Upcoming Meetings
Programs at Harvard University are in Haller Lecture Hall (Room 102), Geological Museum, 24 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (door to right of Harvard Museum of Natural History entrance)
Parking Information for programs at Harvard University
Our meetings are open to the public. For any questions concerning meetings contact the NEBS Coordinator.
The New England Botanical Society is holding monthly meetings in person and sometimes on Zoom. For Zoom meetings, members will receive the Zoom link in the monthly mailing. Non-member registrants will receive the Zoom link the day before the presentation.
Current Year Meetings
January 9, 2026
- NEBS Membership
- 26th Seasonal Splurge on Sharing Storytelling Slideshows, Snacking on Scrumptious Sustenance, and Scooping up Society Supporting Swag
- Member’s “show & tell,” potluck, and raffle
- 2:30pm – 6:30pm
- Held at the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s Cronin Building, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA (room 108 – Southeast Conference Room)
- IN PERSON ONLY
February 6, 2026
- Dr. Karolina Heyduk, Assistant Professor; Director of the CONN Herbarium; Rosalind Endowed Chair in EEB., University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
- Hybrid at the University of Connecticut at 5:30pm
- This program will feature a tour of the herbarium and greenhouse before the presentation. Time TBD.
- “The Wonderful Diversity of Plant Photosynthesis”
- Abstract: Despite appreciating the importance of photosynthesis to both plant life and the planet more broadly, many of us may never spare a second thought to how photosynthesis has evolved. Over millions of years, plants have expanded into novel habitats, some of which are stressful—stressful enough that they can inhibit efficient photosynthesis. In turn, plants have evolved adaptations via changes to their photosynthetic machinery to cope with those stresses. This talk will introduce some of the marvelous variety of plant photosynthesis, how we think it evolved, and discuss what photosynthetic variation means for people, plants, and the planet.
March 6, 2026
- Dr. Weston Testo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Vermont and Director of the Pringle Herbarium, Burlington, VT
- Hybrid at Harvard University at 5:30pm
- “Phylogenomic Methods Reveal Ancient Hybridization in North American Royal Ferns”
- Abstract: Hybridization has been shown to drive speciation in many evolutionary lineages, especially amongst certain groups of plants, such as ferns. While most hybrids are derived from mating events between closely related species, some exceptional cases of hybridization between deeply divergent lineages (up to ~60 MY) are known. Using samples obtained from herbarium specimens, we provide genomic evidence for natural hybridization between two genera of royal ferns (Osmundaceae) from eastern North America. As the deepest hybridization event known in plants or animals, this finding provides a new upper bound for the amount of time that can pass before reproductive barriers develop and poses questions about reproductive isolation in ferns and other seed-free plants. This work also highlights the role that herbaria play in supporting evolutionary studies in the genomics age.
April 3, 2026
- Dr. Annise Dobson, Director of Research Programs and Associate Research Scientist at Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Hybrid at Harvard University at 5:30pm
- “Jumping Worms and the Challenge of Multiple Forest Stressors“
- Abstract: Across the Northeast, invasive jumping worms are rapidly altering forest ecosystems by consuming the leaf litter layer and transforming soil. This talk explores the impact of jumping worms and co-occurring stressors in the forest understory, where the below ground stress caused by worms combines with competition from invasive plants and overabundant deer that browse native seedlings. In addition, we will discuss the drivers of jumping worm invasion and outline strategies to limit their impact, providing a pathway to achieve our native plant gardening, conservation, and management goals.
May 1, 2026
- Dr. Richard Primack, Professor of Biology at Boston University, Boston, Mass.
- Hybrid at 6:30pm at Native Plant Trust’s Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass.
- “Flower Visitors to the Plants of Newton and the Arnold Arboretum: Can Honeybees and Native Insects Coexist?”
- Special Arrangements for May Meeting:
- NEBS members and guests are welcome to come early and bring a picnic supper to enjoy before the meeting
- Admission for Garden in the Woods on Friday, May 1, will be free for NEBS members and guests starting at the 10 AM opening. If arriving before 5 PM, please check in at the Visitors Center/Garden Shop. If arriving after 5 PM, the garden gate will be closed, but there is a call button.
- Parking is available on site. If the lot is full, you can exit the Garden and park on the odd-numbered side of any of the side streets. Please be considerate of the neighbors and don’t park on anyone’s lawn or property.
- Education Building facilities: The presentation will begin here at 6:30 PM, so please finish your garden tour and picnic supper before then. Members and guests may use the outdoor picnic tables on the patio before 5 PM and the indoor space after 5 PM. Restrooms are in this building and the Visitor Center.
See Past Meetings for videos of past presentations.