Glass Flowers Exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Arnold
Arboretum, Harvard University Herbaria, Jamaica Plain and Cambridge,
Massachusetts
Organized by Sheryl White
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Lucy Graham
Harvard Museum of Natural History
James Macklin, Ph.D.
Director of Collections and Informatics
Harvard University Herbaria
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is the oldest public arboretum
in North America and one of the world's leading centers for the study
of plants. The Harvard Museum of Natural History has incomparable
collections, most famously the extraordinary
glass flower sculptures of Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka. In the cool of the morning, walk
the grounds of the Arnold, led by knowledgeable docents. Have a guided
tour of the Harvard University Herbaria, led by Director of Collections,
James Macklin. Tour the Harvard Natural History Museum in the afternoon.
NOTE: The HUH tour is a tour only; those wishing to arrange a research
visit to the collections must arrange with the Director of Collections
separately and well in advance. Box lunches will be provided for
attendees. Wear comfortable shoes for arboretum and city walking.
Blue Hill and Horn Pond Mountain
An AFS Sponsored Trip
Organized by Don Lubin and Ray Abair
Both sites we will visit are located in the deciduous forests of
eastern Massachusetts. The Blue Hills are home to around 48 ferns
and fern allies. The first site there will showcase Thelypteris simulata
(in the area where it was discovered), Woodwardia areolata, perhaps
Woodwardia virginica, several Dryopteris hybrids, and quite a few
common eastern species. The second site offers Botrychium dissectum
and hopefully B. oneidense and B. virginianum, Phegopteris connectilis
and P. hexagonoptera, and Deparia acrostichoides. Horn Pond Mountain
harbors around 26 pteridophyte taxa and has less acidic soils. We
should see Woodsia obtusa and W. ilvensis, Asplenium platyneuron
and A. trichomanes,
probably Cystopteris tenuis, and possibly Selaginella rupestris.
The Blue Hill section will not involve significant climbing. Horn
Pond Mountain is just a hill, but we will have to walk up most of
it. Boots would be helpful but not necessary. There will be insects
and some poison ivy. Bring a hand lens. Box lunches will be provided.
Marion Eppley Wildlife Refuge, West Kingston, Rhode Island
Organized
by Scott Ruhren
Rhode Island Audubon Society
Visit an outstanding example of south coastal white cedar swamp
and rhododendron/mountain laurel thickets, with possible side-trip
to
view oak-holly woodlands. This is a unique opportunity to enjoy
a guided tour of this special area with a very knowledgeable botanist.
Box lunches will be provided to trip attendees. Bring sturdy shoes,
bug repellent, sunscreen, and hat. Moderately strenuous hike.
Garden-in-the-Woods tour, New England Wild Flower Society, Framingham,
Massachusetts
Organized by Elizabeth Farnsworth
New England Wild Flower Society
The New England Wild Flower Society owns and operates Garden in
the Woods, the largest landscaped collection of wildflowers in
the Northeast,
as its headquarters and as a public botanic garden. The Garden,
located in Framingham, MA, serves as New England's premier showcase
of native
plants and as a center for botanical and horticultural study and
enjoyment. Join us for a tour of the grounds and an introduction
to the conservation activities of the Society. Time permitting,
we’ll
also stop in at New England Bonsai Gardens in Bellingham, MA for
a tour and shopping opportunity.
Easy walk around landscaped grounds. Wear hat or sunscreen and comfortable
walking shoes.
High Rock Farm Conservation Area, Cumberland, Rhode Island.
Organized
by Tom Rawinski (with Francis Underwood and Kathy Barton)
USDA Forest Service
Over 400 species of plants have been recorded in the unusually
rich habitats of this important conservation area in Cumberland,
with
20 listed species and many others uncommon to southeastern
New England. There is something for everyone here, including
ferns,
lichens, and
a wealth of flowering plants.Box lunches will be provided to participants.
Moderately strenuous hike. Bring hat, sunscreen, insect repellent,
and sturdy hiking
shoes.
Kettle hole pond romp and swim, Perryville, Rhode Island
Organized
by Hope Leeson, Field Botanist
Rhode Island Natural History Survey
The coastal plain of Southern Rhode Island is pock-marked with kettle
ponds, the unmistakeable signatures of glaciers. Ramble over hills
and valleys to visit Spectacle, Wash, and other kettle ponds, which
harbor an extraordinary diversity of rare shoreline and aquatic plants.
