What’s New
Fernald Award Annoucement
The Merritt Lyndon Fernald Award Committee is pleased to recognize Robert Bertin, Brett Trowbridge, and Brian Keevan for their paper “Patterns in the flora of the Wachusett Mountain area, Princeton and Westminster, Massachusetts, U.S.A.” Bertin, Trowbridge, and Keevan present a flora based on over 500 herbarium specimens and five years of fieldwork in 34 sampling units on and around this distinctive mountain in central Massachusetts. Thoreau famously walked from Concord to the summit of Wachusett; today a downhill ski resort abuts one of the largest remaining tracts of old growth forest in southern New England here. The Fernald Award recognizes the authors’ sweeping work in the field and herbaria, their comprehensive approach to understanding floristic diversity. In addition to documenting the vascular plants of the area, this paper evaluates patterns related to slope/aspect, elevation, proximity to ski trails, and forest richness. We celebrate the authors’ meticulous attention to detail, the important work of local floras, and this beautifully written manuscript that clearly communicates their findings to botanists, ecologists, and conservation practitioners.
We also congratulate the editors and all of the contributors for their efforts to assemble the celebratory issue—Rhodora V. 125: 1003-1004––that is important historically, fascinating in all of its elements and uniformly good reading. Each of the papers illuminates a chapter in the storied life of the New England Botanical Society. The history, tributes, and exemplary research included in the double issue serve as an important touchstone and example of NEBS’s and Rhodora’s stellar contribution over 125 years to botanical research, scholarship, and community. The whole package is just masterful!
2025-2026 Programs
Our 2025-2026 programs are posted! Visit our Meetings page to learn more. Non-members must register for meetings in advance.
2025 Conference
We had an incredible time at our 2025 Conference, Plant Migration in a Changing Climate, co-hosted with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Stay tuned for an upcoming special issue of Rhodora, featuring conference proceedings.
NEBS Merchandise
NEBS now has an online store! Merchandise options include shirts manufactured sustainably with organic materials. Modest proceeds support our mission, including our ability to organize exciting events like Plant Migration in a Changing Climate.
