Haunted Botany: A Performance for a Forgotten Forest

The towering Eastern White Pine once dominated New England forests and served as an important symbol for Indigenous peoples, but the British Royal Navy’s thirst for tall, straight, trees to use as ship masts eventually led to the destruction of the vast majority of old growth pines in Massachusetts. Join Gwyneth Shanks and AB Brown for a performance piece highlighting Pinus strobus’s dramatic colonial history in which American settlers fought back against King George’s large-scale destruction of their forests, leading to direct resistance, riots, and eventually to the Boston Tea Party itself. The event will begin with a participatory procession through the pines on Peters Hill and up to the Peters Hill summit, where the performers will unroll a 1200 square foot sail pre-retreated with cyanotype dye, and arrange archival objects, texts, and images on the sail that illustrate the properties and colonial histories of the eastern white pine. At the end of the event, a large cyanotype print will be revealed which represents the complicated history of this important tree. This program begins at Peters Hill Gate on Flora Way. Gwyneth Shanks and AB Brown are Assistant Professors of Performance, Theater, and Dance at Colby College in Maine. Accessibility: This event involves walking a short distance over mulch paths and ascending the summit of Peters Hill, which is a short but steep slope. Audience: This event is appropriate for ages 12+.

Arnold Arboretum - Peters Hill Gate

Caterpillar Walk for Kids and Families

The Caterpillar Lab is moving in, and while the exhibit will be full of their munching critters and offer lots to explore, the real story is the one going on outside where these creatures are living out their strange lives in the wild. Join Caterpillar Lab Education Coordinator Sara Burrell for on a walk around the property exploring for native caterpillars and other insects–designed especially for kids and families. Learn how the Caterpillar Lab finds all of their caterpillars, learn about host plants and parasitoids, and get all of the caterpillar-finding secrets from an expert on local New England caterpillars! Because the caterpillars are much more mobile than our trees and shrubs, there’s no saying how many we will or won’t find this time: but either way there will be lots of great info about host plants and how to find caterpillars on other days! Accessibility: The walk will involve navigating uneven terrain, possibly including woodchip, gravel, and dirt paths. Audience: This walk is geared towards kids and families.

Arnold Arboretum

Spooky Plants: The Garden that Bites Back

As we ramp up for the spooky season of Halloween, join the Manager of Adult Programming and Events for a walk focused on the most sinister plants in the Arboretum’s collections. Armed with spiky thorns, sticky latex, and chemical warfare, these plant species defend themselves from hungry herbivores—and sometimes from humans who wander too close. Accessibility: This program involves walking over pavement, crushed stone, and mulch paths, including one short but steep hill. Audience: This program is geared towards adults.

Forest Bathing in the Arnold Arboretum

Slow down and awaken your senses on a guided sensory experience in the Arnold Arboretum. Forest Bathing, inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, is a restorative sensory exploration that supports health and healing for all beings. From increased cerebral blood flow to stronger immune defenses, come discover for yourself what happens when we unplug, slow down and open our senses to notice more of our natural surroundings. All the prompts, invitations, sharing and ways of participating are optional and open to interpretation. This program begins at Bussey Street Gate on Flora Way. Instructor Tam Willey (they/them) is a certified forest therapy guide, trainer, mentor and teacher with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and is the founder of “Toadstool Walks,” a guiding practice based in Boston, Massachusetts. Accessibility: The group will walk slowly off the main pathways on uneven terrain. Audience: This program is geared towards adults.

Arnold Arboretum - Bussey Street Gate

The Trees are Speaking book talk with Lynda Mapes

The old-growth forests of Oregon and Washington play a vital role in the ecosystems there, supporting a wide diversity of life and sequestering carbon in enormous, long-living trees. The east coast, by contrast, has been logged and clear cut for generations and has precious little old-growth forest left. Join environmental journalist and Bullard Fellow at Harvard Forest, Lynda Mapes, for a talk about her book “The Trees are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forests.” In this thought-provoking new book, Mapes interviews scientists, loggers, and Indigenous activists to answer deep questions about the importance of old-growth forests, the conflicting desires around how to manage them, and how we can protect these forests into the future. This talk takes place in the Hunnewell Lecture Hall. There is public parking on Arborway, but parking can get tight with large programs like this: please give yourself some extra time to park and walk to the Hunnewell Building. Accessibility: The lecture hall is wheelchair-accessible. Audience: This program is geared towards adults.