The uplands are cloaked in dense thickets of Kalmia angustifolia
and Rhododendron maximum (which may be in bloom during your visit),
which give the place a truly magical feel. Time permitting, indulge
in a swim. Box lunches will be provided for participants. Terrain
is varied, but only mildly strenuous. Bring sunscreen, hat, insect
repellent,
and sturdy walking shoes. Wear bathing suit and bring towel if you
want to swim.
Bryophytes and lichens of Myles Standish State Forest
An ABLS Sponsored
Trip
Organizer by Scott LaGreca, Berkshire Museum
Elizabeth Kneiper, Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University
An easy, 50-minute journey from Providence, Myles Standish State
Forest is home to a broad diversity of coastal plain bryophytes and
lichens. It is especially rich in Cladoniaceae (Sam Hammer collected
many species here for his
Cladoniaceae Exsiccatae Americanae). We will spend all-day in the
field, taking a brief foray into nearby South Carver, MA for lunch.
We have the opportunity to stop at other sites on the way to and/or
from the State Forest depending on what the group wants to do. This
trip is intended mainly for bryologists and lichenologists. Bring
sturdy hiking shoes, insect repellent, and a handlens! Collecting
permits TBA but bring collecting equipment/bags in case we can.
Goosewing Beach Preserve, Little Compton, and Sin and Flesh Brook,
Tiverton, Rhode Island
Organized by Cheryl Wiitala (with Garry Plunkett,
Barton Woods)
The Nature Conservancy
Get a taste of the coast and glacially-shaped uplands during this
varied trip. In the cool of the morning, we will start at Goosewing
Beach, a preserve of The Nature Conservancy, showcasing beach,
small dunes and salt pondshores. In the afternoon, we'll travel
to Fort
Barton woods for a streamside walk where wetlands, vernal pools,
and glacial upland soils provide an opportunity to see an interesting
array of wild flowers and ferns. The loveliness of this meandering
brook belies its curious name, given to it following a bloody encounter
between a Quaker minister and a band of Pocasset Indians during
the King Philip's War. The stream flows through the eighty-acre
maritime
hardwood forest of Fort Barton Woods, a site that contains a wealth
of history and plant diversity. Box lunches will be provided for
participants. The beach walk is easy, but the terrain at Barton
Woods is rugged,
so moderate stamina
is needed. Bring hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, beach shoes you
don't mind getting wet, and sturdy hiking shoes for the forest ramble.
Frances A. Crane Wildlife Management Area and Ashumet Holly Wildlife
Sanctuary, Falmouth, Massachusetts
Organized by Pamela Polloni (with
Donald Schall and Mario DiGregorio)
Botanical Club of Cape Cod and the Islands
Visit pitch pine forests, Atlantic white cedar bogs, and sandplain
grasslands at a 1800-acre preserve, and a coastal plain pondshore.
The Frances A. Crane Wildlife Management Area also offers a sandplain
grassland restoration site managed by Mass Wildlife, and the Mashpee
Pine Barrens with included Atlantic White Cedar bogs is within the
Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge. This trip will be led by three
of the most knowledgeable botanists on Cape Cod.Bring sunscreen,
hat, insect repellent, and sturdy shoes. Easy walking. Box lunches
will be provided to attendees.
Arcadia Management Area, Exeter, Rhode Island
Organized by Doug McGrady
The Aracdia Management
Area is Rhode Island's largest state-owned
natural area. It is mostly forested, but has many streams, wetlands,
and hilltops to explore. We will take the Ben Utter Trail to
Pine Top to view many uncommon ferns plus thousands of rose pogonia,
Calopogon tuberosus, and pitch pine communities.Box lunches will
be provided for attendees. Moderately strenuous hike. Bring hat,
sunscreen, insect repellent, and sturdy shoes.
Narrow River saltmarsh boat trip, Narragansett, Rhode Island
Organized
by Charlie Vandemoer
US Fish and Wildlife Service
The Narrow River, also known as the Pettaquamscutt River, is located
in southern Rhode Island. It is a narrow tidal inlet that opens into
the Atlantic Ocean at Narragansett Beach. The watershed area includes
a tidal inlet, a salt marsh, an estuary, and a pond, rich in plants,
wading birds, and many animal species. We will take a boat ride in
24-foot skiff through these areas. Talks on native American history,
geology, salt marsh management, and bird conservation will enrich
our trip. Participants must be comfortable getting into and out of
small boats. Wear sunscreen or hat, warm jacket, and sturdy shoes
with good traction (for boat).
