Night Time Garden Watch with Tim Brothers
This program is an update to Tim’s popular Stargazing at The Fitz from last June, when he introduced us to the broader impacts of light pollution, from the Milky Way to our own backyards, and described local initiatives to help alleviate the loss of the night sky. This time, we will “flip the switch” and consider the value of darkness in your garden’s nighttime environment. Who are the largely unseen pollinators active in our gardens overnight? We will introduce our underappreciated nocturnal insects, such as moths and fireflies, and learn about their benefits to a healthy garden.
In this interactive class, after a brief lecture & presentation from Brothers, registrants will venture into The Fitz’s local pollinator garden and Monarch Waystation to observe nocturnal life in action!
$10 Registration Fee to cover staffing and seating – All funds received will go toward Fitz programming costs.
*All children under the age of 13 need to be accompanied by an adult to attend.
About the Instructor: Tim Brothers is the Wallace Astrophysical Observatory manager (Westford, MA) and a technical instructor in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS). As an astronomer and co-founder of the Massachusetts chapter of Dark Sky International, he is a strong advocate for mitigating artificial light pollution. As an educator and activist, he has led numerous outreach and engagement programs and won MIT’s School of Science “Infinite Mile Award” in 2025. He lives (and gardens) with his family in Pepperell, MA.
