Dec. 11: Houseplant Swap
NORTHFIELD — Dickinson Memorial Library will host a Houseplant Swap on Thursday, Dec. 11, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Attendees are welcome to bring any house-plant propagations to the library and be ready to swap them for plants from others. Plants can be any size and in any container. It would be ideal if they’re planted in dirt, but bare-root plants are acceptable, too.
Attendees are also encouraged to label what they bring, if possible, but if the type of plant is unclear, fellow library guests can share their knowledge.
‘Naturalists and Novelists’ talk rescheduled
NORTHFIELD — Ornithologist David Spector’s talk, “Naturalists and Novelists: Birds, Bewick and the Brontës,” at Dickinson Memorial Library has been rescheduled to Friday, Dec. 12, from 6 to 7 p.m.
Spector will describe some of the birds in the novels “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë and “Wuthering Heights” by her sister Emily Brontë, as well as introduce the wood engravings of bird illustrator Thomas Bewick and discuss his influence, and that of the science he cites, on the Brontës. Attention to the birds can give new insight into the reading of classics, and will reveal the conversation between the author sisters.
Spector has done research on warbler song and has an interest in birds in literature. He is a retired professor of biology at Central Connecticut State University, former board president of the Hitchcock Center for the Environment and co-editor of the “Bird Finding Guide to Western Massachusetts.”
The program is co-sponsored by the library and the Northfield Bird Club.