DEERFIELD — Botany experts and historians will descend on Old Deerfield in about a month for Historic Deerfield’s spring forum, “Plants and Place: Native Flora in Western Mass.”
According to a news release about the event, scheduled for April 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Deerfield Community Center, it “will bring together a range of speakers for a lively discussion of the history, use, and preservation of herbaria.”
“From their arrival in the 17th century, European colonists began noting changes in New England’s ecology and landscape. Their recorded impressions largely consisted of observations in the form of letters, diaries, pamphlets, and reports of discoveries,” the statement continues.
Elsewhere, it continues, “In the 19th century, the practice of gathering and preserving specimens became widespread among amateur botanists interested in studying nature, in cataloguing the natural riches of the country, and in the medicinal and culinary uses of plants. Enthusiastic American ‘botanizers’ included well-known figures such as Meriwether Lewis and Emily Dickinson, and numerous others relegated to obscurity.”
Admission to the forum is $95 for the general public, $80 for members, and $110 for new members. Lunch is included in admission cost.
For more information and to register, contact Julie Orvis at events@historic-deerfield.org or 413-775-7179. Online registration for this program is available at www.historic-deerfield.org.
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo