RSS FeedUpcoming EventsZoom Author Talk: BRAVE THE WILD RIVER: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon, March 19https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241844-zoom-author-talk-brave-the-wild-river-the-untold

Join us for a fascinating lunchtime Zoom Author Talk!

BRAVE THE WILD RIVER: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon, by science journalist and writer Melissa L. Sevigny, is an evocative and beautifully written chronicle of botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter’s history-making journey through the Grand Canyon in the summer of 1938.

Clover and Jotter’s plant pressings, letters, and journal entries provide an unprecedented botanical map of a landscape then unsullied by colonial influence. Their work was the first formal survey of the otherworldly plant life that thrived in such a “barren and hellish” landscape—tough, fierce, spiny cacti that sprouted in the secret nooks and crannies of the canyon, clinging to sheer cliffs and shifting sandbars. Sevigny’s vibrant and sophisticated style brings the heart pounding drama of the women’s forty-three-day journey down the river
and the exquisite natural beauty of the canyon to life. Brave the Wild River is a loving tribute to two remarkable women—who valued their curiosity about the world more than their presumed place in it—and the adventure of a lifetime.

[A] marvelous history… Drawing on Clover and Jotter’s journals and letters, Sevigny recreates their expedition in novelistic detail, producing a narrative as propulsive as the current of the Colorado.
Readers will be swept away.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Get you copy of Brave The Wild River today! Receive 10% off with code BRAVE2024.
About The Author:
Melissa L. Sevigny is a science journalist at KNAU (Arizona Public Radio). She has worked in water policy, sustainable agriculture, and space exploration, and is the author of Under Desert Skies and Mythical River. She lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241844-zoom-author-talk-brave-the-wild-river-the-untold
Spring Basketry Workshop with Judith Thomas, March 20https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/240910-spring-basketry-workshop-with-judith-thomas
Come to the Garden and learn to make two types of baskets: one a twined basket and the other a woven basket.
We will be using natural reed of several sizes and raffia, all of which have been dyed in muted colors by Judith ahead of time. You will learn how to source and dye these materials yourself for future projects. The end result of this hands-on workshop will be sweet little spring baskets, perfect for treasures or floral offerings. Once you learn to make a small basket, you will be able to enlarge the process to make a bigger one.
All levels welcome, and all materials will be provided.
Judith is a textile artist who has taught basketmaking for many years, often at the UC Botanical Garden. She teaches pine needle baskets in autumn, and this will be her first time teaching these techniques as a spring class.
https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/240910-spring-basketry-workshop-with-judith-thomas
FULL: FAMILY PROGRAM: Naturally Dyed Eggs (Morning Session), March 23https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/230613-full-family-program-naturally-dyed-eggs-morning-sessi

This hands-on workshop will introduce children to the joy of natural dyes while they make their own patterns on eggs with brilliant plant-based colors. Price includes 4 eggs per participant (adults included). Two session times available.

Children must be accompanied by a paid registered adult. All program fees include same day admission to the Garden. (An $18 value for adult admission.)

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/230613-full-family-program-naturally-dyed-eggs-morning-sessi
FAMILY PROGRAM: Naturally Dyed Eggs (Afternoon Session), March 23https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/230614-family-program-naturally-dyed-eggs-afternoon

This hands-on workshop will introduce children to the joy of natural dyes while they make their own patterns on eggs with brilliant plant-based colors. Price includes 4 eggs per participant (adults included). Two session times available.

Children must be accompanied by a paid registered adult. All program fees include same day admission to the Garden. (An $18 value for adult admission.)

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/230614-family-program-naturally-dyed-eggs-afternoon
Discovery Station: Flowers & Seeds, March 24https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/242564-discovery-station-flowers-seeds

Come learn all about flowers, fruit, and seeds at this month’s botanical Discovery Station. Our docents will be stationed on the Tour Deck with an interactive display and a diversity of specimens to explore.

This program is Free with admission. Drop-in any time during Discovery Station hours. No registration required.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/242564-discovery-station-flowers-seeds
UC Berkeley Staff - Family Free Days, April 1https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243553-uc-berkeley-staff-family-free-days

In partnership with Berkeley Staff Assembly, the UC Botanical Garden is offering UC Berkeley staff Family Free Days! Show your CAL1 Staff card* and receive free entry for yourself and one adult guest, plus all your dependents under 18 years old at the UC Botanical Garden, April 1-April 14 during regular Garden hours.

 

April is the prime time to visit the UC Botanical Garden to admire blooms, unique flora, and discover more than 10,000 plants from all over the world, right in the heart of Berkeley. Feel free to bring a picnic and enjoy lunch at one of the many picnic tables or grassy lawn. Check out the Garden Shop and take a piece of the garden home with you. You can find out more about the UC Botanical Garden here: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/

 

Information about parking and transportation can be found here, which includes overflow parking at the Lawrence Hall of Science: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/parkinganddirections.

 

Already a big fan of the Botanical Garden? Explore special UC Affiliate member rates here: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/join.

 

The UC Botanical Garden is also a fantastic spot for work retreats or meetings, with discounted rates for internal UC Berkeley events. Visit the Rentals page here: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/rentals

 

*Please note that the UC Berkeley Staff member must be present with the guest and dependents under 18 years old, to receive free entry.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243553-uc-berkeley-staff-family-free-days
iPhoneography with Yoni Mayeri, April 3https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241022-iphoneography-with-yoni-mayeri

Discover how to turn your ordinary snapshots into extraordinary photographs using the power of the device that is always with you. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn how to expertly capture images and edit and create photographs and artful images with your iPhone.


In this course, you will learn how to take professional-quality photographs and perform basic and advanced photo editing with your iOS device. We will use the built-in photo app to edit and enhance iPhone photos, and we will discuss tips for optimizing the features and working around the limitations of the native (built-in) camera. We will see demonstrations of several third party editing and creative applications and a variety of helpful accessories for enhancing and embellishing iPhoneography images. Time permitting we will touch on best practices for saving, organizing, sharing, and printing your images. By the end of this workshop, you will have a greater grasp on the ins and outs of iPhoneography.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241022-iphoneography-with-yoni-mayeri
UC Berkeley Staff - Family Free Days, April 3https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243555-uc-berkeley-staff-family-free-days

In partnership with Berkeley Staff Assembly, the UC Botanical Garden is offering UC Berkeley staff Family Free Days! Show your CAL1 Staff card* and receive free entry for yourself and one adult guest, plus all your dependents under 18 years old at the UC Botanical Garden, April 1-April 14 during regular Garden hours.

 

April is the prime time to visit the UC Botanical Garden to admire blooms, unique flora, and discover more than 10,000 plants from all over the world, right in the heart of Berkeley. Feel free to bring a picnic and enjoy lunch at one of the many picnic tables or grassy lawn. Check out the Garden Shop and take a piece of the garden home with you. You can find out more about the UC Botanical Garden here: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/

 

Information about parking and transportation can be found here, which includes overflow parking at the Lawrence Hall of Science: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/parkinganddirections.

 

Already a big fan of the Botanical Garden? Explore special UC Affiliate member rates here: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/join.

 

The UC Botanical Garden is also a fantastic spot for work retreats or meetings, with discounted rates for internal UC Berkeley events. Visit the Rentals page here: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/rentals

 

*Please note that the UC Berkeley Staff member must be present with the guest and dependents under 18 years old, to receive free entry.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243555-uc-berkeley-staff-family-free-days
Sick Plant Clinic, April 6https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241305-sick-plant-clinic

The Garden’s monthly Sick Plant Clinic is here to help! Bring plant samples to the clinic to find out which diseases or pests are afflicting your plants. Entomologists and plant pathologists will diagnose and suggest effective and environmentally sensitive remedies. Please cover plants and disease samples in containers or bags before entering the Garden.

The clinic is open on the first Saturday of most months in the Conference Center. No admission required for the clinic-only.

Check in at the entrance Kiosk. Entry to the clinic is free of charge and does not include admission to the Garden. Make a reservation, or pay for admission, if you would like to stay and enjoy the Garden.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241305-sick-plant-clinic
Our Poetic Earth: A poetry workshop series in the Garden with Becky Jaffe, April 8https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243090-our-poetic-earth-a-poetry-workshop-series-in-the
Three Mondays: 4/8, 4/15 and 4/22
11 AM -12:30 PM

In this 3-part workshop, we will hone our capacity for wonder, using the tools of poetry to savor Spring’s irrepressible exuberance. We will read nature poems together, and write new poems inspired by a conspiracy of wind, soil, sun, the carbon cycle, and yearning.
Former Artist-in-Residence and published poet Becky Jaffe will lead you in playful and contemplative exercises that help you recalibrate your attunement to amazement, and share it with others through poems that are already unfurling their tendrils inside of you, looking for light. No prior experience necessary. Daydreamers welcome.

