January 28, 2012 - 9am-2pm
A Year at Boundary Bridge, Audubon Naturalist Society
© Susan A. RothSection A: January 28
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.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
United States Botanic Garden Event
Winter Tree Tour of the Capitol Grounds
 Melanie Choukas-Bradley, Author of City of Trees
Winter is the best time to appreciate the architecture of the historic trees gracing the U.S. Capitol grounds. Meet on the Terrace in front of the entrance to the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory and stroll around the Capitol with Melanie Choukas-Bradley, admiring and learning about its magnificent trees from around the country and the world. Learn to identify Kentucky coffee-trees, Japanese pagoda trees, beeches, magnolias and dogwoods during winter. Melanie will focus on the bark, buds and overall growth habits of grand old trees, including many official state trees and memorial plantings. Giant sequoias and a massive willow oak are among the trees on the tour. Melanie will share history of the Capitol grounds and the city of Washington throughout the tour.
Code: TH022512
Date: Saturday, February 25
Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location: Conservatory Terrace
FREE: Pre-registration required: Visit www.usbg.gov
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Audubon Naturalist Society Event
Winter Woods of Sugarloaf
 Sunday, March 4 (12:30-4:30 pm)
Leaders Melanie Choukas-Bradley and Tina Brown
Members $24; nonmembers $33
Explore the winter woods of Sugarloaf Mountain with the co-authors/illustrators of two books on this monadnock’s natural and cultural history. We’ll hike from 1-3 miles, depending on trail and weather conditions, stopping to identify woody plants along the way, including oak species, heath family members, and the summit’s noteworthy table mountain pines. We’ll keep an eye out for seasonal birds, including chickadees, kinglets, woodpeckers, and even tundra swans. Melanie will talk about the mountain’s history and geology. Tina will share tips on gathering field information for your art/nature journal. Our hike will include some uphill/downhill walking and, depending on trail conditions, a fairly steep ¼ mile hike up to the summit - all at a slow pace.
Registration required, please use registration form.
March 10, 2012
Casey Trees Event www.caseytrees.org
Melanie Choukas-Bradley at Carderock
Photo by Sophie Choukas-Bradley
Date: Saturday, March 10, 2012
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Tree Walk: Winter ID - Trees in Transition
Rock Creek Trail at Beach Drive
Led by Melanie Choukas-Bradley, author of City of Trees
Come push the limits with Melanie Choukas-Bradley (author of City of Trees) as we take a late winter hike in the Boundary Bridge area of Rock Creek Park on the Maryland/DC line. We will visit the many native trees that are readily identifiable in winter – sycamores, river birches, tulip-trees and box-elders, for instance – plus some head scratchers that put identification skills to the test. And if we're lucky, some signs of spring emergence will help us along the way.
March 31, 2012
National Arboretum Event
 Lahr Native Plant Symposium
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.
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