*This event has been cancelled due to rain.* Tai chi is a Chinese martial art known for its slow, intentional movements which act as a form of moving meditation for practitioners. Join International Tai Chi Gold Medalist and referee Hongsheng Jin for this one-hour tai chi class, appropriate for beginners and experienced students alike. The class will begin with breathwork and stretching, continue with a moving meditation and a walk practice, and conclude with a formal tai chi practice.
Join us at the Arboretum as we read and discover new things about the natural world. During this one-hour program for our youngest guests and their grownups, we will read a nature inspired story, do a craft, and go for a nature walk to continue exploring the theme.
This June, for our valued members, the Arnold Arboretum is launching a new event in our vibrant landscape, Sip in the Scenery! Join us for lawn games, educational content tables on horticulture and Arboretum history, camaraderie, Hungry Nomads food truck, a cash bar, and more, all set in the verdant beauty of our Bradley Rosaceous Collection on a rosy June evening.
Use the power of art to hone your tree ID skills in this interactive class. The group will walk through the landscape, learning to identify common trees and shrubs and sketching out key identification characteristics. By the end of the program, participants will have a packet of identification tips and drawings for various plants, and a deeper understanding of the characteristics that make each tree species unique. No prior art skills necessary—this class focuses on seeing shapes, patterns, and details that make each species identifiable. Join us for a creative and hands-on approach to tree identification!
14 Jun
10:00 am – 11:30 pm
in front of the Hunnewell Building125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA
MassQing is an art-form that uses the human face as a canvas to reveal one’s inner state. Learn the origin, technique and meaning of this practice from MassQ artist Daniel Callahan and then engage firsthand in the conception and creation of your own MassQ.
Hundreds of mushrooms hide beneath the Arboretum’s canopies, silently blossoming into unique forms then withering away again just as quickly. Join local mushroom enthusiast Maria Pinto to search for these fascinating organisms on the Arboretum grounds, both edible and poisonous alike. Along the way you will learn what mushrooms to look for in different habitats and seasons, how they move through ecosystems, and what the Arboretum’s unique collections affect what mushrooms you might find here.
Join docent Paul Eldrenkamp for a visit to five groups of trees that each played a particularly significant role in shaping five very different civilizations: Eastern White Pine, Cedar of Lebanon, Western Red Cedar, Oaks, and the five sacred trees of the Kiso Forest in Japan.
Join docent Lisa Gaquin for a brisk early morning walk along the inside perimeter of the Arboretum. This walk will be fast-paced, energetic, and will involve walking over hills and rough terrain. Note that this is not a traditional tour: you may hear some information about individual trees and history, but the main goal is to get outside and get some exercise! Bring good walking shoes, water, and walking poles if desired.
17 Jun
9:00 am – 10:30 am
in front of the Hunnewell Building125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA
When the sun sets and darkness settles on the Arboretum for the night, every now and then the dark is interrupted by the flash of a firefly. Join Professor Adam South of Tufts University for an evening Firefly Walk to learn about the lives of the fireflies that live here, the mechanics of how they light up, and how these unique insects are being impacted by pesticides and light pollution.
When the sun sets and darkness settles on the Arboretum for the night, every now and then the dark is interrupted by the flash of a firefly. Join Professor Adam South of Tufts University for an evening Firefly Walk to learn about the lives of the fireflies that live here, the mechanics of how they light up, and how these unique insects are being impacted by pesticides and light pollution.
Cosmologies are ways of understanding the nature of the universe, of experiencing the world in all its variations including the visible and the invisible. Over millennia trees have served as the mythological archetype of the world’s axis (axis mundi), the pole through the earth’s center which connects the worlds above and below. Within a cosmic-magical model of the world (imago mundi), trees also evolved in various cultures to possess innate spiritual powers or as conduits for communication with the holy or sacred.
Docent Katrina Scott will lead this interactive tour with stops for moments to reflect on specific trees and the stories associated with them. Were they revered or feared? A home for deities or tricksters?
La terapia de bosque, también conocida como baño de bosque o shinrin-yoku, es una práctica basada en evidencia que te conecta con la naturaleza de manera amable, curiosa y consciente. En el ritmo acelerado del mundo de hoy, esta experiencia cuidadosamente diseñada te invita a tomar una pausa, despertar tus sentidos y disfrutar de lo que nos ofrece la naturaleza.