The Tuesday, October 4 meeting of the Franklin Garden Club will feature a presentation on “What Does It Mean to be Native?” by Doug Williams, the Director of Mass Audubon’s Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Norfolk, MA. The meeting will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Franklin Senior Center at 26 Daniel McCahill Street. It is open to the public and those interested in joining the Garden Club.
Williams will focus on the benefits of using native plants in landscapes, including their adaptability and variations in size, texture, and seasonal colors. He will highlight the strengths of native plants, as well as some common misbeliefs regarding these plants. One of the strengths of using native plants is that they support native pollinators, which are decreasing in number. The use of native plants in gardens and landscapes helps to conserve species important to the ecosystem.
Williams has more than 35 years’ experience as a botanist and ecologist working with rare plants and habitats in Massachusetts and Texas. He holds a master's degree in conservation biology from Antioch University – New Hampshire where he wrote his master’s thesis on the old-growth forest of Wachusett Mountain State Reservation. He has led natural history field trips to such diverse places as Big Bend National Park, the upper Texas Coast and Alaska.
The Franklin Garden Club was founded in 1987 and became a member of The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc. in 2015.
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| Stoney Brook boardwalk in seasonal glory (note: boardwalk is closed for repairs) |
