“I can’t believe we learned so much in just a few minutes!” —Elementary school student visiting the Arboretum This fall, the Field Study Experiences at the Arnold Arboretum—our educational outreach programming for pre-school and elementary school students—expanded in all domains: more new guides, more new Boston Public School classrooms participating in the programs, and more […]
Snow Scenes, winter, larches, 1977 Alternate Title: Larch (Larix) Collection in the snow Photograph by Pamela Bruns Larch Collection, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, United States 1977 A larger version of this image is available in Hollis Images. Highlights of golden autumn splendor in the Living Collections include the Larch (Larix) collection, and many of […]
The moist and moldering days of fall are upon us: wet leaves trodden into the soil, fleshy fruits turning to muck in the garden. These are weeks of surrender and senescence, although in another sense, these are weeks ripe with potential. It makes me think fondly of children’s books that I grew up with, featuring […]
On the morning of the fall equinox, I awoke at a Maine campsite, where the ground was sheathed with frost. The calendar page had officially flipped from summer, and when I returned to Boston, rain and cool evenings followed suit. Although most trees are still green, homeowners must be stocking up with leaf bags at […]
2017 has been a magnificent year at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. The trees, shrubs, and lianas dazzled, but of course, not in exactly the same way as in 2016, or for that matter, any other year since the dawn of time. To begin 2018, I share 12 moments from my wanderings in the […]
Over the past few weeks, I have been repeatedly drawn to the North American oak collection on the southwest flank of Bussey Hill. There is something truly grand about this cathedral-like space, with soaring trunks and arched canopies meeting to create a magnificent vaulted ceiling overhead. You enter this architectural and botanical space and are set […]
Last week, I came across several “crazy snake worms” happily wriggling through fallen leaves in the landscape. This was surprising, since the adults are usually gone by this point in the season, killed by hard autumn frost and survived only by their overwintering eggs. However, the unseasonably warm weather this year has prolonged the life […]
On October 23, 2017, the Arnold Arboretum hosted Dr. A. Hope Jahren, author of the New York Times Best Seller, Lab Girl, for a very special talk delving into her life as a scientist, mother, and friend, and her lifelong relationship with plants. The sold-out event drew a crowd of over 100 people including people […]
When I look at these pictures, I can practically smell them! And my hope is that you will take my advice and go smell for yourself. Because, no one can be said to truly know the ginkgo without experiencing the aroma of the seeds right about now. Ginkgo biloba is dioecious, with separate seed-bearing trees and […]
When is the last time you took a long leisurely walk in a natural setting? Or sat under a tree and observed the many stories playing out in nature? Have you ever considered that when you touch a tree, perhaps this tree is simultaneously touching you? As humans industrialize at lightning speed, we have become […]
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