Conference Activities: Saturday, October29
Morning Classes
Breakfast on your own. Start time on trips indicates departure from hotel. End time indicates approximate return at hotel.
7:30 am - 1 pm: Small Works Exhibition and Hospitality Desk open
in Grand Ballroom
8:00 am - 12:30 pm: Bus Trip to Garden in the Woods and Booklover’s Botany - Carol Govan and Robin Wilkerson
Travel to New England Wildflower Society’s Garden in the Woods for a late season tour followed by two book aficionados sharing their favorites from the Society’s impressive library. See rare books illustrating wildflowers, ferns, and woody plants; wonderful children’s books any adult would love; serial publications that show the history of American Botany; and Newcomb’s original notebooks. Limit 30. Fee: $50
Wildflower Forum Series - Hosted by Derek Norman
Register for one or all three fascinating presentations.
9 - 9:50 am - Wildflower Forum Series: The Gardenization of Nature: Rare Species, Invaders, and What Gardening Has to Do with It - Kristina Jones
To what extent should humans try to manage natural habitats? What does it take to keep a rare species from going extinct? What keeps a potentially invasive species in check in their native ranges? This talk will explore these questions through Kristina Jones’ work with a rare buttercup in Connecticut and an aggressive colonizer in Colorado, and through perspectives gained from her experiences as an ecologist and managing the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. Limit: 100.
10 - 10:50 am - Wildflower Forum Series: A Varied and Changing World –
Kirsten Bomblies
What molecular changes happen "behind the scenes" in the plant genome to effect diverse and often adaptive forms and functions we observe in nature? How do plant populations adapt to environmental challenges? This talk will focus on progress we have made in the Bomblies Lab at the Harvard University Herbaria in understanding the molecular basis of adaptation using Arabidopsis arenosa, a European native plant that has adapted to a wide range of natural and human-generated habitats. Limit 100.
11 - 11:50 am - Wildflower Forum Series:
New England Flora & “Go-Botany!” - Elizabeth Farnsworth
Hear about ambitious efforts by New England Wildflower Society to update the regional flora through a comprehensive book, efforts by citizen scientists, and an innovative web application, Go-Botany! These resources will be invaluable for artists, botanists, teachers, students, gardeners, and anyone fascinated by plants. Limit 100.
9 am - 12 pm: Focus on Textures: Branches, Mosses and Lichens -
Catherine Watters
Bring life to these delicate and unusual botanical subjects by mastering their textures in watercolor. You will observe a variety of branches, mosses and lichens and learn the techniques to successfully draw and paint them. Limit 15. Fee: $50
9 am - 12 pm: Opaque Media for Botanicals - Scott Rawlins
A combination of opaque media – acrylic, colored pencil and gouache – can be used together to achieve very solid, three-dimensional renderings of plants. Glazing with acrylic paint is not necessary because "washes" of both waxy and hard colored pencils simulate transparencies. Gouache highlights and pastel dust "tinting" provide finishing touches. Participants in this workshop will learn to layer the various media and achieve "substantial" results in a relatively short period of time. Limit 12. Fee: $50