Science and Economic Empire:
European Look at New World Resources in the 17th and 18th Century
Organized by Susan Danforth
Brown University
Assistant Librarian, Library Operations/Curator, Maps and Prints
A short walk to visit to the John Carter Brown Library will highlight
original volumes of Mark Catesby’s Natural History and Hans
Sloane’s Voyage as well as several maps in the collection that
indentify locations of early botanical gardens and land management
efforts (i.e. draining mangrove swamps for agriculture). The John
Carter Brown Library, founded in 1846, is a center for advanced research
in the humanities. Growing collections include primary historical
sources pertaining to the Americas, both North and South, before
ca. 1825. For over 150 years the library has served scholars from
all over the world. Participants will have a chance to view a selection
of maps and other primary resources. A view of the collection can
be found in Brown University’s online catalogue (http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/John_Carter_Brown_Library/
).
If there is something in the collection you would particularly like
to see please contact Susan Danforth (Susan_Danforth@brown.edu).
The tour will take 2 to 2.5 hours depending upon the number of people
(limit 15).
Botanical delights of Providence, Rhode Island
Organized in part by Marilyn
Massaro, Museum of Natural History
Roger Williams Park Herbarium
Visit the historic Roger Williams Park, the 435-acre crown jewel
in Providence’s public park system. Designed by Horace Cleveland
in 1878, the Park, which is on the National Register of Historic
Places, is 5 miles south of downtown. Its rolling greensward of woods,
meadows, gardens, lakes, and stone bridges epitomize the romantic
landscapes of 19th century park design. We will visit the herbarium
in the Museum of Natural History (1896) to see an antiquarian collection
housed in state of the art storage. We will also tour the Park’s
new Botanical Center, with its 12,000 square feet of exhibit space,
the largest indoor public garden in New England. Return via a trip
through historic, tree-lined Blackstone Boulevard, designed and planned
by landscape architects Horace Cleveland and the Olmsted Brothers.
Block Island
Organized by Scott Comings
All-day trip via ferry. Visit grasslands, glacial outwash plains,
terminal moraine, and habitats of endangered wildflowers such
as Liatris scariosa var. novae-angliae and other hypsithermal
relicts.
Learn about the efforts of The Nature Conservancy and other conservation
organizations to restore the island's unique habitats.
Walden Pond Environmental History, Concord, Massachusetts
Organized
by Brian Donahue
Associate Professor of American Environmental Studies
Brandeis University
No trip to New England is complete without a visit to the iconic
location of Henry David Thoreau’s epiphany year at Walden Pond.
Tour the state reservation, including the beanfield and house site
and special areas at the back of the Pond – away from the crowds
of summer. Professor Brian Donahue, award-winning author of “The
Great Meadow” and authority on Thoreau, will lead this trip.
Optional time for a swim and picnic lunch following the tour. Box
lunches will be provided to trip attendees. Bring sturdy shoes, bug
repellent, sunscreen, and hat.
White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire
Organized by Christopher Mattrick
Botany and Invasive Species Program, White Mountain National Forest
This trip will take you to the rarest habitats of New England, namely
the alpine zone of Mount Washington, New England's highest elevation.
Visit the Mount Washington summit, alpine garden and "cow pasture",
home to many rare alpine plants, with stops along the way to see
some other rarities.
Mount Washington is notorious for its unpredictable and sometimes
extreme weather, so participants should bring warm and weatherproof
clothes and sturdy hiking shoes. Moderately strenuous walks may be
anticipated.
Wildlife Management Area, West Kingston RI
Organized by Elizabeth Kneiper
This quintessential swamp should interest bryologists and lichenologists.
The 3,349 acres of Great Swamp Management Area includes extensive
Red Maple swamps, a White Cedar swamp, and 2 miles of pristine shoreline
habitat along Worden Pond. Additionally, 897 acres of the site are
forested. Christopher Raithel of the Department of Environmental
Management will join us on the walk. Waterproof boots or shoes are
essential. Horse flies may be bothersome. Insect repellent is recommended. Lunch,
water and snacks will be provided.
Cape Cod National Seashore
Organized by Stephen M. Smith, Ph.D.
National Park Service, Cape Cod National Seashore
Visit the dunes, dune slack wetlands, salt ponds, marsh restoration
sites, beech forest, and other fascinating habitats of the outer
Cape Cod National Seashore at the very edge of the United States.
Learn from knowledgeable plant scientists of the National Park Service
about this unique and dramatically beautiful area. Field trip will
entail easy but extended walking around sandy open and forested habitats.
Wear sunscreen, hat, insect repellent, and
sturdy shoes.
A short multimedia presentation showcasing Small's Swamp Trail near Truro!