Research Spotlight: Mycorrhizae and the Arboretum Truffle

In 2016, the Donald Pfister lab at Harvard University discovered a new species of mycorrhizal truffle at the Arboretum, related to the famed culinary truffle but genetically distinct. Nine years later the lab is still making new discoveries in the field of mycorrhizae: the fungi that form symbiotic associations with plant roots and provide the plants with extra water and nutrients from the soil in exchange for a steady supply of sugars. Join Professor Don Pfister for a research spotlight on mycorrhizae and the Arboretum truffle, and learn about the biology of mycorrizae, how the Arboretum truffle and other mycorrhizae disperse their spores, and how to go about finding mycorrhizae in the landscape. The group will also take some soil cores and look for evidence of mycorrhizae in the soil. Maybe we’ll find a truffle! This program begins at the Hunnewell Building. Accessibility: This program involves climbing moderate slopes and walking over mulch paths, gravel paths, and mowed grass. Audience: This program is geared towards adults.

Research Spotlight: Native Caterpillars and Invasive Plants

Can native caterpillars help control our non-native, invasive plants? That’s what researcher Michael LaScaleia is trying to figure out through his research at the Arboretum. Join us for a Research Spotlight program to learn about Michael’s research and search for some of these caterpillars in the landscape. This walk will include some boggy areas, so waterproof shoes are recommended! Program begins in front of the Hunnewell Building. Accessibility: This program will include mulch or gravel paths, grassy areas, and off-path terrain. Audience: This program is appropriate for all ages.

A Gathering of Poets and Plants

Join us for a poetry reading as three local writers celebrate the wonderful world of plants through poetry. K Prevallet will read a collection of poems on medicinal plants from her recent book A Varied and Tender Multiplicity. Chloe Garcia Roberts will read her prose poem, “To the Heart’s Forest She Fleeth,” about the connection between motherhood and trees. And Gillian Osborne will read a selection of plant-based poetry as well as essays from her book Green Green Green, a collection that exists at the intersection of habitats, horticulture, and history. The readings will take place in the Bradley Rosaceous Collection on the grass, so bring a blanket or lawn chair! If the forecast calls for rain, we will move to the Hunnewell Visitor Center. Accessibility: This is a stationary program that takes place on mowed grass. Audience: This program is geared towards adults. Inclement weather policy: If the forecast calls for rain, this program will move indoors into the Hunnewell Lecture Hall. — KPrevallet is the author of six books of poetry and several edited collections including A Helen Adam Reader (National Poetry Foundation). Recent essays and reviews appear in The Harvard Review, The Fortnightly Review, Guernica, and Other Influences: An Untold History of Feminist Avant-Garde Poetry (MIT Press.) She lives in Gloucester, MA where she is co-director of residencies at the T.S. Eliot House. Chloe Garcia Roberts is a poet and translator from the Spanish and Chinese. She is the author of Fire Eater: A Translator’s Theology and a book of poetry, The Reveal, which was published as part of Noemi Press’s Akrilika Series for innovative Latino writing. Her work has appeared in such publications as the Yale Review, BOMB, Conjunctions, and the Kenyon Review. She lives outside Boston and works as deputy editor of Harvard Review, translation editor for the Harvard Library Bulletin, and as a lecturer of poetry at MIT. Gillian Osborne is a multi-genre writer and educator, trained as a poet and scholar of 19th-c. American and environmental literature. She is the author of a book of essays, <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__nightboat.org_book_green-2Dgreen-2Dgreen_&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&amp;r=eHpPREFFMuFd76O2i4qwEawa_U95MySVCAjUcQ1Hsqo&amp;m=DBKV18baiq2WvV4ERNPvtFs4YHps7Np0nvBqOpHlJm5frvAMklNt1x0Pr085pWvB&amp;s=T9zEiyKLTdR8ROncxPLRkfhNPbVRM4MtCx8ffJ4XZMc&amp;e=">Green Green Green</a> (Nightboat, 2021), a chapbook of poems and drawings, basic research (oxeye, 2023), and co-editor of Ecopoetics: Essays in the Field (Iowa UP, 2018). She designs curriculum for educational projects connected to the PBS TV series, Poetry in America, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Arnold Arboretum - Bradley Rosaceous Collection

