Boston Flora

Tag: University Of Delaware

  • Thursday, April 16, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – How to Grow a Better Bird Feeder, Live and Online

    Grow Native Massachusetts hosts Desirée L. Narango, Conservation Biologist at the Vermont Center for EcoStudies, will speak on April 16 on How to Grow a Better Bird Feeder at the First Parish Church, 7 Harrington Road in Lexington, and online via Zoom. Bird populations are declining at an alarming rate due to habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides. Fortunately, there are simple actions you can take to restore critical bird habitat in your yards and gardens. In this talk, Desirée will share her research on the importance of native plants to food webs, why insects matter for bird conservation, and the practical steps you can take to support bird habitat throughout the year.

    Desirée L. Narango is a conservation scientist at the Vermont Center for EcoStudies. Her research program focuses on understanding how global change impacts bird and insect populations, and identifying conservation solutions in human-dominated habitats including residential yards and urban green spaces. Desirée has a Ph.D. in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology from the University of Delaware.

    No registration is needed for the in-person talk, but visit https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/evenings-experts to sign up for Zoom

  • Saturday, March 4, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm – Mt. Cuba Conservation: Behind the Scenes, Online

    While Mt. Cuba Center’s gardens showcase how native plants can enhance formal and naturalistic gardens, behind the scenes, Mt. Cuba conducts conservation programs at many scales, ranging from individual species to whole ecosystems. We monitor and propagate rare plants, cultivate breeding habitat for bird species of conservation concern, and conduct a 100-year reforestation experiment. We collaborate with independent, university, and community scientists to learn more about the flora and fauna at Mt. Cuba, share the results with broader audiences, and contribute data to national community science projects. Dr. Ellen Lake, discusses the range of conservation efforts at Mt. Cuba, ongoing ecological research, and the purpose of Mt. Cuba’s newly constructed greenhouse and plant nursery.

    Ellen Lake, PhD, is the Director of Conservation and Research at Mt. Cuba Center. She taught environmental education and was the Education Director at the Brandywine and Red Clay Valley Associations. Ellen has a master’s degree in Entomology and Ph.D. in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology from the University of Delaware, where she researched biological control of mile-a-minute weed and how to integrate weed management techniques to restore plant communities. Ellen has extensive experience researching insect-plant interactions, including work for the USDA in the Greater Everglades ecosystem.

    This program takes place online Saturday, March 4, 2023. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/mt-cuba-conservation-behind-the-scenes-online/

  • Wednesday, November 17, 12:00 noon – Nature’s Sanctuary: Challenges of and Solutions for a SITES Gold Landscape

    Join the Ecological Landscape Alliance and Horticulturist Gregg Tepper online on November 17 at noon to learn about and understand the history and challenges of a SITES Gold landscape and real-world solutions to achieve the desired results. From the site’s creation in 2008 and original design intent, to 2020 and its evolved management plan, Tepper will share the difficulties faced and detailed, pragmatic solutions needed to overcome them. The topics include invasive species and stormwater mitigation, native plant choices, and maintenance strategies effectively utilized for this managed-succession site. From its current existence as a meadow through its future progression to a late-succession woodland, you’ll learn what Tepper has planned, and you’ll find the revealed surprise of this truly unique site. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org

    Gregg Tepper is a professional horticulturist, lecturer, consultant, and lifelong native plant enthusiast. After studying Ornamental Horticulture at the University of Delaware and several years creating his own ornamental and native plant gardens, Mr. Tepper started a horticultural maintenance business designing and managing private gardens in southeast Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. He went on to work at Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, DE where he held the positions of Horticulturist, Woods Path Horticulturist, and Director of Horticulture. Subsequently he was Director of Horticulture and board member of Delaware Botanic Gardens in Dagsboro, DE. He was instrumental in developing the initial horticultural mission, leading the garden steward volunteers, and implementing a two-acre meadow designed by world-renown garden designer Piet Oudolf. Mr. Tepper is now the Horticulturist at the Arboretum at Laurel Hill and West Laurel Hill Cemeteries in Philadelphia, PA where he manages various display gardens including Nature’s Sanctuary, a SITES Gold credited landscape. Gregg has lectured extensively in the United States and Great Britain. Also, he is co-author of the book Deer-resistant Native Plants for the Northeast.

