Seven Decades of Change in the Flora of One New England County
16 January 2010
The flora of Worcester County, Massachusetts,
was examined in great detail during the early/mid 1900s by the Hadwen
Botanical Club and again over the past 20 years by the author and several
colleagues. This work provides an unusually detailed distributional record
for local plant species and also a basis for detecting changes in abundance
of different species. This talk will describe unusual finds, distribution
patterns of selected species and changes in the occurrence of both native
and non-native species. The Delta Institute has played a special role in
this study because it is the repository of most of the specimens collected
by the Hadwen Botanical Club. This lecture is presented by Robert
Bertin of Holy Cross and is offered free of charge at the Delta Institute of Natural History in Bowdoin, ME (click
here
if you need directions). Please respond to Arthur Haines via email if
you are interested in attending (
).
The lecture begins at 7:00 pm Saturday evening and will run approximately
one hour.
From Russia with Love—Brewing Kombucha for Health
20 March 2010
Kombucha is a drink made by fermenting tea leaves with a special colony of bacteria and yeast (called, among other names, a scoby). It has become popular in recent years and is available at natural food stores—though commercially available ones are about 10 times more expensive as ones made at home (i.e., this class will pay for itself in savings). Kombucha confers numerous health benefits, including supplying probiotics, acetic acid, and glucaric acid to name a few. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can populate the intestinal tract, facilitate digestion, and help exclude harmful bacteria (e.g., Salmonella, Escherichia). Acetic acid is an antimicrobial substance that can defend your body from infection. Glucaric acid benefits the liver by inhibiting some harmful bacterial enzymes and can help prevent cancerous tumors. There are many other benefits as well, such as curbing appetite, promoting healthy skin, bolstering the immune system, and supplying vitamins (particularly B complex). Kombucha can be brewed with a number of different tea ingredients. Depending on what is used as a base, the fermented drink can also deliver pharmacologically active substances from the tea itself. There exist wild plants in New England that can be fermented to protect against various cancers (including skin and breast cancers), increase concentration and remedy ADHD, fight colds and influenza, treat cardiac myopothies, and defend against pathogenic bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus). This class is designed to provide a background in the basic chemistry of kombucha and a better understanding of how it can improve health. Recipes for brewing kombucha will be provided to students and each participant will receive a scoby and tea to take home. As time permits, additional tonic and healing beverages will be discussed and sampled (including those used by some practitioners to heal chronically ill and cancer-stricken people). Class will run from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and is taught by Arthur Haines. It will be offered at the Delta Institute of Natural History in Bowdoin, ME (click here if you need directions). If you are interested in enrolling for this class, please contact the Maine Primitive Skills School (207-623-7298) or visit http://www.primitiveskills.com/registration00.html.
Native Shrubs in Early Spring
31 March 2010
Before the leaves emerge, challenge yourself to
identify a range of native
Introduction to Plant Systematics
17 April 2010
Plant systematics is the science of plant diversity and of the relationships among different kinds of plants. This course is for students beginning their study of the evolutionary tree of plant life as well as for those with prior knowledge of taxonomy but who want to organize their knowledge according to modern research. During this course, topics such as the phylogenetic method, characters used to decipher plant relationships, nomenclature, and vocabulary will be discussed. This course fulfills the first of five required modules of the Plant Systematics core requirement for the Certificate in Native Plant Studies. The required textbook is Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach by Judd, Campbell, Kellogg, and Stevens (3rd edition). Class will run from 1:00 to 4:00 pm and be offered at the Delta Institute of Natural History in Bowdoin, ME (click here if you need directions). If you are interested in enrolling for this class, please contact the Education Department at the New England Wild Flower Society by calling 508-877-7630 extension 3303), emailing registrar@newenglandWILD.org or visiting http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn.
Foraging
These hands-on classes are designed for those with with an interest in self-sufficiency, human health, and a deeper relationship with plants. Foraging provides many avenues of connection with nature and fosters a greater appreciation of the many things that local landscapes can provide for us. It has become increasingly clear through many independent studies that diets rich in wild foods promote health and defend the body from many of the debilitating ailments that plague modern societies (e.g., obesity, diabetes, arthritis, coronary disease, periodontal disease). Students should expect to spend much of the weekend outside identifying, collecting, and preparing wild plants for food (so be prepared for weather and biting insects). Classes will focus on gathering plant foods and medicines that are appropriate for the season. Throughout the classes, simple tools will be used and reference will be made to primitive and contemporary methods of processing plants. As well, wildcrafted medicine and utilitarian plants will be discussed to provide a more holistic understanding of how plants can positively affect our lives. Wild nutrition is both a link to the past and a gateway to a sustainable future. The classes will be taught by Arthur Haines. Classes will be offered at the Delta Institute of Natural History in Bowdoin, ME (click here if you need directions). Some locations will be visited off site so please be prepared to carpool short distances from the property. Classes begins at 7:00 pm on Friday and ends at 12:00 pm on Sunday. If you are interested in enrolling for any of these classes, please contact the Maine Primitive Skills School (207-623-7298) or visit http://www.primitiveskills.com/registration00.html. See below for specific titles and dates of the classes.