Botanical Sketching: A Drop-In Program

Get in touch with your artistic side in this botanical sketching program on the Hunnewell Lawn. We’ll supply paper, pencils, and some blankets to sit on, while artist Erica Beade walks around offering artistic tips and tricks to participants. You are encouraged to bring any additional art supplies you would like to work with. This is a walk-up program so no registration is required: just show up any time between 12 and 2pm. Erica Beade is an illustrator and educator focusing on observational drawing and specializing in science, health, and nature topics. Accessibility: This program takes place on a flat, mowed lawn. Chairs will not be provided but you are welcome to take your work inside the Visitor Center if you don’t want to sit on the ground. Audience: This program is appropriate for all ages. Inclement weather policy: If this program is rescheduled due to bad weather, we will update the program description at least one day before the program. If you are unsure if the program is still running or not, please check this page or call the Visitor Center desk between 10:00am and 4:00pm at (617) 384-5209. <a href="https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:89f33565-8b4d-3194-9ed1-f7bdfe1f7536">Click here to view our full inclement weather policy.</a>

Family Workshop: Nature Foam Printmaking

Join us for this engaging family workshop where we will use materials found in the landscape to create unique pieces of art. We will meet inside the Hunnewell Lecture Hall before venturing outside in search of natural materials to use in our prints, all while enjoying the seasonal highlights of the Arboretum’s landscape. In this family workshop we will explore foam printmaking where each participant will draw an image inspired by the landscape and the natural items collected. They will then create prints of their image using paint and brayers. Participants will be able to take home their creations. &nbsp;&nbsp; Family workshops are intended to be enjoyed by children accompanied by an adult. It’s an opportunity to explore the Arboretum and learn new skills together. Audience:&nbsp;This workshop is best suited for families with children ages 8-12. Please allow a maximum ratio of 1 adult per 3 children.&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/family-workshop-nature-foam-printmaking/?occurrence=2025-02-21">Register here!</a> Accessibility:&nbsp;The Hunnewell Lecture Hall is wheelchair accessible. When out in the landscape we might walk on paved paths, grass, or snow. Location:&nbsp;This program will meet in the Hunnewell Lecture Hall and then venture out into the landscape as a group. Inclement Weather:&nbsp;This program will run rain or shine and will be modified as needed. In the event of severe weather, participants will be notified via email at least one day in advance if the program needs to be cancelled and will be notified by phone if it must be cancelled with less than one day’s notice. For Questions about the program please email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:childrensed@arnarb.harvard.edu">childrensed@arnarb.harvard.edu</a>.

Family Workshop: Nature Monoprints with Gel Plates

Join us for this engaging family workshop where we will use materials found in the landscape to create unique pieces of art. We will meet inside the Hunnewell Lecture Hall before venturing outside in search of natural materials to use in our prints, all while enjoying the seasonal highlights of the Arboretum’s landscape. In this family workshop we will learn how to create monoprints using gel plates, brayers, paint, and paper. We will provide guidance on layering prints and color, and how to play around with laying out natural materials so that participants can create their own one-of-a-kind prints. Participants will be able to take home their creations.   Family workshops are intended to be enjoyed by children accompanied by an adult. It’s an opportunity to explore the Arboretum and learn new skills together. Audience: This workshop is best suited for families with children ages 8-12. Please allow a maximum ratio of 1 adult per 3 children.   <a href="https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/family-workshop-nature-monoprints-with-gel-plates/">Register here!</a> Accessibility: The Hunnewell Lecture Hall is wheelchair accessible. When out in the landscape we might walk on paved paths, grass, or snow. Location: This program will meet in the Hunnewell Lecture Hall and then venture out into the landscape as a group. Inclement Weather: This program will run rain or shine and will be modified as needed. In the event of severe weather, participants will be notified via email at least one day in advance if the program needs to be cancelled and will be notified by phone if it must be cancelled with less than one day’s notice. For Questions about the program please email <a href="mailto:childrensed@arnarb.harvard.edu">childrensed@arnarb.harvard.edu</a>.

