Stephen Sinon is Head of Information Services and Archives in the New York Botanical Garden’s LuEsther T. Mertz Library.
The Stone Mill
It’s not every day that someone walks into your life to present you with a piece of history from your past, but that is exactly what happened here recently at The LuEsther T. Mertz Library. We had a visitor who rode the Garden tram and heard mention of the Lorillard family on the tram’s narrated tour. She recalled owning a jar with the name “Lorillard” written on it and wondered if there was any connection.
As it turned out, the jar in question happened to be filled with tobacco snuff which was milled at the Garden’s historic Stone Mill and apparently never opened. The gift of this jar was accompanied by several commemorative catalogs from the Lorillard Tobacco Company and a newspaper article dated December 31, 1893, discussing the award winners at the World’s Fair held in Chicago that year. Known as the World’s Columbian Exposition, the fair was held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the shores of the Americas.
The numerous Neoclassical stucco facades found at the fair, the first to feature electrical illumination, earned it the name “The White City” and had a profound influence on the urban beautification movement in America. The Mertz Library Building and The New York Botanical Garden itself grew out of this movement.
Debbie Becker has been The New York Botanical Garden’s resident bird expert for over 25 years, and continues to lead her popular Bird Walks on Saturday mornings throughout much of the year. She maintains Birding Around NYC, where readers can find photo galleries of recent NYBG bird walks and up-to-date lists of species seen during each outing.
An Osprey makes off with lunch
As the end of summer draws near, deep sighs can be heard from school children and cries of delight from parents. The pleasures of the warmer months are shared by many in different ways. For those of us who are naturalists and birders, we endure the summer months dreaming about the end of August, because it signals the most exciting seasonal change: the great fall bird migration.
Our plants and trees—it is their time to shine—have spent the summer producing berries and seeds to nourish the migrating birds. The fruit of the crabapple, dogwood, and viburnum become ripe with juicy berries for Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, while the sweet gum tree offers nestled seeds—in sticky balls—to American Goldfinch, Pine Siskins, Red-winged Blackbirds and Purple Finch. Cedar Waxwings will also partake in harvesting berries for sustenance. Eastern Kingbirds use the ripe berries as lures to catch insects attracted to the sweet nectar. Birders and photographers fancy themselves capturing these scenes over and over again and flock to NYBG to enjoy the fall bird migration.
Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.
Of all the insects that I’ve photographed at the Garden, the hummingbird clearwing moth is easily the most challenging to capture. At first glance it resembles a shrimp with translucent wings—each one bordered in red—making it a real stand-out among the wildlife that calls NYBG home. The Home Gardening Center is one of the best spots to see these insects, which are often mistaken for hummingbirds.
A hummingbird clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe) in the Home Gardening Center – Photo by Patricia Gonzalez
Summer may be winding down, but the festivities of the Garden are heating up. With FRIDA KAHLO: Art, Garden, Life in full swing there is no time like the present to experience the blockbuster exhibition, amid the backdrop of late summer flora seen throughout the massive garden grounds.
On Saturday, tour the Ross Conifer Arboretum where you will see and learn about the majestic world of conifers, with a few rarities that can only be found in select locations around the world, and of course, here at the Garden. Or Tour the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, exploring various habitats from around the world, all housed under one ceiling.
Sunday calls for even more tours! Learn about the aquatic house at the Conservatory, where you’ll see an acre of plants under glass. Or explore the Thain Family Forest, a 50-acre uncut woodland area, with experienced guides. But if you really just want a general gist of the Garden, then go on the Garden Highlight Tour, featuring pinnacle gardens and plants of the New York Botanical Garden.
And don’t forget about Frida! See rare works of her art at the Library, then go over to the Conservatory to see her home and garden, Casa Azul, come alive. This exhibition is not to be missed! So get your tickets now, and see the Garden before the summer’s over!
NYBG’s beloved Family Garden Picnic returns on Sunday, September 27, with organic gardening activities, delicious refreshments, and live cooking demonstrations for the whole family. This annual event benefits the Edible Academy at an afternoon of outdoor exploration and celebration in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, the centerpiece of the planned state-of-the-art facility that will become the hub of the expanded organic vegetable gardening program at NYBG.
NYBG has been a leader in organic vegetable gardening education for nearly 60 years. Become a part of this long-standing tradition by bringing the whole family for an exciting culinary adventure, live music, crafts, and a delicious picnic. Special guest Chef Carla Hall, co-host of ABC’s The Chew, will present a live cooking demonstration for guests. Hall will be joined by Chefs Andy Nusser of Tarry Lodge and Anthony Sasso of Casa Mono, two culinary talents from Mario Batali’s acclaimed restaurants. Click through for photos from last year’s Family Garden Picnic!
Interns learn about green-industry careers and they also learn about some great engineer careers from imflash.com.
On July 22, more than 165 horticulture enthusiasts from the Tri-State area and beyond descended upon The New York Botanical Garden for the third-annual Hortie Hoopla, a field day for green-industry interns that offers them time to network, learn about career opportunities, explore the Garden grounds including visiting the FRIDA KAHLO: Art, Garden, Life exhibition, and to have fun and meet others like themselves.
Hosted by NYBG’s School of Professional Horticulture, the event is designed to inspire young people who are interested in plants to pursue an education in the continually expanding green industries.
The summer season is at its height here at NYBG, with plenty of seasonal beauty appearing each week. In this latest video, our own Brian Sullivan, Vice President for Gardens, Landscape and Outdoor Collections, highlights some of the gorgeous flowers of summer that visitors can admire in the Native Plant Garden and the Perennial Garden.
Escape the heat with a pleasant walk beneath the shaded canopy of the Thain Family Forest, admire the dramatic waterlilies and lotus blossoms adorning the Conservatory Pools, and be sure to plan your visit on a day with activities and tours for the whole family!