Spring Foraging, 7‒9 May 2010 This session of the foraging classes is full and registrations are no longer being accepted
Edible plant discussions will focus on young shoots, early leaves, winter buds, spring tap roots, and flowers (as available).
Summer Foraging, 16‒18 July 2010
Edible plant discussions will focus on tubers, berries, flowers, and marsh plants (as available).
Fall Foraging, 24‒26 September 2010
Edible plant discussions will focus on nuts, legumes, fall roots and tubers, and wild rice (as available).
Healing with Plants, Fungi, and Lichens
30 July to 1 August 2010
Coping with and recovering from illness, injury, and debility has always been part of being human. And for these complaints, plants have served as the major source of medicine. This class will examine the use of wild plants, fungi, and lichens for healing injury and supporting the body. Students will learn a suite of species that grow in New England that can be used for many common ailments, such as colds, infections, gastrointestinal upset, headaches, dermatitis, insomnia, etc. Methods of collecting will be discussed, as well as directions for making infusions, decoctions, poultices, salves, tinctures, and smoking mixtures. Throughout the weekend, various stories and examples will be shared demonstrating how plant-based medicines have preserved life and influenced aboriginal and contemporary people. Healing with plants provides people and families with another avenue of self-sufficiency and furthers connection to the landscape. The class will be taught by Arthur Haines (who personally uses plants, fungi, and lichens for all medicinal needs). Class will be offered at the Delta Institute of Natural History in Bowdoin, ME (click here if you need directions). Class begins at 7:00 pm on Friday and ends at 12:00 pm on Sunday. If you are interested in enrolling for this class, please contact the Maine Primitive Skills School (207-623-7298) or visit http://www.primitiveskills.com/registration00.html.
Survey of New England Ferns in Maine
15 August 2010
Don and Ray have offered this workshop annually since 1999, but never before in Maine. We begin with a review our fern flora, the 68 species that are native to New England. After an introductory discussion, we display photographs, drawings, and frond silhouettes. Field ID techniques are reviewed. An outdoor field session follows with a visit to many ferns on the Delta Institute property, with Lycopodiella club-moss and other taxa at a nearby borrow pit. Geared to students with some experience and comfort in fern taxonomy. Bring a bag lunch and a hand lens. Class will run from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm and be offered at the Delta Institute of Natural History in Bowdoin, ME (click here if you need directions). It will be taught by Don Lubin and Ray Abair. If you are interested in enrolling for this class, please contact the Education Department at the New England Wild Flower Society by calling 508-877-7630 extension 3303), emailing registrar@newenglandWILD.org or visiting http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn.
Popham Beach and Atkins Bay Flora Trip
28 August 2010
Popham Beach is a spectacular sand beach and dune system in Midcoast Maine, located at the south end of the Phippsburg Peninsula. It features a well-developed dune flora with large areas of sand false heather (Hudsonia tomentosa). Just to the north, Atkins Bay includes a large saline marsh with a high diversity of interesting and state rare plants, including sea-coast tuber-bulrush (Bolboschoenus robustus), saltmarsh agalinis (Agalinis maritima), and Maine's only extant population of purple agalinis (Agalinis purpurea). Coastal halophytes, numerous species of sedges (including large hybrid clones), and interesting knotweeds will keep even the most avid botanists occupied. This day trip is designed to showcase one of Maine's most beautiful coastal locations and introduce some of the common and more difficult to identify members of this ecosystem. Given the large number of species, students will have an opportunity to focus on groups of interest. Participants should come prepared to spend the entire day outside and we will be walking in areas that are wet underneath. Bring clothes for the weather, a bag lunch, plenty of water, and your favorite botanical manual (e.g., Flora of Maine, Manual of Vascular Plants). Class will run from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and will be led by Arthur Haines. If you are interested in enrolling for this class, please contact the Education Department at the New England Wild Flower Society by calling 508-877-7630 extension 3303), emailing registrar@newenglandWILD.org or visiting http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn.
From Tree to Table: Gathering and Preparing Acorns for Food
24 October 2010
The fruit of the oak tree has been used as a important staple by aboriginal people across North America. The people of each region had their preferred species and detailed methods of collecting, storing, and processing the acorns for use in different types of dishes. Given their nutritional profile and ability to be stored for long periods, acorns make a wonderful wild food that can enjoyed throughout the year. Further, New England is blessed with a number of oak species that produce large acorns. This class will teach students how to properly gather acorns in order to avoid those in poor condition and demonstrate different methods of preparing them for food (primitive and contemporary methods will be demonstrated). Discussion during the day will include some life history strategies of the oaks that are relevant to foragers and some important myths found in wild food literature. Fresh baked acorn-flour bread will be enjoyed at the end of the class. Class will run from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and be held at the Delta Institute of Natural History, Bowdoin, ME (click here if you need directions). It will include a short drive to a local forest for gathering (please be prepared to car pool). The instructor is Arthur Haines. If you are interested in enrolling for this class, please contact Anaskimin by calling 207-266 5748 or emailing info@anaskimin.org.