Boston Flora

Tag: trees

  • Thursday, March 5, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm Eastern- Wild Wood: True Tales of Trees, Online

    Soundless but sentient, trees were absent for all but the last 10% of Earth’s history yet are essential to all air-breathing life on the planet today. They are the longest-living organisms on Earth, can communicate to one another through intricate underground soil networks, and even thermoregulate, all while rarely ever dying from old age.

    Join Liana Vitali, naturalist and educator at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Maryland (and self-proclaimed tree-hugger), for an immersive audio-visual journey into the fascinatingly complicated and connected life of trees—from their first tiny emergence through the topsoil as seedlings, to their lasting value to forest life as fallen logs.

    Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, just 12 miles outside Washington, D.C., is the jewel of the Patuxent River. Its 1,700 acres of open water, tidal freshwater marshes, forested wetlands, upland and riparian forest, creeks, meadows, pine and sand barrens, and fields along the eastern shore of the Patuxent contain multitudes of welcoming habitats for a true diversity of wildlife.

    The March 5 webinar, beginning at 6:45, is $20 for Smithsonian members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/wild-wood

  • Friday, December 5 – Application Deadline : Tree Planting and Care Grants

    The Boston Tree Alliance Tree Planting and Care Grant is now open and accepting applications for 2026!

    With $1.2 million in total funding available, this grant supports tree planting and associated maintenance on private land across Boston, with a focus on under-canopied neighborhoods impacted by urban heat.

    Learn more at https://boston.gov/tree-grants/

  • Saturday, October 28, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Mattapan Free Tree Giveaway

    Join Speak for the Trees at the Urban Farming Institute as they host a FREE Fall tree giveaway. The Urban Farming Institute (UFI) is located at 487 Norfolk Street, Mattapan, MA 02126. UFI is building on its strength to turn the neighborhood of Mattapan green. They envision deep and distributed farming networks, in which any location can be a place where food is grown for local consumption, local sales and local distribution. Register in advance at https://treeboston.org/events/event/ufi-trees/

    Mattapan is listed as an EJ (environmental justice) community, where tree canopy coverage is at an inequitable level in comparison to other areas in Boston. At Speak for the Trees, we work at the intersection of environmental justice, racial and social equity, public health, and climate change to advocate for a healthy and equitable urban forest in all Boston neighborhoods. First come, first served. Boston residents only until 1pm. All residents are welcome to come after 1pm for remaining trees.

  • Saturday, September 9, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – The Growth of Trees: A Journey Through Time

    No single view of a tree is a fixed snapshot in time that tells the complete story. Join Michael Wojtech at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on September 9 from 9 – noon and discover how trees grow, reproduce, and interact with their environment across days, weeks, seasons, and years and over varying scales—from the intricate details of buds, flowers, leaves, and bark that we use for species identification to the collaborative roles of trees in ecosystems. Learn more about the function and experience the beauty of characteristics such as overwintering buds, lobed or toothed leaves, flowers by the thousands, and seeds that fly on the wind. The Garden Club of the Back Bay presented this program in Boston last year – this expanded version includes a nature walk. Please come dressed to walk around the gardens, potentially on the forest trails.

    Michael Wojtech is the author of Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast. As a naturalist and educator, Michael strives to share the science and wonder of trees in an accessible and compelling fashion. He writes, photographs, illustrates, and presents programs about the structure, growth processes, and ecology of trees-including their bark, buds, leaves, roots, and wood-for audiences at all levels of experience. He is especially interested in the process of discovery and engagement and draws his greatest inspiration from sharing the sense of wonder, awe, and the recognition of beauty that result from these investigations.

    $40 NEBG Member Adult; $55 Adult (includes admission to the gardens)

  • Wednesday, August 23, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Writing in the Company of Trees

    In our perilous times, trees offer examples of resilience and precariousness, growth and generosity. How do we invite them into our writing? Join Matthew Battles, editor of Arnoldia, the Arnold Arboretum’s quarterly magazine, for an immersive workshop to practice writing under, about, and in collaboration with trees. 

    Participants will move throughout the landscape to engage trees in the arboretum’s collection while writing, reflecting, and sharing their discoveries.

