Boston Flora

Tag: University Of Connecticut

  • Friday, November 3, 6:45 pm – Green Eggs and A.m (Ambystoma maculatum)

    On Friday, November 3, Dr. Louise Lewis, Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, will present a lecture at the New England Botanical Club meeting entitled Green Eggs and A.m (Ambystoma maculatum).  Ambystoma maculatum is more widely known as the spotted salamander. Meetings at Harvard University are held in Haller Lecture Hall (Room 102), Geological Museum, 24 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (door to right of Harvard Museum of Natural History entrance) Free and open to the pubic. For more information on the New England Botanical Club, visit http://www.rhodora.org.

  • Thursday, July 20 – Saturday, August 12, 9:00 am – 8:00 pm (weekdays) – Plant Anatomy: Development, Function, and Evolution

    This two-week summer short course, July 20 – August 12, will be taught by experts from around the world as an intense lecture, laboratory, and living collections learning experience. The course will be based at the Weld Hill Research Building at the Arnold Arboretum, which offers a state-of-the-art microscopy laboratory for teaching and sits amid the 15,000+ living specimens of more than 2,200 species at the Arnold Arboretum.

    With the opportunity to bring molecular genetic and genomic tools to almost any clade of plants, it is essential to understand the biology of the organisms in question. A key challenge will be to link comparative developmental genetics to existing bodies of knowledge; notably the over two hundred year legacy of plant anatomy. This integration is critical as the phylogenetic, structural, and ecological breadth of plant taxa open to study expands, and potential questions become increasingly sophisticated. This course will provide a working knowledge of tools and concepts that are central to understanding the anatomical basis for structural and functional diversity.

    Instructors:

    Pieter Baas (Naturalis Biodiversity Center)
    Pamela Diggle (University of Connecticut)
    William (Ned) Friedman (Harvard University)
    Peter Gasson (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
    Cynthia Jones (University of Connecticut)
    Elisabeth Wheeler (North Carolina State University)

    Deadline for applications: April 15. For complete information and syllabus visit https://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/education/aa-summer-course/

  • Thursday, November 5, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm – Native Shrubs for Challenging Sites

    Jessica Lubell-Brand, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Connecticut, will speak at the Arnold Arboretum on Thursday, November 5 beginning at 7 pm on Native Shrubs for Challenging Sites.

    Native plants are popular for creating sustainable landscapes. Natives are also a desirable solution to the invasive plant problem, but they must be able to perform well in difficult landscape situations, like foundation plantings, and dry, shaded locations.

    Jessica will touch on readily available native shrubs, which can handle tough conditions as well as lesser-known native shrub taxa, suitable for challenging sites. $10. For more information call 617-384-5277, or email adulted@arnarb.harvard.edu.

  • Tuesdays, January 6 – 27, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Botany for Gardeners

    This is a Berkshire Botanical Garden beginning course in plant anatomy and physiology that covers a wide range of topics. The relationship between structure and function of seeds, roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits will be addressed. An understanding of how plants grow and respond to their environment is fundamental to the successful planting and cultivation of this enormous class of organisms. The series of classes, to be held Tuesdays, January 6 – 27 at the Education Center at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, can be taken as a core requirement for the Horticulture Certificate Level I program, or each session may be taken as an individual class.

    Instructor – Joyce Hemingson, Ph.D. earned her degree in Botany from the University of Connecticut on the pollination biology of Clethra alnifolia (Sweet Pepperbush). She worked for many years as Director of Publications for White Flower Farm, located in Litchfield, CT. She is an active gardener and a longtime member of the North American Rock Garden Society. $165.  To register, call Berkshire Community College at 413-236-2127, or BBG at 413-298-3926.  Image from www.kulabotanicalgarden.com.

  • Wednesday, December 10, 9:30 am – 3:45 pm – Greenhouse Vegetable Production in Containers

    UMass Extension Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture Program will hold a workshop on Wednesday, December 10, from 9:30 – 3:45 at the Publick House in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  $40 per person, plus an additional fee if you register online with a credit card.  Registration includes morning refreshments, breaks, and handouts.  You may also print a mail in registration form at http://extension.umass.edu/floriculture/events/greenhouse-vegetable-production-containers.

    Speakers include Rich McAvoy from University of Connecticut, who will speak on Growing Greenhouse Tomatoes and Cucumbers, Carol Glenister of IPM Laboratories on Perfecting Biocontrol in Greenhouse Vegetables, Brian Krug of University of New Hampshire on Growing Bench-top Greens, M. Bess Dicklow of UMass Extension Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory on Diseases and Disorders of Greenhouse Tomatoes, and Brad Clegg of Four Town Farm and Dave Volante of Volante Farms, leading a Grower to Grower Panel.  Image from www.gizmag.com.

  • Friday, November 14, 12:20 pm – 1:10 pm – STORMISE – An Initiative to Manage Trees and Forests for Storm Resilience

    Mark Rudnicki, Associate Professor, Forest Ecology, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Connecticut will speak on Friday, November 14, from 12:20 pm in Room 305, University of Massachusetts/Amherst’s Department of Environmental Conservation, 160 Holdsworth Way in Amherst.  His topic is STORMISE – An Initiative to Manage Trees and Forests for Storm Resilience.  Dr. Rudnicki is interested in understanding the mechanisms that govern forest stand dynamics.  In particular, he is interested in catastrophic and chronic wind interactions with forest ecosystems, and in quantifying tree sway in the wind and effects of sway on tree growth and canopy architecture. For more information call 413-545-2665.  Image from www.sierraclub.org.

  • Saturday, February 1, 2:00 pm – Discovering Thoreau the Geologist

    Henry David Thoreau’s contributions to botany are well documented. Far less known was his passion for the physical sciences, especially geology. Robert Thorson’s new book, Walden’s Shore, is the first-ever book to focus on Thoreau the geoscientist, from his studies of local rocks and minerals to his interpretation of how Walden Pond and the Concord landscape were created.  Dr. Thorson, Professor of Geology at University of Connecticut will speak on Discovering Thoreau the Geologist at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Oxford Street, Cambridge, on Saturday, February 1, at 2 pm, and will sign copies of his book.

    Regular museum admission rates apply. Free event parking in the 52 Oxford Street Garage.  For more information visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

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  • Friday, October 19, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Seed Saving with Bryan Connolly, Massachusetts State Botanist

    Bryan Connolly is the Massachusetts State Botanist for the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. He will speak at Elm Bank on Friday, October 19, beginning at 6:30 pm, on Seed Saving.

    Bryan is also researching the taxonomy and uses of the native plant genus Aronia or Chokeberry for doctoral dissertation. He is the author of “The wisdom of plant heritage” the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s handbook on small-scale seed production, and a co-author of “Breeding Organic Vegetables Step By Step Guide” NOFA-NY, and “The Vascular Plants of Massachusetts: A County Checklist, First Revision”. His professional experience includes being a botanical consultant for the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, surveying rare plant populations for the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, coordinating a volunteer invasive plant survey at the New England Wild Flower Society, growing for FEDCO seeds, and instructing botany classes at Connecticut College and the University of Connecticut.

    Cost – $10.00 for Mass Hort members, $12.00 for non-members.
    Reservations may be made by calling 617-933-4943 or ordering online at https://www.masshort.org/secureforms/OnlineRegistrationForm_G2T.php. You may also pay at the class.

  • Saturday, September 29, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm – At the Root: Understanding and Managing Healthy Soils

    Healthy soil is the basis of healthy plant communities – join the Ecological Landscaping Association and Garden in the Woods for this in-depth, full-day workshop on Saturday, September 29, from 8:30 – 3:30 (lunch included) with instructors Dawn Pettinelli, Manager of the Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory at the University of Connecticut and Peter Schmidt, Certified Arborist and Certified Soil Foodweb Advisor. This workshop will include microscope work and additional soil demonstrations in the gardens. Register at www.ecolandscaping.com, or at Eventville at https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1009610.

  • Wednesday, December 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Deadly Nightshades: From Potatoes to Poisons

    Outside of the grasses and beans, few plant groups have contributed more to influence global cuisine and culture than the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Members like potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants have figured prominently not only in human nutrition, but also in the history of New England and the world. At the same time, poisonous relatives like tobacco, mandrake, henbane, and belladonna have contributed to its other, more sinister reputation. Join Gregory J. Anderson, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, at the Hunnewell Building at Arnold Arboretum on Wednesday, December 7, from 7 – 8:30 for a deeper look at both sides of the family line.  Free, but registration requested.   On line registration is available at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.