Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 19 2012, by Matt Newman
“Larry, Moe, and Curly.” It’s the first thing that came to mind when I stumbled across this picture. And a lot of you are probably thinking a guy would have to spend a long, loooong time around plants to see a slapstick comedy trio in a stand of conifers. You’d be right.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Learning Experiences, Programs and Events on January 18 2012, by Education at NYBG
The mid-winter break is coming up on the calendar for local school kids, leaving us just a bit excited here at The New York Botanical Garden. Not that we’re taking any vacations for ourselves, mind you. For the first time, we’re throwing open our gates as one of the world’s premier centers for botanical science, welcoming curious young minds as we turn the Garden into a 250-acre classroom, laboratory, and learning playground.
Winter Science Camp offers children a “behind the scenes” learning experience under the guidance of the NYBG’s world-renowned plant educators. Kids will investigate plants in the Herbarium unseen by the public, enjoy early-morning exploration in the Forest, and experience a curriculum you just won’t find in the local elementary school schedule. Where else can they try their hand at planting vegetables, or pressing their own botanical specimens?
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 18 2012, by Matt Newman
I thought I would give the Holiday Train Show one last seasonal send-off with a touch of holly red.
Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Red’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 17 2012, by Matt Newman
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 16 2012, by Matt Newman
Chinese witch-hazel keeps its noisemakers and streamers well past the New Year’s Eve party.
Chinese witch-hazel (Hamamelis mollis) — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, From the Library on January 15 2012, by Matt Newman
Our historical archives are something of a treasure chest for history buffs, stuffed with 100-year-old photographs of a Garden in transition. I sometimes find myself digging through them just for contrast and comparison (and the fashion sense of our forebears; I really want to bring back flat-brimmed straw hats). My latest dig yielded some interesting results, not to mention a new series we hope to keep up with in the future.
More specifically, it produced a Library Building (better known then as the Museum Building) and its surroundings at the turn of the century:
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 15 2012, by Matt Newman
Might that be our good friend Junior, 2010’s hatchling of the year? Perhaps local hawk aficionado Pat Gonzalez will chime in with a clarification.
Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 14 2012, by Matt Newman
Do the kids visiting the NYBG love Thomas the Tank Engine™? That’s a little like asking if the moon guides the tides. Just imagine what it would be like if these parents didn’t have the blue locomotive to keep the little ones quiet for a few spare moments. Better yet, don’t–it’s traumatic to consider.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in What's Beautiful Now on January 13 2012, by Matt Newman
Gloves, hat, scarf–I brought none of these things when I went wandering the Garden during lunch yesterday. The climate was just so perfectly suited to a stroll. And the greatest benefit of working at the NYBG is that–no matter the climate–there’s something out on the grounds worth visiting. It’s true there’s no luck of a permanent spring with buds and blooms sprouting up from corner to corner, but winter has its own subtle and touching charm.
This season’s odd patterns of sun and darkness make for confusing daytime walkabouts; I hadn’t expected to step out of the office at 3 p.m. only to find dusk creeping along at the edges of the afternoon. Adjusting to this kind of Norse winter is a slow process. (Being a southerner, anything north of Georgia is practically Norway to me.) But I decided that I was already out and about, and despite the settling dark I was going to soak up as much enjoyment as I could from the remains of the day.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 13 2012, by Matt Newman
The Japanese apricot flowers out in our Home Gardening Center are seasonally deceptive with those warm colors, aren’t they? But don’t fret–not all is misleading. Our Caribbean Garden opens later this month!
Prunus mume ‘Matsurabara Red’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen