The Arboretum’s Winterland

Things to do and see when it's cold out

by Nell Porter-Brown

From The November-December 2015 Issue

Photograph courtesy of the Arnold Arboretum

Winter is the best time to get out and see New England’s trees in all their naked glory. The Arnold Arboretum, open year-round, offers just such forays with “Fall Into Health” (November 21), a brisk walk along lesser-known paths, and a “Winter Wellness Walk” (December 13), when the landscape is, perhaps, at its boniest. Those preferring an unguided jaunt followed by a stint inside to view nature on paper and canvas might enjoy Drawing Trees, Painting the Landscape: Frank M. Rines (1892-1962), on display through February 14. Lectures and classes are also on tap. Writer, designer, and historian Kathryn Aalto reveals the magic, at least in the mind of A.A. Milne, of England’s Ashdown Forest in “The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: The Forest That Inspired the Hundred Acre Wood” (the topic of her new book) on November 15. And on December 8, MIT physics professor Frank Wilczek explores “A Beautiful Question: Finding Nature’s Deep Design.” Check the arboretum’s website for full details.

Published in the print edition of the November-December 2015 issue, in the Harvard Squared section, under the headline, “The Arboretum’s Winterland ”.