March 31, 2012
Lahr Native Plant Symposium
 U.S. National Arboretum
Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012
Time: 9:40 AM
Melanie Choukas-Bradley, author of City of Trees and two books about Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland will talk about how the native plants of the Washington area changed her life. Arriving in the DC area as a young journalist more than 30 years ago, she was instantly struck by the magnificence of the city’s trees. She has spent her professional life documenting the woody and herbaceous plants of the Washington region in her books and Washington Post articles. She will share beautiful slides of Washington’s native trees and wildflowers through the seasons and describe her journey as an author and teacher devoted to educating people about the unique botanic legacy of the nation’s capital and its surroundings.
Registration required - please click here for more information.
April 14, 2012 - 9am-2pm
Melanie Choukas-Bradley at Carderock
Photo by Sophie Choukas-Bradley
A Year at Boundary Bridge
Audubon Naturalist Society
Section B: April 14
Section C: June 16
Section D: October 27
Each walk: members $26; nonmembers $36; two walks: $48/$66; three walks: $66/$92; all four walks: $88/$124
Leader Melanie Choukas-Bradley
Join the author of City of Trees for our sixth year of hikes in one of Washington, D.C.’s most beautiful wild areas. Starting at Boundary Bridge and following the same 2.5 mile loop trail each season, we’ll explore the large trees, diverse shrubs, and exceptional wildflowers along a scenic stretch of Rock Creek. We’ll also see and hear many species of birds, butterflies, and amphibians. On our winter walk, an ideal time to admire the Park’s topography, we’ll look and listen for winter flocks and identify many species of woody plants. In April, we’ll witness the spring magic of Rock Creek’s myriad wildflowers. As summer arrives in the Park, we’ll hope for a glimpse of a kingfisher as we look for ferns and early seasonal wildflowers such as enchanter’s nightshade. Autumn is glorious in Rock Creek Park, and we’ll conclude our series with a walk through colorful oaks, maples, and ashes, searching for the flowers of an early witch hazel in bloom. Our 2.5 mile circuit hike will be on trails with moderate uphill and downhill walking.
Members: $26; Nonmembers: $36
Registration required. Please use the registration form.
Sunday, April 15, 9:30am – 12:30pm
 Budbreak at Carderock
Audubon Naturalist Society
Where: Carderock (C&O Canal)
Leaders: Melanie Choukas-Bradley and Elizabeth Rives
Description: Join us for a walk devoted to the identification and admiration of native trees and shrubs as their buds break and their leaves and flowers emerge.
Members $21; nonmembers $28.
Registration required. Please use the registration form.
April 27, 2012 - 10:30am-1:00pm
 Celebrate Arbor Day!
U.S. Botanic Garden
Description:
Lecture and Tour Celebrate Arbor Day! Melanie Choukas-Bradley, Author of City of Trees Celebrate Arbor Day in the “City of Trees” with a slide presentation followed by a stroll through the National Garden’s Regional Garden. Join the author of City of Trees: The Complete Field Guide to the Trees of Washington, D.C. for an illustrated presentation on the history and botanic diversity of the capital city’s world-renowned trees. Author and teacher Melanie Choukas-Bradley will highlight Washington’s trees from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson’s time to the present day. Special attention will be given to the Capital’s original 100 Japanese Flowering Cherries on the 100th anniversary of their planting. Learn how Washington came to be known as the “City of Trees” and why our historic canopy is more essential than ever in the 21st century. You’ll see stunning visual images of trees through the seasons at the Capitol, White House, National Arboretum, Mount Vernon, Tidal Basin and other storied locations.
 Following the talk, Melanie leads participants on a tour of the Regional Garden, where trees and shrubs native to the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont and Coastal Plain will be in full spring leaf and flower. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy after the garden tour. Melanie will be available during lunch to answer tree questions.
Please note: The tour portion of this program is held outdoors. We suggest bringing sunscreen, protective clothing and water. The tour portion is canceled if it rains or during times of extreme heat (heat index of 95 degrees or higher/Code Red weather alert).
Code: TH042712 Date: Friday, April 27 Time: 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Conservatory Classroom and National Garden
FREE: Pre-registration required: Visit www.usbg.gov.
Early registration ends on 02/15/2012.
Regular registration starts on 02/16/2012 and ends on 04/27/2012.
Late registration starts on 04/27/2012.
