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 in 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

October 3-4, 2025 

• Conference: Plant Migration in a Changing Climate
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine
• Please visit our conference page

November 7, 2025 

• Dr. Chris Martine, David Burpee Professor of Plant Genetics and Research and Director of the Manning Herbarium, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA; and President-Elect of the Botanical Society of America
• Hybrid at Harvard University at 5:30pm
• “‘Discovering’ Species, Exploring Plant Partnerships, and Spotlighting Sexual Diversity While Using a SciComm & SciArt Underdog Outreach Approach”
• Abstract: The bush tomatoes (Solanum) of the Australian Monsoon Tropics have proven to be an ideal system for studying the ecology and evolution of plant reproductive systems and patterns in biodiversity. This talk will summarize two decades of field-, collections-, and lab-based research and the ways that this has spawned creative approaches for generating enthusiasm about plants, both inside and outside of the classroom.

December 5, 2025 

• Dr. Eric Doucette, State Botanist for the Maine Natural Areas Program
• Hybrid at Harvard University at 5:30pm
• “A Maine Botanist’s Trip to Western Newfoundland’s Limestone Barrens”
• Abstract: Western Newfoundland, particularly the Great Northern Peninsula that stretches towards Labrador, is home to some of the best examples of limestone barrens in eastern North America. Despite being large by New England standards, these natural communities are globally rare, occupy less than 1% of Newfoundland’s land area, and are of conservation concern. They support a unique assemblage of plants, adapted to the unique mineral profile of the soil, extreme wind exposure, cold temperatures, and periods of drought. The limestone barrens have long attracted botanists, with M.L.  Fernald and others spending significant time collecting there. Botanizing there is an excellent way to understand regional floristic patterns, see plants that are extremely rare or absent in New England, and ponder the population dynamics of narrow endemics.

January 9, 2026 

• NEBS Membership – Member’s potluck, raffle, and “show & tell”
• 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 

• TBD

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

May 1, 2026 

• TBD
• Held at Native Plant Trust’s Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass.

See Past Meetings for videos of past presentations.