Earth Day at Garden in the Woods

News for Immediate Release

2011 Earth Day at Garden in the Woods – April 23

Framingham, MA – New England Wild Flower Society announced today the activities to be offered for the celebration of Earth Day, April 23, 2011 at the Society’s botanic garden museum Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA.

Visitors receive free admission to Garden in the Woods all day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Earth Day on April 23. Take a guided walking tour offered many times during the day and learn the history of the Garden, the design of the various garden areas and habitats, and the conservation elements being addressed. Discover the new Invasive Plant Jail and learn how you can protect your property and community from these “bullies” of the plant world. You’ll find there are many beautiful alternatives to these problem plants. Tour the unique New England Garden of Rare and Endangered Plants. There will be many spring ephemerals in bloom. Find these tiny blossoming plants in the Garden and learn how they grow and “disappear” before the canopy of trees fills in above them.

Special events take place between noon and 4 p.m., with tours given on the half hour. Families will enjoy searching the Garden for signs of spring with our Scavenger Hunt Sheet. Other family activities include face-painting, seed planting, and making a pine cone bird feeder to take home.  Make a beautiful butterfly ring to wear. You can determine the color of the butterfly just by using different crayons. Look for mystery creatures. Did that tree really talk and move? How did an ant get to be as big an adult human? Do bees really grow that large? Talk to Mother Earth in the Garden and ask her how she juggles so many things on this planet. She may even show you her juggling skills.

This is a great day for families and friends at Garden in the Woods. Free parking is also offered.

The mission of New England Wild Flower Society is to conserve and promote the region’s native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes. Founded in 1900, the Society is the nation’s oldest plant conservation organization and a recognized leader in native plant conservation, horticulture, and education. The Society’s headquarters is located at Garden in the Woods, a renowned native plant botanic garden in Framingham, Massachusetts, that attracts visitors from all over the world. From this base, 35 staff and more than 1,000 volunteers work throughout New England to monitor and protect rare and endangered plants, collect and preserve seeds to ensure biological diversity, detect and control invasive species, conduct research, and offer a range of educational programs. Education programs are offered in every New England State as part of the largest native plant education program in America. The Society also operates a native plant nursery at Nasami Farm in western Massachusetts, which grows plants for retail customers and for landscaping and restoration projects, and has eight sanctuaries in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont that are open to the public. For more information, visit www.newenglandwild.org.