  • Tuesday, November 2, 11:00 am – The Nature of Oaks, Online

    In his latest book, The Nature of Oaks (Timber Press, March 2021), Doug Tallamy pays homage to a giant of the plant kingdom: the mighty oak tree. Oaks sustain a crucial and complex web of wildlife above ground, but are just as impressive underground, producing enormous root systems that make them champions of carbon sequestration, soil stabilization, and watershed management.

    Join theNew York Botanical Garden for this November 2 webinar at 11 am, as Doug shares his signature how-to advice, including practical tips on how to plant and care for an oak, as well as information about the best oak species for your area. Doug Tallamy is Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. Tallamy is a prolific researcher and the author of many books, including Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape, Nature’s Best Hope, and his latest The Nature of Oaks.

    Please note that registration will end 24 hours prior to this webinar. $15 NYBG members, $18 non-members. Register HERE

  • Wednesday, May 19, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – I Have a Butterfly Garden: Now What?, Online

    You’ve created a butterfly garden to attract butterflies but how do you know that they’ve actually visited? Caterpillars and butterflies leave clues, both big and small, so get ready to look at your plants like never before! Using monarchs and swallowtails as our main examples, Amy Mawby will explore native butterfly species in all of their life cycle stages and behaviors. Discover how our gardens support butterflies throughout their marvelous metamorphosis. Go beyond your backyard and learn tricks, tools and timing for raising butterflies at home. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden program will be held virtually on May 19 at 6:30 pm. Once you register you will receive a zoom link in the confirmation. This webinar will also be RECORDED and available for 2 months to all registrants. $10 for THBG members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

    Amy Mawby is a garden educator and photographer. Her roots are buried deep in horticulture and she has spent 12+ years leading education and visitor experience teams at public gardens. Amy has most recently worked at Tyler Arboretum and Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (BHWP). At BHWP, she found a passion for native plants and at Tyler Arboretum she nurtured her love for native butterflies as the staff lead for the seasonal Butterfly House exhibit, as well as in her home garden. She is also a visual storyteller and nature shutterbug. Amy holds a M.S. in Public Horticulture from the University of Delaware and a B.S. in Plant Science from Cornell University.

  • Native Plant Trust Announces Yard Futures Project

    Native Plant Trust, the nation’s first plant conservation organization and the only one solely focused on New England’s native plants, has partnered with the renowned Woodwell Climate Research Center to share ground-breaking research about how American homeowners in six major metropolitan areas currently shape their yards and what can be done to create spaces that work better for both people and the environment. This research and best practices that come out of the Yard Futures Project are now available to the public in brief articles on the Native Plant Trust website, www.NativePlantTrust.org, which will be regularly updated.

    The Yard Futures Project is a collaboration of scientists affiliated with institutions from across the U.S., including Woodwell Climate Research Center, Duke University, City University of New York, University of Massachusetts, Johns Hopkins University, University of Minnesota, Arizona State University, U.S. Forest Service, University of Utah, University of Delaware, Portland State University, Davidson College, Clark University, Masaryk University, University of Vermont and Virginia Tech. The research focuses on homeowners and their yards in the metropolitan areas of Boston, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Phoenix and includes on-site field studies, extensive surveys, and interviews.

    The project studies the impact of homeowners’ choices and examines not only how homeowners shape their yards, but also importantly why they make particular choices about lawns, gardens, and maintenance regimes. The project measures how yards influence attributes of residential ecosystems such as plant and insect biodiversity, microclimates, soil carbon and the potential for nitrogen runoff.

    The team is publishing most of the project findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals and other professional outlets; the brief articles at www.NativePlantTrust.org present the results in an accessible, engaging way that can immediately be put to use by the public. Christopher Neill, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, is editorial director and lead author for the series.

    “Urban and suburban yards now cover huge areas across the US. And more and more people care deeply about making their yards better habitat for wildlife and better providers of some of the services more natural areas provide, like carbon storage and shade that lowers air temperatures,” said Chris Neill. “This project aims to take what we’ve learned from studying yards across the country and put it in a form that homeowners can both understand and translate into things that they can do in their own yards.”

    The project receives funding from the National Science Foundation’s Macro Systems Biology Program, which is investigating the causes and consequences of large-scale ecological patterns.

  • Wednesday, August 26, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – The Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve, Online

    Rodney Eason is CEO of the Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve, a collection of three gardens (Asticou, Thuya, and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller) and over 1,200 acres of natural lands adjacent to Acadia National Park. In his August 26 Polly Hill Arboretum presentation, Rodney will review the history of these gardens, the majestic natural landscapes, and how the staff and volunteers are working together to preserve these areas for current and future generations. Enjoy a virtual tour of the gardens in full flower!

