That said, just like any new family, the owls need a little peace and quiet. I received this email today from Jessica Arcate-Schuler, Manager of the Forest where the owls are nesting:
Please advise all visitors to stay on Azalea Way while viewing the Great Horned Owls nesting at the edge of the Forest. First and foremost, this is to prevent any disturbance to the owls and owlets. Secondly, to help steward the Forest by not trampling newly planted restoration plants, salamanders, and causing soil compaction. Notify visitors that the nest and male owl, when he is on his normal perch, are both visible from Azalea Way and can be seen with binoculars.
With the excitement of the owlets hatching, more and more people seem to be traveling to view our owls (I met a birder from Boston, this week!). For the health and well-being of the owls and the Forest, we appreciate your help.
So, please come to the Garden to see the owls! Please bring binoculars, wear sturdy shoes, and bring your camera. But, please give a hoot, and do not disturb the owls. We’re working on something a little special that should hopefully let people who aren’t able to come visit get in on the owl excitement, so watch this space. Happy weekend everyone!
The forecast calls for it to touch 70°F today (but sadly to drop back down to around 50°F for the weekend). This beautiful stretch of weather has brought out some of spring’s most beautiful flowers. From crocuses, to flowering apricots, and even the very first daffodils, flowers are springing into bloom all over the Garden. So if you can get away, come for a visit today! We’re just 20 minutes north of Grand Central direct to our own Botanical Garden Station on Metro North‘s Harlem Line!
Ed. Note: Much as when the Garden photographer tells you something is special, when one of the Garden’s serious plant guys shoots you an email, you sit up and listen. This happened recently when I got an email from Jon Peter, Plants Records Manager about a little purple flower.
The Botanical Garden’s living collections is among the greatest in the world and contains more than 1 million plants. Jon Peter, Plant Records Manager, periodically shines the spotlight on a particular species that can be found within our 250 acres.
This pretty flower is of Centratherum punctatum. The name Centratherum comes from the Greek kentron meaning spur and anthos meaning flower; referring to the flower having a spur-like base. The specific epithet punctatum means spotted. It goes by many common names including larkdaisy, Brazilian button flower, pineapple thistle, porcupine flower, Brazilian bachelor’s button and Manaos beauty.
The 50-acre, old growth Native Forest is the heart of the Garden. It is one of the reasons Nathaniel Lord Britton settled on this 250-acre plot in the Bronx as the place to build his dream Botanical Garden, it is home to at least one tree that was alive at the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it is home to some of the Garden’s most fascinating residents, it is a place where scientists can study everything from global warming to genetics, and it is a very fine place to go for a stroll. The Forest is a vital part of not just the New York Botanical Garden, but also of New York City, and the world.
For these reasons, and for so many more, we are delighted that the United Nations has declared 2011 “The International Year of Forests.” The UN says that the year is a “celebration of the vital role that forests play in people’s lives … amid growing recognition of the role that forests managed in a sustainable manner play in everything from mitigating climate change to providing wood, medicines and livelihoods for people around the world.”
We’ll be joining in on recognizing the International Year of Forests with a series of events throughout 2011 (but we’re not ready to announce them just yet). In the meantime, here are some other forest facts from the United Nations:
The Holiday Train Show is over, and we’re already setting-up, planning for, and dreaming about future exhibitions here at The New York Botanical Garden. Up next is a quick mini-vacation to the tropics via the Caribbean Garden. And then, it’s curtains up for The Orchid Show: On Broadway.
Oh, and one other thing: 2011 also marks the Garden’s 120th birthday!
It’s going to be a big year up here in the Bronx. We’ve got a lot of exciting things planned for the coming 12 months, but while we have a moment to sit and think and be contemplative, we thought we’d share this video we made with you. We asked a few people that work in, around, and with the Garden to answer the question, “What does the Garden mean to you? What does it mean to the world?” We hope you enjoy their answers.
I just got back from a walk around the grounds, and just had to show you how beautiful it is here! The sidewalks are mostly clear, and the Train Show is inside. So grab your camera and come visit! It’s gorgeous!
In what has become an annual holiday tradition, a group of intrepid bird watchers gathered at The New York Botanical Garden early on the day after Christmas (and just ahead of the Boxing Day Blizzard) to survey the Garden’s avian residents. Led by Steve Nanz, the group fanned out over the Garden’s 250-acres to count our feathered friends. In the end, the annual census was called early on account of the snow.
Despite that, the group still managed to spot 36 species, and a few rare birds, the highlight being a beautiful little Saw-whet Owl (pictured at right).
While I cannot tell you whether or not a tree makes a sound when it falls in the forest and no one is around, I can tell you that when a tree falls in the Forest at The New York Botanical Garden, we tend to find a good use for it. Case in point the beauty below, which was felled by one of this past summer’s violent storms.
While fallen trees are an important part of a forest’s ecosystem, they can also be an important part of the enjoyment of the place. Especially when they’re made into a beautiful bench by Bien Hecho for Garden visitors to rest upon.
Making a gingerbread house rocks. Let’s face it–the icing, the creativity, the candy, the sense of accomplishment, and then maybe eating it–all of these things are great. I was a pretty crafty kid, and my mom is undoubtedly very creative (she’s a stained glass artist). But no matter how creative we were (my mom would even help me melt crystal fruits hard candies to mimic her beautiful leaded windows) our houses never looked like the ones currently on display as part of the Gingerbread Adventures in the Discovery Center here at The New York Botanical Garden!
Gingerbread Adventures is a seriously good time and a fun adventure to tack onto any trip to the Garden to see the Holiday Train Show. Kids can explore the plant ingredients that help give gingerbread its distinctive flavor, create a field notebook of their favorite discoveries, paint a pot and plant wheat seeds, and then decorate (and eat!) their own gingersnaps.
The 50-acre, old growth 