They say she’s poisonous,
toxic to the touch,
but what wouldn’t we do
to keep our own kids alive?
She didn’t invent chemical warfare any more than the so-called
“great apes” did —
fire ants and pine needles
having gotten there first —
And in the end,
poisons couldn’t save her;
it wasn’t a snake but love
that did her in.
This mother newt breathed her last memory of air
while laying worlds
of spherical eggs,
launching Life —
poisons and all —
into a future with
no antidote for love.
~Becky Jaffe
https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243090-our-poetic-earth-a-poetry-workshop-series-in-the
UC Berkeley Staff - Family Free Days, April 10https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243554-uc-berkeley-staff-family-free-days

In partnership with Berkeley Staff Assembly, the UC Botanical Garden is offering UC Berkeley staff Family Free Days! Show your CAL1 Staff card* and receive free entry for yourself and one adult guest, plus all your dependents under 18 years old at the UC Botanical Garden, April 1-April 14 during regular Garden hours.

 

April is the prime time to visit the UC Botanical Garden to admire blooms, unique flora, and discover more than 10,000 plants from all over the world, right in the heart of Berkeley. Feel free to bring a picnic and enjoy lunch at one of the many picnic tables or grassy lawn. Check out the Garden Shop and take a piece of the garden home with you. You can find out more about the UC Botanical Garden here: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/

 

Information about parking and transportation can be found here, which includes overflow parking at the Lawrence Hall of Science: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/parkinganddirections.

 

Already a big fan of the Botanical Garden? Explore special UC Affiliate member rates here: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/join.

 

The UC Botanical Garden is also a fantastic spot for work retreats or meetings, with discounted rates for internal UC Berkeley events. Visit the Rentals page here: https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/rentals

 

*Please note that the UC Berkeley Staff member must be present with the guest and dependents under 18 years old, to receive free entry.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243554-uc-berkeley-staff-family-free-days
Coming Soon! Zoom Butterfly Talk with Sarab Seth, April 11https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243163-coming-soon-zoom-butterfly-talk-with-sarab-seth

Join us for a virtual butterfly presentation with Sarab Seth. More details to come. 

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243163-coming-soon-zoom-butterfly-talk-with-sarab-seth
Our Poetic Earth: A poetry workshop series (Second Session), April 15https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243091-our-poetic-earth-a-poetry-workshop-series-second
Three Mondays: 4/8, 4/15 and 4/22
11 AM -12:30 PM

In this 3-part workshop, we will hone our capacity for wonder, using the tools of poetry to savor Spring’s irrepressible exuberance. We will read nature poems together, and write new poems inspired by a conspiracy of wind, soil, sun, the carbon cycle, and yearning.
https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243091-our-poetic-earth-a-poetry-workshop-series-second
April Butterfly Walk in the Garden, April 15https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241826-april-butterfly-walk-in-the-garden

Join our butterfly docent specialist Sally Levinson for a guided walk through the Garden in search of butterflies, as you learn about their plant relationships and amazing life cycle. Bring binoculars if you have them.

Registered children welcome. Pre-registration is required, space is limited. Groups larger than 6 people, please contact us to make separate arrangements for a private tour.

This walk follows uneven terrain, with areas of paved and unpaved trail. For accessibility inquiries, please email gardenprograms@berkeley.edu, or call 510-664-7606.

All program fees include same-day admission to the Garden, rain or shine.

The 34-acre UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley is a wonderful destination on any day of the year, but the guided butterfly walks held each month are pure magic.” -Featured in the Mercury News

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241826-april-butterfly-walk-in-the-garden
Integral Taiji and Qigong, April 19https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241304-integral-taiji-and-qigong

Join us for a Friday late morning Integral Taiji & Qigong class. This class focuses on embodied, psycho-spiritual, ecological, and cosmological dimensions of qigong and taiji (tai chi). We will practice standing meditation, walking meditation, the Microcosmic Orbit, Taiji Ruler, the Eight Treasures, cleansing the internal organs, embodying the elements, and more. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of prior experience. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult (with Garden admission). Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and bring layers for warmth and sun-protection. Space is limited; registration required.

Class will be on the Oak Knoll at the Garden. Please let us know if you have accessibility questions. While we plan to hold this event outdoors, weather may require us to move indoors. Per UC policy, masks are optional indoors.