    After nearly a decade in Pennsylvania working at famed Longwood Gardens, Rodney and his family headed ever further north to Maine, where they have called home since 2012. He holds a bachelor of landscape architecture from NC State (with a minor in horticulture) and a master of science in public horticulture from the University of Delaware and Longwood Gardens. Along with being passionate about the Preserve and Maine, Rodney enjoys going to their kids’ sporting events, starting home improvement projects, and riding his bike to avoid finishing these projects.

    This webinar is the Annual Lisina & Frank W. Hoch Lecture, and is free for PHA members, $10 for nonmembers. Proceeds benefit Polly Hill Arboretum and help make it possible for us to hold future affordable and free educational programs for our community. Thank you for support! Register here: bit.ly/Mount-Desert-Webinar-2020

  • Uli Lorimer Named Director of Horticulture by the New England Wild Flower Society

    New England Wild Flower Society, a national leader in native plant conservation, horticulture, and education, has named Uli Lorimer as its new Director of Horticulture. Lorimer is currently curator of the Native Flora Garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and will begin his new role in March. He will oversee both Garden in the Woods, the Society’s botanic garden in Framingham, and Nasami Farm in western Massachusetts, a nursery focused on propagation of and research about New England native plants.

    “We are excited to welcome Uli to the staff as we launch ambitious initiatives at the Garden and in horticultural research,” says Debbi Edelstein, Executive Director of the Society. “Uli’s passion for native plants and ecological landscaping, plus his commitment to outreach and education, make him an ideal person to lead our horticulture team.”
    The Delaware native grew up with an interest in all things green, and since 2005 has held the position of curator of the Native Flora Garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. During his tenure at BBG, Lorimer not only tended the original 108-year- old Native Flora Garden but was also instrumental in the creation of a new extension of the garden, which features a native coastal plain meadow and pine barrens. He also worked closely with botanists throughout the region to collect seed from the wild, propagated new plants for the collection, and documented and studied the region’s biodiversity. Lorimer is a popular teacher and public speaker and is also a contributing author and photographer for several BBG publications, including Community Gardening, Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens, Tough Natives for Tough Places, A Native Plant Reader, Easy Compost, and Edible Gardens. Lorimer holds degrees from the University of Delaware in Landscape Horticulture and Foreign Languages and Literature. Fabulous photo below by the incomparable Ken Druse.

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  • Monday, April 23, 7:00 pm – Native Plants for New England Gardens

    Porter Square Books, 25 White Street in Cambridge, will host Mark Richardson and Dan Jaffe on Monday, April 23 at 7 pm for a talk and book signing. This is the essential gardener’s guide to growing native in New England. Plants native to New England evolved to thrive in local conditions and survive harsh seasons. Native Plants for New England Gardens culls the expertise of the New England Wild Flower Society to help anyone create lovely, hardy gardens that will tolerate drought, resist disease and encourage biodiversity. This handy guide to 100 great native flowers, ground covers, shrubs, ferns, and grasses that will thrive in New England gardens features practical information accompanied by beautiful color photography. Find and nurture the native plants that your garden is missing–the planet will thank you.

    New England Wild Flower Society Director of the Botanic Garden Mark Richardson studied ornamental horticulture at the University of Rhode Island and holds a master’s degree from the University of Delaware’s Longwood Graduate Program. Native Plants for New England Gardens is a product of his passion for public horticulture. Photographer and author Dan Jaffe earned a degree in botany from the University of Maine, Orono, and has years of nursery and plant sales experience. He is the official propagator and stock bed grower of the New England Wild Flower Society.

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  • Saturday, April 7, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Native Plants for New England Gardens

    Mark Richardson continues to make the rounds with his new book Native Plants for New England Gardens, co-authored with Dan Jaffe, and on April 7 you will have the chance to hear him and to acquire a signed copy of his book at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston. Native Plants for New England Gardens is a handy guide to more than 100 great native perennials, trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses, and vines. The book features practical information accompanied by beautiful color photography.

    Join co-author Mark Richardson for this informative discussion about native plants and all their garden uses – from plants to use in place of mulch to those that attract and support pollinators. $5 for THBG members, $15 for nonmembers.

    New England Wild Flower Society Director of the Botanic Garden Mark Richardson studied ornamental horticulture at the University of Rhode Island and holds a master’s degree from the University of Delaware’s Longwood Graduate Program. Native Plants for New England Gardens is a product of his passion for public horticulture.

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