Events

    Hybrid Lecture: The Fascinating Feathers of the Sandgrouse

    Location: 

    Online or at Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    The birds that populate the Arnold Arboretum rarely have to go far to find water. In the deserts of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, it's a different story, and the sandgrouse that lives in these arid environments has developed a fascinating adaptation to stay hydrated: these birds have a unique ability to absorb and hold water inside of their feathers. The chicks can't yet fly the long distance from their nests to the watering hole, so adult males make the long journey with the lifesaving water secreted away in their feathers. But how do their feathers hold water so efficiently? Dr...

    Read more about Hybrid Lecture: The Fascinating Feathers of the Sandgrouse

    Tree Mob: Oaks on Peters Hill

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Oaks are one of the most recognizable trees in New England, and one of the most ecologically important. Join Horticulturist Ryan Devlin for a Tree Mob on the Arboretum's oak collection on Peters Hill and get a closer look at this common but fascinating genus. Learn about oak reproduction, different oak species, mast years, and more through this short landscape talk.

    Learn more and RSVP.

    Read more about Tree Mob: Oaks on Peters Hill

    Biophilia and Topology: A Re-imagining of Landscape Architecture

    Location: 

    Online or at Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    At its best, landscape architecture merges ecology and design to create landscapes that work with the site, not against it. Dr. Anette Freytag, a professor of the history and theory of landscape architecture, argues that two concepts—biophilia and topology—can help society to better deal with our current environmental crisis and improve wellbeing for all.

    This event will also be livestreamed to YouTube. To sign up for the virtual livestream instead,...

    Read more about Biophilia and Topology: A Re-imagining of Landscape Architecture

    Mobile Landscape Reading – American Wildflowers: A Literary Field Guide

    Location: 

    Online or at Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Join editor Susan Barba for a mobile landscape reading of her new literary anthology, filled with classic and contemporary poems and essays inspired by wildflowers. What is a mobile landscape reading, you ask? Instead of sitting in a lecture hall, you will meander through the wildflowers of the Arboretum, stopping to hear beautiful poems and prose while surrounded by the wildflowers that inspired them.

    You can...

    Read more about Mobile Landscape Reading – American Wildflowers: A Literary Field Guide

    PoeTREE: An Afternoon of Tree-Themed Poetry Readings

    Location: 

    Online or at Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre St., Boston

    Join poets Jennifer Barber, Deborah Leipziger, and Charles Coe for an afternoon of tree-themed poetry readings and discussion. Each poet will read segments of their works, including the poetry anthology Tree Lines, interspersed with interactive dialogue with the audience. At the end of the event, audience members will be given prompts and encouraged to try their own hands at writing tree-inspired poetry.

    ...

    Read more about PoeTREE: An Afternoon of Tree-Themed Poetry Readings

    Plant Exploration: Then and Now

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre Street, Boston

    The Arnold Arboretum has been collecting plants from around the world for 150 years, but plant exploration today looks very different than it did in the 1800s. From changes in collecting practices to an evolving relationship between the Arboretum and its international partners, a lot has changed in the last century. Join Head of the Library and Archives Lisa Pearson and Keeper of the Living Collections Michael Dosmann to learn what these trips were like in the days of yore, and what they are like now.

    ...

    Read more about Plant Exploration: Then and Now

    Tour: Witch-Hazel Walk

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Join a docent tour through the Arboretum looking for the vibrant colors of the witch-hazel flowers. Learn about plants native to China and Japan, those from the Ozarks and Mississippi, and even one that was introduced right here at the Arnold Arboretum! Dress warmly and wear boots for a 75-minute tour on and off the paths.

    Learn more and RSVP.

    Read more about Tour: Witch-Hazel Walk

    Tour : Witch-Hazel Walk

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Bring your Valentine on a docent -led tour through the Arboretum looking for the vibrant colors of the witch-hazel flowers. Learn about plants native to China and Japan, those from the Ozarks and Mississippi, and even one that was introduced right here at the Arnold Arboretum! Dress warmly and wear boots for a 75-minute tour on and off the paths.

    Learn more and RSVP.

    Read more about Tour : Witch-Hazel Walk

    The Overstory: A Participatory Read Aloud

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Join a participatory, in-person read-aloud of excerpts from Richard Powers’ tree-inspired novel The Overstory hosted by the Arnold Arboretum.

    The read-aloud will take place on Saturday, January 28, between 1pm and 4pm, within the exhibition of artist Diane Samuels' 160-foot scroll, The Overstory by Richard Powers, which was inspired by and celebrates the Pulitzer-prize winning novel. This is the last chance to see the scroll first-hand before the exhibition closes. View the scroll, listen to the excerpts, maybe read a portion yourself. Samuels herself will be joining...

