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…
Posts published in “Nature”
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…
Everyone has heard of the “bee’s knees.” But what about the “tree’s knees?” Yes, just like bees, some trees have knees. The bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, native to the southeastern United States, can have spectacular knees. Like the golden larch (Pseudolarix amabilis), dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), all larch species (Larix spp.), and the Chinese swamp cypress (Glyptostroboides pensilis), the bald cypress, as the common name would suggest, is a deciduous conifer, with magnificent copper to bronze colors…
Are you wondering about the city’s master plan for Franklin Park? Well, city staff are hosting an event on March 19 to discuss the Park’s Circuit Drive traffic calming study, tennis court expansion, dog facilities, White Stadium, and more. This is an in-person event that will include a brief presentation, followed by tabling sessions for residents to talk with the city’s Parks & Recreation and Planning Departments, and the Urban Wilds Crew. There will be…