Presented by Peter Alden
Naturalist and author Peter Alden presented a dynamic discussion of the many factors affecting the wildlife of Wellesley and the surrounding towns. An entertaining and informative speaker, Mr. Alden and has led over 250 ecotours in over a hundred countries. He lectures all over the world for travel and museum organizations.
Maintaining a balance with wildlife in our densely-populated suburban towns is a juggling act, as the deer population, odoriferous skunks, over-wintering geese, and many other critters all press for space in the face of habitat loss. The arrival of new species is also changing the character of our surroundings. Will exotic invasive plants from far away places overwhelm our gardens and woodlands? Mr. Alden explained which exotic plants are taking over and how birds and insects play a role in both their proliferation, and at the same time, suffer from the consequences.
Mr. Alden is the founder of the Biodiversity Days movement. In 1998, at the first Biodiversity Day held in Concord and Lincoln, in one day almost 2,000 species were identified by a team of 100 expert scientists. He also spearheaded the first statewide Biodiversity Days where citizen naturalists in over 80 Massachusetts towns went into the field to do a species census. This information was a valuable and interesting snapshot of both the common and the unusual species found across Massachusetts.
Mr. Alden is the author of over a dozen nature field guides including the National Audubon Society Field Guide to New England. This book is a guide for identifying 1,000 of our region’s wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, mosses, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and much more. He also provides an extensive overview of the area’s geology, weather patterns and natural sites.