    Read more about The Overstory: A Participatory Read Aloud

    Walking Tour | Barking Up the Right Tree: A Tour of Bark Diversity at the Arboretum

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    What is there to see at the Arboretum after all of the leaves have fallen and before spring flowers start to bloom? Bark! Shaggy bark, mottled bark, striped bark: the Arboretum has it all. Join Horticulturist Rachel Lawlor to see some beautiful bark highlights, learn how to identify some trees by their bark alone, and learn why exactly that bark looks the way it does.

    This tour will involve walking over grassy slopes, paved roads, mulch paths, and quite possibly some snow. We will be outside the whole time so dress for the weather! The tour begins on Bussey Street near the...

    Read more about Walking Tour | Barking Up the Right Tree: A Tour of Bark Diversity at the Arboretum

    Tree Mob: Sweet Birch

    Location: 

    Online or at Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    It looks like a cherry tree, it smells like root beer, but it is, in fact, the beautiful and aromatic sweet birch. Join Horticulturist Brendan Keegan to learn about this fascinating tree and its role in ecological succession, its use by wildlife, and its importance to indigenous communities. You may even get a chance to smell the wintergreen scent yourself.

    Getting to this Tree Mob will involve walking up a moderately sloped gravel path.

    This event will also be presented virtually over Zoom. To sign up for the virtual event,...

    Read more about Tree Mob: Sweet Birch

    How Birds Work: Bills

    Location: 

    Weld Hill Research Building, Arnold Arboretum, 1300 Centre St., Boston

    Bills come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, from the needle-like bills of swallows for picking insects out of the air, to hummingbirds' long and curved bills for probing into the base of a flower, to the robust bill of the evening grosbeak for cracking into seeds. Some even have special features, like pressure sensors that allow shorebirds to detect food without touching it. Join Dr. Lorna Gibson, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, to look at the great diversity of bird bills and how they are suited to each individual bird—and to that bird’s favorite meal!

    ... Read more about How Birds Work: Bills

    Tree Equity in Boston: What It Is and How to Grow It

    Location: 

    Weld Hill Research Building, Arnold Arboretum, 1300 Centre St., Boston

    The City of Boston recently released a new Urban Forest Plan that aims to grow the city's urban forest equitably. In this talk, David Meshoulam, Executive Director of Speak for the Trees, Boston, will introduce the idea of tree equity and discuss its critical importance in a rapidly changing climate. The organization has been examining how the distribution of trees has been shaped by race, politics, and history. and works to grow the city's forest as a tool to build resilient communities.

    ...

    Read more about Tree Equity in Boston: What It Is and How to Grow It

    Science at the Arboretum: Research Labs Tour

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Join Dr. Faye Rosin, Director of Research Facilitation, for a tour of the Weld Hill Research Labs. The Weld Hill Research and Education Building is a state-of-the-art science laboratory and teaching facility that opened in 2011. On any given day researchers, faculty, and students use its laboratories, greenhouses, growth chambers, and classrooms to further the study of plant life on Earth.

    Learn more and RSVP....

    Read more about Science at the Arboretum: Research Labs Tour

    Arboretum Mushroom Walk

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    Hundreds of mushrooms hide beneath the Arboretum's canopies, silently blossoming into unique forms then withering away again just as quickly. Join local mushroom enthusiast Maria Pinto to search for these fascinating organisms on the Arboretum grounds, both edible and poisonous alike. Along the way you will learn what mushrooms to look for in different habitats and seasons, how they move through ecosystems, and how the Arboretum's unique collections affect what mushrooms you might find here.

    ...

    Read more about Arboretum Mushroom Walk

    Great Horned Owl Walk

    Location: 

    Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway, Boston

    November at dusk is a perfect time to listen and look for Great Horned Owls. This charismatic and formidable species is often heard calling throughout the Arboretum’s collections. Join staff from the Arboretum and Zoo New England to learn about Great Horned Owls, how to go owling ethically, and possibly hear and see a few owls as well.

    Learn more and register.

    Read more about Great Horned Owl Walk

    Obsessions: Fellow Organisms in the Arnold Arboretum

    Location: 

    Online or at Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre St., Boston

    Join the Arnold Arboretum’s Director William (Ned) Friedman for the annual Director’s Series! To celebrate the Arboretum’s sesquicentennial, this year’s series will explore the Magic and Meaning of a Garden of Trees. Over the course of four sessions, we will trace 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. This final session will feature a talk from Director Friedman on fellow organisms in the Arboretum.

    ...

    Read more about Obsessions: Fellow Organisms in the Arnold Arboretum

Pages