Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Horticulture on August 8 2019, by Matt Newman
Our giant water lilies (Victoria amazonica) are symbols of summer in the Conservatory Courtyard Pools, which you can currently see on view during our latest exhibition, Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx. Check in with Marc Hachadourian, Director of Glasshouse Horticulture, to see how we move them into their sunny homes.
Posted in What's Beautiful Now on August 2 2019, by Matt Newman
The “rooms” of the Perennial Garden—hot, cold, and beyond—boast a seasonal bouquet of many varieties of summer bloom, including daylilies, hibiscus, and other warm-weather favorites that thrive in the bright sun. It’s the perfect spot for a stroll, or a sketch, with its meandering paths and abundant color.
[Not a valid template]Posted in Learning Experiences on July 30 2019, by Charles Yurgalevitch
Charles Yurgalevitch is the Director of the School of Professional Horticulture at The New York Botanical Garden.
Just half a day before this year’s Hortie Hoopla, the weather was oppressively hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms and heavy rain showers dumping over an inch of rain on the grounds of NYBG. By morning, the sun was clear in the sky, the humidity reduced by almost half. The new day brought a new start for this year’s Hortie Hoopla, now in its 7th year.
Posted in From the Library on July 29 2019, by Samantha D’Acunto
Samantha D’Acunto is the Reference Librarian at The New York Botanical Garden‘s LuEsther T. Mertz Library.
This summer the LuEsther T. Mertz Library welcomes titles from Flying Eye Books into the children’s circulating collection. Titles include tales of remarkable trees, poisonous frogs, colorful birds, funky beetles, and budding gardeners. All of the titles listed below feature refreshing and vibrant illustrations that pop right off the page.
Owen Davey’s Fanatical About Frogs and Bonkers About Beetles are impressive compilations of information and illustration. The two titles are part of a larger series by Owen Davey that include titles Mad About Monkeys, Crazy about Cats, and Smart About Sharks. As far as non-fiction goes, these are a must have. They are thrilling, colorful and informative.
Posted in People on July 29 2019, by Matt Newman
As part of #plantlove at NYBG, we’re talking with people from all over the Garden about what inspires their passion for plants. Today, meet Joel Ramirez, Web Developer for Biodiversity Information Management in the Steere Herbarium.
My interest in plants started back in high school when I joined the Environmental Club. They offered a program with Wave Hill to learn the invaluable skills for pruning, growing, and composting plants. These types of school-garden partnerships in the Bronx with institutions such as these, including NYBG, help foster a connection between young adults and nature—educating students about the environment. Watching our school garden grow and become a safe haven was uncommon growing up in the Bronx. A “diamond in the dirt,” bringing peace into my heart. Nine years later, I’ve been able to fuse my passion for technology with plant science here at the Garden. Though they cannot speak, plants still communicate with us in their own way, and we must come together to ensure their well-being. Plants are the reason we’re able to live.
Posted in What's Beautiful Now on July 26 2019, by Matt Newman
In the Native Plant Garden, summer is the time to get out and explore the plants that call New York home, and you might be surprised at what you find. From lush, sun-dappled ferns under the trees, to carnivorous pitcher plants, to the swallowtail butterflies feeding on butterfly weed, it’s a must-see stop at the height of the seasonal greenery.
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Posted in Garden News on July 23 2019, by Plant Talk
Matthew C. Pace, Ph.D., is an Assistant Curator at The New York Botanical Garden.
In our Steere Herbarium, a
combination of capturing ultra high-resolution images of specimens and entering detailed information about each specimen in a searchable database is making this scientific collection easily available to anyone with an internet connection. Among other benefits, this online resource will help researchers overcome the acute problem of access to specimens of threatened and endangered species. Deeper understanding of the various adaptations of the species and their evolution will make it possible to design better conservation and management strategies. The public’s interest in these charismatic and captivating plants also affords an opportunity to engage students and teachers in discussions about biodiversity and its preservation, plant adaptations, and mutually beneficial species relationships. Additionally, the availability of two million digitized records will enhance the education and enjoyment of citizen scientists, horticultural hobbyists, and other non-academic enthusiasts.
Posted in What's Beautiful Now on July 19 2019, by Matt Newman
Look for treasures along the paths of the Rock Garden, which invites you to explore its quiet and secluded displays, where small and vibrant alpine plants flourish. Flowers and wildlife alike call this peaceful collection home, so keep an eye out for chipmunks, dragonflies, and more.
[Not a valid template]Posted in Garden News on July 19 2019, by Plant Talk
Matthew C. Pace, Ph.D., is an Assistant Curator at The New York Botanical Garden.
Focusing on some of Earth’s most interesting and endangered plant species, NYBG is leading a network of 17 collaborating U.S. research institutions that will digitize more than two million preserved plant specimens over the next three years to make this invaluable scientific resource easily available online to plant and conservation researchers, students, and the general public.
The project, “Digitizing ‘endless forms’: Facilitating Research on Imperiled Plants with Extreme Morphologies,” will concentrate on 15 plant families containing species that are carnivorous or succulent or that grow on other plants, known as epiphytes. Among the several hundred thousand species included in the project are such iconic and unusual plants as the Venus’s flytrap, the giant saguaro cactus, and the leafless ghost orchid of southern Florida. All of the species in the project display, in one way or another, remarkably varied types of adaptations that allow them to grow in extreme environments, including deserts, tropical rain forests, and nutrient-poor bogs. Many of these plants can be challenging to study in the wild and confront elevated conservation threats in the face of rapid environmental change.
Posted in People on July 17 2019, by Matt Newman
As part of #plantlove at NYBG, we’re talking with people from all over the Garden about what inspires their passion for plants. Today, meet Livia Martinez, Undergraduate Science Intern in the NYBG Plant Research Laboratory.
Where did you grow up, and did that have an impact on your decision to devote your life to plants?
I grew up in South Florida, which I would say had a pretty big impact on my interest in plants. The flora of Florida and the Caribbean are truly unparalleled, and growing up around mangrove forests and cycads and palm trees created a subconscious love for plants that I did not grow to appreciate until I got to high school.