Events

Take a brisk walk this winter and stay healthy and connected to the Arboretum at a time when the landscape is pared down to its beautiful bones. Join docent Carol Kuo for a 90-minute walk that is similar to a guided tour, but with a slightly faster pace and fewer stops, to keep your feet warm and your blood pumping! Please dress appropriately for the weather including sturdy footwear. Each walk will cover a different part of the Arboretum, depending on weather and seasonal features.

When we think of electricity, we often picture wires, circuits and generators. But did you know that living things can also produce electricity? In fact, electricity powers many of the biological processes in living things, including us! Even more surprising is that bacteria can use electricity to “breathe rocks.” What does this mean exactly? Join Harvard scientist Federica Calabrese as she uncovers how some microbes evolved to live in oxygen-free environments and how we can harness “bioelectricity” to power our own electronic devices.

20-minute talk followed by 10-minute Q&A session. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Regular museum admission rates apply.

Presented by the Harvard Museum of Natural History and Harvard Museums of Science & Culture.

Dusk is a perfect time to look and listen for Great Horned Owls, often heard calling throughout the Arboretum’s collections. Join Arboretum Horticulturist Brendan Keegan to hear about the owls’ breeding and nesting behavior, learn how to go owling ethically, and possibly hear and see a few owls as well.

Embark on a birdwatching walk in the Arboretum’s landscape with birder and wildlife photographer Michael Bryant, AKA Nature Man Mike. This two-hour walk is suitable for beginners as well as more experienced birders. Binoculars will be available to borrow on a first-come-first-serve basis, but you are encouraged to bring your own!

Hardwood cuttings are one of the many techniques the Arboretum uses to propagate its plants: propagators take cuttings from the mature stems of woody plants, carefully trim and coat the ends in rooting hormone, then plant them in specially designed growing media. Join Arboretum Propagator Sarah Shank for a hands-on workshop to learn this specialized form of propagation: the class will begin with a presentation on the biology of hardwood cuttings, then head outside to collect our own cuttings from nearby woody plants, and finally return inside to prepare and root the cuttings in growing media. Participants will bring home a small tray of cuttings to grow into their own small trees and shrubs.

Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of landscape architecture, designed some 500 public spaces in North America. The Arnold Arboretum is the only arboretum he designed, a National Historic Landmark, and a model for others around the world. Docent Bill Beizer, will identify the elements of the Arboretum that best reflect Olmsted’s philosophy and approach to landscape design.

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, and learn why that bark looks the way it does.