ATTENTION MEMBERS: Get FREE Registration fee when you Sign In above. Your discount will be automatically applied at check out if properly signed-in with email address displayed. Need help? Email gardenprograms@berkeley.edu

Cancellation Policy: Notification two weeks prior to program receives full refund. If you find you cannot attend less than two weeks prior to event, you may transfer your registration to someone else by having them use your name at check-in or transfer to the next class. In the event that the Garden has to cancel a program you will be offered a full refund.

Access Coordinator: Christine Manoux, gardenprograms@berkeley.edu, 510-643-4832.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241304-integral-taiji-and-qigong
Our Poetic Earth: A poetry workshop series (Third Session), April 22https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243092-our-poetic-earth-a-poetry-workshop-series-third
hree Mondays: 4/8, 4/15 and 4/22
11 AM -12:30 PM

In this 3-part workshop, we will hone our capacity for wonder, using the tools of poetry to savor Spring’s irrepressible exuberance. We will read nature poems together, and write new poems inspired by a conspiracy of wind, soil, sun, the carbon cycle, and yearning.
https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/243092-our-poetic-earth-a-poetry-workshop-series-third
Sick Plant Clinic, May 4https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241938-sick-plant-clinic

The Garden’s monthly Sick Plant Clinic is here to help! Bring plant samples to the clinic to find out which diseases or pests are afflicting your plants. Entomologists and plant pathologists will diagnose and suggest effective and environmentally sensitive remedies. Please cover plants and disease samples in containers or bags before entering the Garden.

The clinic is open on the first Saturday of most months in the Conference Center. No admission required for the clinic-only.

Check in at the entrance Kiosk. Entry to the clinic is free of charge and does not include admission to the Garden. Make a reservation, or pay for admission, if you would like to stay and enjoy the Garden.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/241938-sick-plant-clinic
Nature Journaling for Garden Enthusiasts with Kate Rutter, May 18https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/242682-nature-journaling-for-garden-enthusiasts-with-kate

Observe the living world with curiosity and attention, and celebrate wonder in a lyric blend of science and art with a Nature Journal!

Bring your love of gardens to a whole new level with a nature journal. Nature journaling is the act of putting pen (or pencil) to paper to observe aspects of nature with curiosity and attention. At this in-person workshop you’ll learn about establishing (or enhancing) your nature journaling practice in the beautiful environment of the UC Botanical Garden. The focus is on experiencing and visually expressing our curiosity about plants and nature, not about making detailed botanical or wildlife art. In this practice, “art” is the experience you have while you’re doing it.

After a brief orientation and warm-up learning activities you will have hands-on observation and drawing time in the Garden. Using words, pictures, and numbers you will capture the forms, shapes, and textures of the plants of your choice. You will practice foundational techniques such as basic drawing, annotation, and a variety of observations that prompt both deeper questions and a deeper connections to the plants. Kate will be available for questions and individual instruction during the Garden journaling time. The group will reconvene toward the close of the workshop to talk about our experiences and learn from each other.

Add “Kit” to purchase all needed materials for this workshop OR bring the below items with you:

  • Journal: notebook without lines
  • Notation Tools: Papermate Sharp Write #2 pencil, Tombow Fudenosuke Fine Point Black pen, Zebra Midliner Gray double-ended pen
  • Observation Tools: Pocket mirror, ruler, magnifying loupe
  • Carry-all: Apron with pockets or a caddy

All skill levels welcome; no prior experience necessary. The workshop will be held rain or shine. Come enjoy the beautiful botanical garden setting!
This program is in both indoor and outdoor spaces.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/242682-nature-journaling-for-garden-enthusiasts-with-kate
Spring Bird Walk, May 29https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/242607-spring-bird-walk

Join Chris Carmichael in search of both resident and migrant birds in the Garden’s many bird friendly micro habitats. Chris will be joined by Susan Greef, Garden Member and avid birder. Beginning and experienced bird watchers are welcome. Limited to 15 participants.

This walk follows uneven terrain, with areas of paved and unpaved trail.

We suggest bringing binoculars if you have them. Wear layers in case it is a chilly morning. Walk is rain or shine, though heavy rain cancels.

 

Cancellation Policy: Notification two weeks prior to program receives full refund. If you find you cannot attend less than 2 weeks prior to event, you may transfer your registration to someone else by having them use your name at check-in. In the event that the Garden has to cancel a program you will be offered a full refund or the option to transfer to another program.

https://events.berkeley.edu/bot/event/242607-spring-bird-walk