If the programs are held on Zoom instead of or in addition to in-person, the general public is welcome to participate. To find out if the programs are in-person and/or on Zoom, use the “Contact Us” portal and we will respond.

 

September 12^th 11:00 am

Location: BTMB

Program: “Honey Bees and Their Relatives” EAS Certified Master Beekeeper Landi Simone, owner of Gooserock Farm in Montville will be teaching us about the various stinging insects, including which ones will likely leave you alone and the ones you should leave alone. Of course, no pollinator talk is complete without a look at humanity’s favorite and most useful pollinators: honeybees (including what they do in winter). We will find out the difference between a yellow jacket, a honeybee, a paper wasp and a bold-faced hornet.

PICNIC will follow at the home of Mary Ellen Gannon. Bring your chair and a brown bag lunch. Don’t forget to bring your tomatoes for the Tomato Tasting!

 

October 10^th 11:00 am

Location:   BTMB

PROGRAM: “Trees Through the Season” Jan Godek is a long time member of the Garden Club of Long Valley, the Washington Township Shade Tree Committee and was a tour guide at Frelinghuysen Arboretum for several years.   Jan will inspire us with a visual look of how trees change through the four seasons of the year in our area, including discussion of the types of trees and varieties. She also focuses on the different features of trees. Jan’s beautiful slides were taken at local arboretums as well as at public and private gardens in the tri-state area.

 

November 14^th 11:00 am

Location: BTMB

PROGRAM: “Fall Fantasy” Elvis Mansilla, a partner in Lola’s Floral Boutique in Montville will guide us through his designs and love of flowers. He has decades of experience within the professional floral and landscape industry.  Elvis will be creating fresh flower arrangements for the Fall. Designs will be raffled off at the end of the presentation.

 

January 9^th (Snow Date January 10^th) 11:00 am

Location: BTMB

PROGRAM: “Vernal Ponds – The Other Universe” Professional wildlife photographer and naturalist, Blaine Rothauser will invite us into this secret world of natural wonders where his final words will be, “what happens at a vernal pond, stays at a vernal pond”. We will learn that these ponds are ephemeral bodies of water scattered about our woodlands. The hope is that when the program is over, it will leave us with a desire to roam our woodlands and learn about these magical places.

 

February 13^th (Snow Date February 14^th) 11:00 am

Location: BTMB

PROGRAM: “Intro into Botany” Megan Stypulkoski, local herbalist, artist and owner of Sheep Hill Herbals in Boonton will teach us about the plants around us. “Intro into Botany” will introduce the essential skills to properly identify plants.   We will go over basic plant evolutionary history to help us understand how to categorize local flora before we learn to access these plants from a botanist’s perspective. We will learn leaf and flower morphology, growth habits and some common familiar plant families.

March 12^th (Snow Date March 13^th) 11:00 am

Location: BTMB

PROGRAM: “More than Monarchs” Mary Jo Sichak, was a teacher/naturalist at the Weis Ecology Center and is also a Master Gardener.   She will show us the many ways monarch butterflies are the most well known of the butterfly world but only one of the estimated 125 species that can be found in New Jersey. This program explores the diversity and importance of butterflies in our gardens. It touches on their life cycle, food preferences and how they survive winter. We will learn what we can do in our garden to attract them and help them flourish.

May 7^th 11:00 am

Location: BTMB

PROGRAM: “Roses: Queen of the Garden” Marc Zukovich, well known lecturer, President of Sterling Horticultural Services and an Adjunct Professor at County of Morris will give a talk on focusing on the selection, planting practices and care of roses. A slide presentation will include photos of easy-care rose varieties, common rose diseases and pests.   Treatments and proper pruning will also be discussed with handouts given.

June 7^th (rain or shine)

Location: More details to follow

PROGRAM: Tour of the fantastic gardens including the Rose Garden at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum. BUSINESS MEETING to follow.

Bring a brown bag lunch and beverage for our end of year picnic in the Scherer Pavilion on the grounds of the Arboretum.