Here you will find a calendar of Friends’ activities in the Gardens including lunchtime talks, social events, exhibitions and the ever-popular spring and autumn plant sales. In addition to events arranged by the Friends, we include some events arranged by the Gardens and by other organisations. A full list of events arranged by the Gardens is in their What’s On webpage.
Thursday talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. Talks last for 1 hour. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations received at each talk to support Gardens’ programs and development and thank all those who have donated. Please note: unless otherwise indicated, talks are in the ANBG Theatrette.
It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; talks may be booked out very quickly. Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached.
The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Some summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au
Visit Australian Parliament House and enjoy a private walking tour with a friendly guide and experience the gardens bursting with the rich red and gold colours of autumn. Bookings are essential.
Kim will discuss bogs and fens as an insect habitat, the variety of ecological niches that insects occupy and some threats to the fauna. She will give some local examples of the fauna of this habitat.
Want more birds, bees and butterflies in your garden? Join Claire Bickle to learn easy, practical ways to support local wildlife. Discover how to choose the right plants, create shelter and water, and make your garden a safe haven—starting this winter.
Andrea, from CSIRO, will share stories from the new science book Wild Collections. Learn about sharks living in sponges, orchids flowering underground, Spotted Handfish guarding their eggs, quirky tales of worm bums, Darkling beetles undertaking a decathlon, and much more.
The next Plant Recognition Group workshop will focus on agaric fungi (mushrooms and toadstools). Heino Lepp from the mycology collection of the Australian National Herbarium will talk about the macroscopic features that help identify agarics and will have fresh specimens on hand.
Roger, formerly of CSIRO, will tell a tale of mystery and suspense involving two geneticists, some cemeteries, a taxonomist, a survey, sheep, habitat loss, citizen scientists and a sceptic.
Charlie Blumer and Jon Darvill explore the identities and ecology of some of the 200-odd native bees and other pollinators in the ACT. They identify why they matter, the threats to them, and how we can help them.
Heidi, from Australian National Herbarium, will give an overview of taxonomic and nomenclatural principles, provide a gentle introduction to modern methods used in orchid taxonomy and discuss some interesting orchid case studies.
Join a free guided walk to get up close and personal to our wonderful Australian flora, focusing on the interesting details of Australian plants that we might not notice at first glance. These one-hour guided walks are held at 11am and 2pm each day Monday 15 June to Sunday 21 June.
Rosemary, a retired plant ecologist, will talk about her trip to Murray River floodplains around Coopers Creek, and the post-flood surge in flowers.
Fiona, Threatened Species Commissioner, will talk about recent developments with the implementation of the Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032, and awareness raising events in the community.
Dr Gina Newton, a specialist in ecological assessment and threatened species, has been involved in assessing the Murray River ecosystems under the EPBC Act.