News & Events, May 2012 
In this issue
A Time for Wonder and Observation
Friends of Mount Auburn May 2012 Calendar
Service of Commemoration
Wildlife at Mount Auburn: A Timetable of Migration in May
The History of Birds & Birding at Mount Auburn
Horticultural Highlight: Paeonia suffruticosa
Early Risers' Horticulture Club
Person of the Month: Williamina Fleming
Beyond Our Gates: Programs of Interest to the Community

 

Clare Walker Leslie 

A Time for Wonder and Observation

 

Clare Walker Leslie has been wandering, recording, and observing at Mount Auburn for over 30 years - and she still finds the magic of the place enticing!

 

At 3PM on May 3rd you can join Clare for "A Time for Wonder and Observation" and explore ways of listening, writing, observing, and reflecting on the experience of being at Mount Auburn - a place that has differing and important meanings for each of us.  

 

We will begin in Story Chapel and then embark on a quiet walk, reflecting as a spring afternoon unfolds.  

 

Bring your own drawing/writing tools and be prepared to do some walking and sitting.  Limited enrollment; pre-registration required.  FREE.

 

_____________________________________

 

Birding with Children

 

Friends of Mount Auburn May Calendar

 

Once again we have a very exciting mix of monthly programming at the Cemetery.  Join us for one of our Bird Walks or Discover walking tours, for our monthly Book Club, A Mother's Day Walk, A Civil War Walk, A Memorial Day Weekend Concert or an Open House at Bigelow Chapel!  These events and many more are listed on our website calendar.   

 

 

_____________________________________

 

Service of Commemoration

 

Service of Commemoration

 

Please join us at 1:30PM on Saturday, May 26th for our annual Service of Commemoration.  

 

Words and music will help us to remember those who have gone before us during this Memorial Day Service on Bigelow Chapel Lawn.  In the event of inclement weather, the Service will be held in Bigelow Chapel.

 

 

 

_____________________________________

Warbler Watercolor by Wenfei Tong
Dendroica Warblers Evergreen,
Watercolor by Wenfei Tong 
 
 
Wildlife at Mount Auburn:  A Timetable of Migration at Mount Auburn in May

 

The month of May is when the peak abundance of migrant birds are to be found at the Cemetery. Visit our website for an approximate week-by-week timetable of the optimal time to see certain species.  

 

The third week of May is most likely the week in which could potentially see up to 100 species in the Cemetery!   

 

Remember that as the month progresses, the foliage gets thicker - the earlier in the season that you can find a migrant, the easier it will be to see it.  By the first week in May, many migrants such as...read more 

 

 
Warbler
Warbler by Bob Stymeist.

 

The History of Birds & Birding  

at Mount Auburn Cemetery 

 

From the 1830 discovery in the woods of Sweet Auburn of a then unknown to science Olive-sided Flycatcher, to the 2011 nest of a Great Horned Owl that sparked great public interest, Mount Auburn has long been a hot-spot for both resident and migrating birds.   

 

Consequently it is also a favored spot in the area for bird-watchers, both famous ornithologists and local Friends of Mount Auburn.  Take a look at our virtual timeline to find out more about the history of birds and birding at Mount Auburn over the past 180 years.

 

_____________________________________

Tree Peony 

Horticultural Highlight: Paeonia suffruticosa, Tree Peony 

   

One of our most sumptuous, extravagantly desired, flowering shrubs is the tree peony, Paeonia suffruticosa.  Long regarded as "the king of flowers" it was officially designated the Chinese national flower in 1994.  Looked upon as the flower of the yang principle, that of brightness and masculinity, as well as the emblem of love, affection, and feminine...more

Early Risers' Horticulture Club  

  

Join Dennis Collins and Jim Gorman at 7AM for Early Riser's Horticultural Club - an hour-long early morning excursion to discover what's in bloom and any other items of horticulture interest. From early bulbs to magnificent flowering trees, we will try to catch them all!  7AM on Fridays May 11 & 25, June 8  

 

 

______________________________________________  

 

Fleming Monument

 

Person of the Month

Williamina Fleming (1857-1911)

 

When a male assistant proved incompetent, Edward C. Pickering, an astronomer at the Harvard College Observatory stated that his Scottish maid could do better, offering Williamina Fleming a temporary position at the observatory, and hiring her on permanently two years later.

 

Fleming indexed and examined the photographic plates used to record astronomical research and went on to discover ten novas and over 200 variable stars, and most notably the...read more   

 

 

 ______________________________________  

 

Beyond Our Gates: Events of Interest to the Community

 

Sexual Secrets: Tales of Species, Seedlings, and Sports - What really is a cultivar, a hybrid, or a straight species plant? Join Wayne Mezitt, Chairman of Weston Nurseries, for an expert nurseryman's point of view.  7PM, Wednesday, May 2nd.  Grow Native Massachusetts: Evenings with Experts Series at Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA.

   

Join Watertown Gardens - a group organized to promote community gardens and advance healthy eating and environmental stewardship - to celebrate the opening of the Grove Street Community Garden on 165 Grove Street, Watertown, MA at 1PM on May 5th.

 

The New England Landscape Design and History Association (NELDHA) kicks off its new program - the Preservation Network - with a rare guided tour of the classic gardens of The Elms, a famed Newport mansion owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County, RI. Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. at The Elms, 367 Bellevue Ave., Newport, Rhode Island.

 

 

Photography Exhibit: Among the Trees by Mount Auburn Docent, Helen Abrams at the Watertown Library - 2nd Floor Gallery, 123 Main St., Watertown, MA.  May 1- 31. 

 
Tower Logo 2

 

Think green.
 Do not print this email and you will help to conserve valuable resources.  Thank you!

 

 ____________________________________________
 
All Star 2011All Star 2011
Constant Contact All-Star Logo
Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery
____________________________ 
phone: 617-547-7105  web: http://www.mountauburn.org  
______________________________________________