The charismatic monarch caterpillar (Danaus plexippus) is a joyful sight for any gardener. This one, in its fifth instar stage— the largest and most vividly colored— has undergone its… Read more
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- 10th Anniversary Documentary
Celebrating Our First Decade
In 2020 we celebrated our first decade of programs and the growing community of people committed to our mission. We now have more than 1,000 members who actively support us and participate in our programs. Our Evenings with Experts have reached an audience of 20,000. Annually, at our beloved Native Plant Sale we offer well over 100 native species for sale and we sell over 4,000 plants. Our member-supporters reside in more than 200 of the Commonwealth's 351 cities and towns.
To celebrate, we created this documentary about our founding and growth over ten years. Enjoy!
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The Joy of American Witch Hazel
American witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a common component of the understory in forests throughout the eastern U. S. with a very uncommon characteristic— it blooms late in the fall (typically October or November in New England), just as most other plants are going dormant. It typically stays in bloom for a month or more, not cowed by freezing temperatures or an early winter snowfall. This brings up the very intriguing question: who pollinates American witch hazel?
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The Landscape of Lawn
An interesting article about the historical origins of "the lawn" and its proliferation around the globe— with a plea for change.
By landscape architect, Uma Sankar Sekar.
In this plea directed especially to her landscape architect colleagues, Ms. Sekar makes the case for rethinking the ubiquitous lawn as the core element of designed landscapes, especially in urban parks and public settings. With much data to illustrate the real ecological harm associated with these artificial environments, it is hard to argue otherwise, and yet the global trend towards "lawn-ization" continues. Originally published in the journal Tekton, Vol. 7, Issue 2, September 2020
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New And Noteworthy 
Another Great New Book from Doug Tallamy!
Doug has been imploring all of us to plant more oaks since he first wrote Bringing Nature Home fourteen years ago, steadily teaching us about the importance of this keystone species. His newest book takes a slightly different format than his past volumes— focused solely on this one genus— and it is a very relaxed and convincing read. We are not quite sure how he keeps writing so many profoundly worthy books, but don't miss this one!
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