Three Jamaica Plain residents won the coveted Golden Trowel after winning first place in their respective categories in the city’s annual Mayor’s Garden Contest. Shoma Haque (see garden below) placed first in the Large Yard Garden category: Richard Macmillan and Alex McCray (see their garden below took home first place in the Age Strong category: Other JP contestants to finish in the top 3 of their categories included Daniel Satinsky taking third place in the…
Posts published in “Nature”
The other day I happened upon the very invasive spotted lanternfly outside of our house — and killed it. That’s what the state advises us to do — kill the spotted lanternfly. The spotted lanternfly (SLF) was first detected in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2014, and detected in Massachusetts in 2022. It has been documented in many municipalities across the state. While the spotted lanternfly has a very cool red and black look when…
Check out these fantastic photos of a bald eagle hanging out in a tree on Pond Street! “While I was inspecting a large, historic oak tree, I spotted a bald eagle sitting right on one of the lowest branches,” said Tyler Ledin, who works for a local tree company. “It was an incredible sight. It was a truly unforgettable experience to see such an amazing bird perched in a large historic oak right here in…
If you’ve walked past the Arnold Arboretum’s Hunnewell Building recently you may have noticed a new rock with a plaque in front of a dawn redwood tree. That plaque honors Hu Xiansu, the father of modern Chinese botany who identified the dawn redwood. There is much more to Xiansu’s story. The following was published on the Arnold Arboretum’s website in July 2026, and has been republished here with the Arboretum’s permission: On December 2, 2025,…
The Arnold Arboretum said it does not object to the size, density or amount of units of a new proposal that abuts its property—but it wants the developer to alter the physical design to reduce shadows and visual impact to the Arboretum. The proposal is to raze the existing Poor Clare Nuns Monastery at 920 Centre St., and replace it with a new building for 158 residential units. This proposal is different than the previous…
Along the northwestern base of Hemlock Hill at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, a broad sweep of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) grows where the woodland slopes down to meet the historic carriage road. Each June, in the filtered light beneath the hemlocks, these massed plantings offer one of the Arboretum’s most spectacular seasonal spectacles. A 22-acre woodland shaped by storm, succession, and scientific study, Hemlock Hill offers a rich diversity of shade-loving plants along…
There are a lot of beautiful gardens in Jamaica Plain, and this weekend you’ll have the opportunity to visit 12 neighborhood home gardens as part of a self-guided garden tour. Organized by the Loring Greenough House—each garden is unique and visitors are invited to wander through each property, talk with the homeowner, and enjoy some light snacks. The gardens will be open from noon to 3 pm. The tour begins at the Loring Greenough House…
If you enjoy bicycling and gardening, the Tour de Green of Jamaica Plain is an event you don’t want to miss on May 21. Organized by the Boston Cyclists Union and The Trustees Boston Community Gardens—the ride will tour different community gardens in Jamaica Plain—particularly The Trustees and Department of Conservation & Recreation gardens. The tour will take place from 5:30 to 7 pm, and will loop around the Southwest Corridor near Stony Brook and…
Get your hands dirty later this month for the annual Earth Day Clean Up at the Bussey Brook Meadow in the Arnold Arboretum. The focus will be on removing invasive plants within the woodland areas adjacent to the Blackwell Footpath and South Street to improve the ecology of those areas and build previous volunteer efforts. Volunteers will also pick up litter between Bussey Brook and the train tracks, as well as along the South Street…
We’ve got some good tree news and some bad tree news. The good news, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy with city and state personnel, recently completed an inventory of 3,500 previously evaluated and undocumented trees along Jamaica Pond, Francis Parkman Memorial, and the Jamaicaway. That includes 2,400 newly inventoried trees, which significantly provides a better understanding of the current tree canopy. That will help with long-term planning and management of the more than 13,500 trees throughout…