    Please bring a notebook or other writing materials that are manageable in the field. This program involves walking along wooded paths, climbing some moderate slopes, and navigating uneven terrain. We will be sitting on the ground frequently, so travel camp chairs, yoga mats, or blankets are encouraged.

    In the event of inclement weather, registrants will be notified. For more information, please call (617) 384-5209. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, August 23 at 5:30 pm. Meet at the Centre Street Gate. Register HERE.

  • Saturday, April 29, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm- Savor the Square Tree Giveaway

    Join Speak for the Trees and The American City Coalition (TACC) for the 3rd Annual Savor the Square Tree Giveaway in Nubian Square for Roxbury Arbor Day. This event is sponsored by Verizon and in collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation.

    Savor the Square brings people together and connects them to local businesses and other community members. It celebrates and leverages the history and cultural assets for social and business development, and expands neighborhood vitality. The event takes place at the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library, 149 Dudley Street in Roxbury, beginning at 10 am.

  • Wednesday, February 19, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Winter Tree ID Workshop

    Learn how to confidently identify trees native to Martha’s Vineyard by their bark, twigs, needles, and fruit. Join Polly Hill Arboretum Grounds Manager and Arborist Ian Jochems for a hands-on introductory Winter Tree ID workshop on February 19 from 10 – 12. We will start in the classroom, then head into the field to look at live specimens in PHA’s native woodland behind the main campus.

    Attendees are encouraged to dress for the weather and bring gloves and a hat for the outside portion. All other supplies will be provided by the Arboretum. Space is limited and registration is required. $20 for Polly Hill members, $35 for nonmembres. Register here:

    bit.ly/Winter-Tree-ID

    To help prevent the spread of Covid-19, we respectfully require that you bring proof of vaccination and wear a mask for the indoor portion of the class.

  • Thursday, February 24, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Drawing Trees, Online

    Explore the variety and elegance of tree forms using pencil and paper. In this Harvard Museums of Science and Culture webinar, we will focus on capturing the shapes and volume of trunks and branches as well as techniques for drawing foliage in this online workshop. Groups will be limited to twelve, allowing ample time for individual feedback. All skill levels are welcome.

     $30 members/ $35 nonmembers. Register HERE.

  • Wednesday, January 19, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Trees That Always Please, Online

    Join Fine Gardening Magazine on January 19 at 7 for a free one hour webinar followed by a thirty minute Q &A on Trees with Paul Cappiello.

    Trees are a big investment. This isn’t only because they often have a hefty price tag, but also because they take up a lot of garden real estate and aren’t plants that you’ll be able to readily relocate. When choosing a tree, it’s important to make sure it performs in all four seasons. It shouldn’t just have lovely spring blooms and decent fall color. It should also have winter interest and other noteworthy traits that shine when it’s not at its peak. And a tree should be largely pest- and disease-free, with low needs when it comes to care. After all, who wants to invest in a plant that will require 50 years of high maintenance?

    Woody plant expert Paul Cappiello understands these requirements well. As executive director for the Yew Dell Botanical Gardens in Crestwood, Kentucky, he is constantly evaluating the pros and cons of trees. And on his plant travels around the world, he’s always keeping an eye out for trees that are exceptional in myriad ways. For this presentation, Paul reached out to several of his horticultural friends and colleagues to provide you with a list of incredible trees that you will never regret planting. Whatever you choose, it will be one of the best garden investments you’ll make. Register at https://www.finegardening.com/article/trees-that-always-please-webinar

  • Tuesdays, December 7 – December 21, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – The Science of Tree Communication, Online

    Trees may appear to be strong and silent, but they can “talk”—to one another, to other plants, and to animals and insects. Discover how trees communicate via chemical signals in the air (to warn each other of insect attacks), as well as through complex fungal networks underground to transfer nutrients and resources to one another (sometimes to assist sick trees). This three session New York Botanical Garden class will be held online beginning December 7 from 6 – 8, and is taught by Steve Kutos. $139. Register HERE. Steve Kutos is a Ph.D. student in Biological Sciences – Ecology at Fordham University in the Dr. J.D. Lewis lab. His research focuses on how disturbance and the future effects of climate change might tree-soil microbial communities.