Little Explorers - Winter

Join us this winter at the Arboretum as we read and discover new things about the natural world. During this one-hour program for our youngest guests and their grownups, we will begin by reading a nature inspired story followed by a walk, activity, or craft to continue exploring the theme. The weekly themes are inspired by what is happening seasonally at the Arboretum. This program is led by the Manager of Youth Education Katie Fox and Outdoor Educator Ana Maria Caballero. Wednesdays, 10:00–11:00am on the following dates:<ul><li>January 29, 2025</li><li>February 5, 2025</li><li>February 12, 2025</li><li>February 19, 2025</li></ul>Audience: Geared towards children ages three to five accompanied by an adult. Location: This program will meet in the Hunnewell Lecture Hall. It will often venture outside into the landscape. Please dress appropriately for the weather. Accessibility: The Hunnewell Lecture Hall is wheelchair accessible and stroller friendly. Inclement Weather: This program runs rain or shine. In the event of severe weather, those that have registered will be notified via email about the cancellation. Uncertain about the weather and if we are running the program? Email us at <a href="mailto:childrensed@arnarb.harvard.edu">childrensed@arnarb.harvard.edu</a>.

Family Workshop: Cyanotype and Airdry Clay Nature Prints

Join us for this engaging family workshop where we will use materials found in the landscape to create unique pieces of art. We will meet inside the Hunnewell Lecture Hall before venturing outside in search of natural materials to use in our prints, all while enjoying the seasonal highlights of the Arboretum’s landscape. In this family workshop we will learn what cyanotypes are and how to make them (weather permitting) and create fun texture-filled airdry clay prints! Participants will be able to take home their creations.&nbsp;&nbsp; Family workshops are intended to be enjoyed by children accompanied by an adult. It’s an opportunity to explore the Arboretum and learn new skills together. Audience:&nbsp;This workshop is best suited for families with children ages 5-7. Please allow a maximum ratio of 1 adult per 2 children.&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/family-workshop-cyanotype-and-airdry-clay-nature-prints/">Register here!</a> Accessibility:&nbsp;The Hunnewell Lecture Hall is wheelchair accessible. When out in the landscape we might walk on paved paths, grass, or snow. Location:&nbsp;This program will meet in the Hunnewell Lecture Hall and then venture out into the landscape as a group. Inclement Weather:&nbsp;This program will run rain or shine and will be modified as needed. In the event of severe weather, participants will be notified via email at least one day in advance if the program needs to be cancelled and will be notified by phone if it must be cancelled with less than one day’s notice. For Questions about the program please email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:childrensed@arnarb.harvard.edu">childrensed@arnarb.harvard.edu</a>.

Author Event: The Essential Tree Selection Guide by Henrik Sjöman

This is a virtual talk held over Zoom. We know that trees are a key ally in the fight against climate change and urban heat islands, but not every tree works in every situation. Selecting the right tree for your yard or landscape is critical both for the health of the tree and for the strength of the ecosystem services they provide. Botanist and researcher Henrik Sjöman’s new book, “The Essential Tree Selection Guide,” is a valuable new tool for making these tree selection decisions: an A to Z guide of over 550 trees, the book comes complete with explanations of each tree’s ecosystem benefits, its resilience to drought and storms, and key considerations for site placement. Join us on December 8 for a virtual book talk on this invaluable new guide. Author Henrik Sjöman is Senior Researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Scientific Curator at Gothenburg Botanical Garden, and Honorary Research Associate at Kew Gardens. Accessibility: This program is held virtually. Audience: This program is geared towards adults.

Online

Gardening for Pollinators

As we enter the cold winter months, it’s time to start thinking about next year’s garden! Join Pollinator Expert Nicole Bell for a class on gardening for pollinators and learn how to make your garden as welcoming as possible for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The class will cover best pollen and nectar plants for bees, nesting habitat, best management practices, and how to ensure that your garden has pollinator-friendly flowers available all season long. This class is held indoors in the Hunnewell Lecture Hall. Nicole Bell is an educator with Massachusetts Extension, focusing on pollinator outreach and education. Accessibility: The lecture hall is wheelchair accessible. Audience: This program is geared towards adults. Inclement weather policy: Participants will be notified via email at least 24 hours in advance if a program needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather, and will be notified by phone if a program must be cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice. <a href="https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events-2/adult-education/">Click here to view our full inclement weather policy.</a> If you have questions about the status of a program, please email <a href="mailto:publicprograms@arnarb.harvard.edu">publicprograms@arnarb.harvard.edu</a> or call the Visitor Center desk between 10:00am and 4:00pm at (617) 384-5209.

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.

Where

joyraft.host54377

Experiences