All times are 12:00am (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
 May 5, 2012, 10:00am - 1:00pm
Spring Tree Tour of the Capitol Grounds
U.S. Botanic Garden
Spend a May morning strolling under the venerable trees that grace the  U.S. Capitol grounds with Melanie Choukas-Bradley, author of City ofTrees. We will explore the historic groves of the Capitol at the height of spring foliage and flower, admiring and learning about the trees that grace the grounds, including species from around the United States and the world. We hope to see magnolias, fringe-trees, buckeyes, horse-chestnuts and otherflowering trees in bloom.
Registration required. Regular registration starts on 02/16/2012 and ends on 05/05/2012.
Saturday, May 19, 2012 (10am-3pm)
 Spring Hike on Sugarloaf Mountain
Audubon Naturalist Society
Leaders Melanie-Choukas Bradley and Tina Brown
Members $25; nonmembers $35
Join Sugarloaf author Melanie Choukas-Bradley and illustrator Tina Thieme Brown for an outing devoted to the botany, wildlife, geology, and history of Sugarloaf Mountain, a monadnock in the rural Piedmont northwest of Washington, D.C. The 1.5-2.5 mile hike, with some uphill and downhill on rocky terrain, is timed to coincide with the flowering of many woodland plants, including fringe-tree, Canada Mayflower, several violet species, and possibly one or more orchids. Bring binoculars to look for wood thrushes, worm-eating warblers, ravens, and other bird species. Tina will give a brief demonstration on illustrating plants in the field during our lunch break.
Registration required, please use registration form.
May 30 and June 2, 2012
Politics & Prose Bookstore
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On Wednesday, May 30, 7-9 p.m., join City of Trees author and natural history teacher Melanie Choukas-Bradley at Politics & Prose for a slide presentation about the arboreal history and botanic diversity of Washington, D.C. Melanie will share stunning visual images of the White House and Capitol grounds, Rock Creek Park, the National Arboretum, the Tidal Basin, Mount Vernon and many other storied landmarks in and around Washington, D.C. as she takes you on a historic tour of the “City of Trees.” Learn a secret side of political Washington: the love of trees that goes back to founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and has endured through the ages. Melanie will also teach the basics of tree identification and give guidance for identifying Washington’s hundreds of native and international tree species.
On Saturday, June 2, meet in front of the U. S. Botanic Garden at 10:30 a.m. for a 2 ½ hour tour of the historic trees of the Capitol grounds. The lush and botanically diverse Capitol grounds were designed by the preeminent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted—designer of New York City’s Central Park and many other North American landscapes—and they have been described as one of the world’s finest arboretums. We will explore the historic groves of the Capitol, admiring and learning about the trees that grace the grounds, including species from around the United States and the world. We will see giant sequoias, Kentucky coffee-trees, and many species of oak, maple and magnolia. The national champion Jujube tree and many official state trees and memorial plantings will be highlighted.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Melanie Choukas-Bradley is the author of three highly acclaimed natural history books, including City of Trees: The Complete Field Guide to the Trees of Washington, D.C. The Washington Post Book World called City of Trees: "…a splendid field guide—practical, botanically sound, and filled with good stories." Melanie leads tree tours and field trips for the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS), the Nature Conservancy, the U S Botanic Garden and Casey Trees and she teaches two courses for the Natural History Field Studies Program of the Graduate School USA and ANS. Melanie lectures widely and has been a guest on the Diane Rehm Show, the Kojo Nnamdi Show and All Things Considered. She is on the Board of the Maryland Native Plant Society and she serves on the Chevy Chase Tree Ordinance Board and the Advisory Committee of the Montgomery Countryside Alliance. |
 June 3, 2012, 10am - 1pm
Oaks of Sugarloaf Mountain
Maryland Native Plant Society
We will hike to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain at a leisurely pace. We will see and learn about several oak species, including chestnut, red, black, white and blackjack. Mountain laurel and several early summer wildflowers will also be in bloom along the route.
Field Trip Leader: Melanie Choukas-Bradley
Online Registration is required. Please register by May 31st. Trip limited to 25 participants.
Directions: Meet at the West View parking
June 12, 2012, 1pm – 3pm
 The Trees of DC
The State Arboretum of Virginia
Where: Blandy Experimental Farm (map)
Calendar: Blandy Public Programs
Created by: blandy1926@gmail.com
Description: Please come join us in the Blandy Library to hear Ms. Melanie Choukas-Bradley, the author of City of Trees and other books. She will present an illustrated talk on interesting and unusual trees in Washington, DC, and on some of the best locations in the DC area for viewing trees.
FOSA members $8, nonmembers $10 Please call 540-837-1758 to register for this program.
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