HYBRID CLASS (online and in-person) on Thursday, May 4, 5 to 6 p.m., and Saturday, May 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Led by botanist Ted Elliman, this class will focus on the wildflowers that grace Berkshire County’s spring woods. The evening program will present an overview of native wildflowers found in several kinds of forest communities in the Berkshires, with a focus on their identification features and particular habitats. The Saturday walk will be in woodlands notable for the beauty, abundance and variety of their spring flora. 

Ted Elliman worked for many years for Native Plant Trust as a staff botanist, invasive species program manager and instructor of botany, ecology and conservation classes. His book, The Wildflowers of New England, an identification guide to much of the region's native flora, was published in 2016 by Timber Press. Ted founded and directed an environmental education and wilderness adventure center in the Berkshires, and he periodically leads natural history tours to southwest China, where he worked for two years as a teacher and forest ecologist.