The Arboretum's Herbarium contains over 100 thousand dried and preserved plants, and almost half were taken from the Arboretum's own collections. These Herbarium specimens offer a blast from the past for these historic trees, and this unique program offers a chance to see both ends of the timeline: we will begin inside the Herbarium with a look at historical specimens from decades ago, and then head outside to see the trees they grew into.
Families need nature at all times of the year! We will look for seeds that fly, seeds that float, seeds that get buried away, and seeds that travel through an animal’s stomach. If you were a seed, which one would you want to be?
Free and open to all, most suitable for children ages four through ten.
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge
Celebrate the vibrant culture and natural history of El Salvador. Enjoy captivating folk dances by Grupo Torogoz and try hands-on activities including corn grinding and painting with cochineal insects. Go on a scavenger hunt and discover the rich heritage of animals, minerals, and artifacts from the region. Join an archaeologist for a live-streamed tour of Joya de Cerén, the Pompeii of Latin America. Take a break with Spanish Story Time, enjoy traditional Salvadoran cuisine (available for purchase), and enter a raffle to win a museum gift basket.
The Arboretum is known for its towering trees, but if you look closer you will see asters and goldenrods springing up amongst the oaks and the maples. What is the role of these spontaneous plants at the Arboretum and how do staff encourage them through horticultural practices like no-mow areas? Join Horticulturist Ryan Devlin for a walking tour to get answers to these questions and more.
The Caterpillar Lab is returning to the Arboretum! This immersive, interactive exhibit will feature hundreds of native caterpillars at every stage in their life cycles. Visitors will be able to learn from the experts as they explore the displays. The Lab offers something for every age group, and will give new insight into the world around us.
Peters Hill, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Bring your family and friends to Peters Hill for an afternoon of free tours, crafts, family activities, and more! Did we mention free ice cream and bubbles? Free activities open to all ages include:
Tours of Peters Hill offered in both English and Spanish
Plant information tents featuring wildflowers and plant defenses, fascinating Arboretum plant highlights, know-how of Arboretum experts, and a rich assortment of cuttings to view up close
Ice cream, art activities, lawn games, StoryWalks®, and more!...
Online or at Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre St., Boston
Join Dr. Peter Del Tredici as he dives into the world of roots and fungi beneath the soil. How are tree roots structured, and how do they get water and nutrients from the soil into the tree itself? How do symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi promote the growth and survival of both individual plants and entire forests? Understanding the structure and function of a tree's root system will not only help the audience become better gardeners but will enhance their appreciation of how forests work.
The Arnold Arboretum's sesquicentennial Director's Series traces the Arnold’s significance in the landscape architecture movement, value for the people of Boston, and leadership in creating global connections between plants and people.
Panelists include:
Dr. Michelle Kondo, Research Social Scientist, UDSA-Forest Service
Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, City of Boston
Laurence Cotton, Consulting Producer, “Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing...
Make a difference as an Arnold Arboretum Field Study Guide! Training for the spring season of school programs at the Arboretum begins March 29. We are looking for outgoing and mature adults who can commit to two years of volunteering. You do not need to know about plants, but experience working with children is preferred. If you are interested, please complete an application by March 11 for an interview.
Due to popular demand, we are offering another session of this free webinar. Led by naturalist and conservationist, Michael Wojtech, you'll learn to identify tree species by their bark and discover why such a variety of bark characteristics exist. Why do some species have smooth bark, while on others it is thick and broken? Why does bark peel? Join us to find out!
A plant that generates heat and attracts pollinators with its stink? Learn more about skunk cabbage in the Arnold Arboretum’s newest winter Wonder Spot, at the Arboretum meadow’s edge or online. Free and open to all.
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian—Online
The first person who will set foot on Mars is alive right now. We believe this, but even if we're wrong we know the first crew to arrive there will look nothing like the ones that landed on the Moon fifty years ago.
Our world has changed for the better, and ASTRONAUTS tells the story of the women who built this better world. The main character and narrator is Mary Cleave, an astronaut you may not have heard of. It's not because so many people have been to space; only a few hundred have! It’s because this graphic novel isn’t about fame. No astronaut you'll ever meet took the...
Dana Greenhouse, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Learn about seed biology, embryo dormancy, and factors present in woody plant seeds. The class will focus on seed storage and various treatment techniques, including over-wintering and aftercare. Appropriate for those who have succeeded at growing some plants from seed and are ready for greater challenges. Post-class nurturing will be required. Fee $55 members; $68 non-members.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Learn among the trees and discover the Arboretum on guided hikes for families. Seeds can fly. Find out which ones do and how they do it. One adult may bring a maximum of three children; suitable for children ages five through twelve. Meet in the Hunnewell Visitor Center.
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Many plants that we consider to be weeds have rich ethnobotanical histories of their own that tie us closer to our environment. Your guides will explain how these "weedy" plants came to colonize this area while touching on cultural contexts and botanical identification of these wild species—as well as the cultivated medicinal species in the Leventritt Shrub and Vine Garden. Guides: John de la Parra, Associate, Harvard University Herbaria; Ernest Anemone, Co-Guide;...
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston
Particles in our atmosphere, whether from the natural environment or from human-built engines, affect climate in ways we don’t yet fully understand. MIT Professor Dan Cziczo will speak of particles and clouds in our atmosphere and how climate is influenced by them. The evening will begin outdoors at Fog x Hill, a Fujiko Nakaya fog exhibit at the Arboretum and then shift indoors for a lecture about clouds and climate. Arrive promptly at 6:30pm to view Fog x Hill, a timed-release landscape...
Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge MA
James W. Porter, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia
Coral reefs support more than a quarter of all marine life, yet many are critically endangered. In the Florida Keys, the once common elk horn coral (Acropora palmata) has experienced steep declines since the 1970s. Preliminary blame was attributed to global warming and coral bleaching, but in fact, a human bacterial pathogen associated with a wide range of serious infections was the culprit. James Porter will discuss how Key West residents are saving these reefs...
Hunnewell Building Lecture Hall, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
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...
Bonsai and Penjing Pavilion, Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130
Did you know that almost all of the plants in the Arboretum begin their lives in the Dana Greenhouses? Get a behind-the-scenes look of the greenhouse growing process, from seed to sprout to seedling to tree. Meet at the Bonsai and Penjing Collection above the Leventritt Shrub & Vine Garden. There is a 15 person maximum.