learn to Observe: Tree Spotters Citizen Science

    With nearly 4,000 different kinds of plants represented in the Arboretum’s living collections, every day presents rich opportunities to see something new. If you enjoy learning about plants and their unique characteristics, you can contribute to science as a participant in our Tree Spotters program. This citizen science project opens a window into the Arboretum’s phenology: the timing of natural events, such as the leafing out and flowering of trees in the spring and changing foliage colors in the fall. Your observations will assist Arboretum scientists in their studies of the effects of a changing climate on plants. Attend a free training session. All levels of experience are welcome.

    Presenters at this Sunday, September 18 workshop in the Weld Hill Building at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University will be Catherine Chamberlain, Suzanne Mrozak, and Danny Schissler.

    Once trained, Tree Spotters will participate in the program by visiting the Arboretum two or more times a month from March through November for a 1 to 2 hour tree-spotting session. You can do this on your own, with friends or family, or with other volunteers. You will enter your observations into your Nature’s Notebook Observation Deck (an online database created and supported by the US National Phenology Network) that allows you to see patterns across the season. Registered participants will receive an e-mail before the training with further information.  Free, but registration requested at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1

    If you cannot attend this training but are still interested in the program, please contact  TreeSpotters@fas.harvard.edu.

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  • Wednesday, July 8, 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Learn to Observe: Tree Spotters Citizens Science Launch

    Would you like to learn more about the Arnold Arboretum’s trees? Would you enjoy connecting with the Arboretum ecologists and fellow citizen science volunteers? If so, we invite you to observe trees by participating in our new “Tree Spotters” program, led by Jehane Samaha and Suzanne Mrozak.

    This citizen science program will open a window into the Arboretum’s phenology – the timing of natural events, such as the leafing out of trees in the spring and the turning of colors in the fall. Attend a free training session on Wednesday, July 8, from 5:30 – 9 at the Hunnewell Building at the Arboretum, 125 Arborway in Jamaica Plain. All experience levels welcome.

    At the training session, you will learn about phenology, explore the tracking methods we will be using, and get hands-on experience with one of the ten species of trees we are tracking. Tree Spotters will participate in the program by visiting the Arboretum two or more times a month from May through mid-November for a 1 to 2 hour tree-spotting session. You can do this on your own, with friends or family, or with other volunteers. You will enter your observations into your Nature’s Notebook Observation Deck — allowing you to see patterns across the season! Registered participants will receive an e-mail before the training with further information.  Free, but registration requested at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1

    If you cannot make this training but are still interested in the program, please contact us at TreeSpotters@fas.harvard.edu.  Photo by Gail Gililand.