Exhibits
Guided Tours
Plan Your Visit
Have you ever wondered how a duck’s feathers repel water, or how the structure of a bird’s bones enables them to fly? Materials Science professor Lorna Gibson has spent years researching the physics and math of how birds work. Join her for a talk on her new book, Birds Up Close: An Engineer Explores their Hidden Wonders and get a deep dive into the incredible world of birds.
Join plant biologist and author Beronda Montgomery for a discussion of her new book, “When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy.” Montgomery explores the way that eight trees and shrubs testify to the experience of black Americans, from sycamores that acted as landmarks for those trying to escape slavery, to pecan propagation spearheaded by an enslaved African woman, to the traditional medicinal uses of willow bark in black communities. Montgomery takes us through black American history with trees and shrubs as our guides.
As the Arboretum’s hydrangea collection begins to bloom in shades of blue, white, pink, and purple, stop in the Hunnewell Lecture Hall for a book talk on ‘Hydrangea Happiness: Planting, Pruning, and Blooming.’ This beautifully illustrated guide by author C.L. Fornari is a boon for beginner gardeners and experienced horticulturists alike. Learn about the most popular hydrangea varieties, how to manage planting and ongoing maintenance, and surprising myths and misinformation about these beautiful shrubs.
Introduced diseases are sweeping across New England Forests, from the deadly beech leaf disease to the new laurel wilt threatening sassafras and spicebush shrubs. Join UMass Extension Plant Pathologist Nicholas J. Brazee for a talk on these diseases, how they are impacting New England forests, and what researchers and management teams are doing about it.
Join Keeper of the Living Collections Michael Dosmann for a story of a flower and the early 20th Century explorer who ventured to the other side of the world, away from family and modern convenience, to collect it. The regal lily (Lilium regale) was not just an object of desire but one of such value that it would underwrite one of the most significant collecting expeditions of the day. Yet, its beauty almost betrayed the collector, nearly taking both his reputation and his life.
Peter Del Tredici spent more than thirty years at the Arboretum, researching the interaction between woody plants and their environment. One particular area of interest was the genus Tsuga, or the hemlocks. Join Del Tredici for a talk on his original hemlock research and learn about the ecology of Tsuga canadensis, the history of Sargent’s weeping hemlock, the impact of hemlock woolly adelgid, and the discovery of a new hemlock species in Korea.