Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Fall Forest Weekends
Posted in Wildlife on November 9 2016, by Patricia Gonzalez
Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.
This past weekend, for the fourth consecutive year, The New York Botanical Garden had a live birds of prey demonstration as part of its ongoing Fall Forest Weekends programming. Returning for their second year was the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, a non-profit organization based in Long Island. In addition to 305 stunning acres of protected land, they also serve as a permanent home to wildlife that can no longer be released.
For this year’s presentation, they brought along a great-horned owl, two screech owls, a snowy owl, and a red-tailed hawk. Garden visitors were given a wonderful photo opportunity as the presenters walked through the aisles while explaining the stories of each bird of prey. During their talk they briefly touched on the fact that many resident and migrant raptors call NYBG their home. And just like last year, Hooter the great-horned owl stole the show!
Posted in Programs and Events on November 13 2015, by Matt Newman
This Saturday and Sunday mark the last of our Fall Forest Weekends, because while it’s still technically fall, we’ve got the Holiday Train Show on the horizon—and all the twinkling winter settings that come with it.
In the meantime, we’re still enjoying the fireworks of autumn, especially in the Forest. Stop in this weekend to join us for terrarium building demos, woodcarving with Ivan Braun, canoe trips on the Bronx River (the only freshwater river in New York City!) and all of the incredible color you’ve come to expect from this urban oasis.
Next weekend’s long-awaited Holiday Train Show grand opening will bring along all sorts of activities, whether you’re looking to explore with the whole family during the day or spend an evening at the Garden during Bar Car Nights. Tickets to the exhibition and the special events that come with it are available now, so don’t miss out on your preferred date!
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Posted in Wildlife on November 11 2015, by Patricia Gonzalez
Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.
Not only does The New York Botanical Garden serve as a home for lots of wildlife, but this past Sunday, I got to get up close and personal with live birds of prey (as part of the Garden’s Fall Forest Weekend Programming) from the Volunteers for Wildlife Hospital and Education Center. They are non-profit wildlife hospital and education center based in Locust Valley. I got to meet a Screech Owl, Kestrel, Great-horned Owl, and Red-tailed Hawk.
See a slideshow of photos and a brief video from the event below, and don’t miss our second Fall Forest Weekend—complete with live birds of prey in attendance—this Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15!
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Posted in Programs and Events on November 6 2015, by Matt Newman
We’re at 90% and counting! Our road to peak fall color has been a bit of a strange one, as this autumn heat wave has made for a slow changing of the leaves. But in a sense, it’s worked out for the best—we’re essentially seeing the best color of the year just as we head into Saturday, the kick-off of our first Fall Forest Weekend.
Join us all weekend (and next!) for fall activities among the trees, like live bird of prey demonstrations from expert raptor handlers, the woodcrafting artistry of Ivan Braun, and tree-climbing demos from our arborists. Or just enjoy the incredible sight of the forest, wandering its trails under a canopy of reds, oranges, and yellows.
This is one of the most incredible times of year to see the Garden in all its autumn finery, but the warm colors of the trees won’t last forever. Head below for the full schedule of events.
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Posted in Shop/Book Reviews, Video on January 16 2015, by Lansing Moore
In NYBG’s latest Artist’s Spotlight video, join the talented woodcarver Ivan Braun as he guides you through his artistic process. You may recognize Ivan from his live woodcarving demonstrations at the Garden as part of Fall Forest Weekends, but what you may not know is that his beautiful bowls and vases are made from the fallen trees on NYBG’s own grounds.
The winter storm season sees a lot of felled trees and branches, but rather than send these pieces of NYBG’s world-renowned tree collection straight to the chipper, Ivan gives new life to these beautiful and unique woods that span the globe, carving them into elegant and unique bowls that are available for purchase right here at Shop in the Garden! Peruse a selection of Ivan’s latest handiwork and bring home a souvenir of your Garden visit that is truly one-of-a-kind. Watch the video below to see the craftsman in action.
Posted in Programs and Events on November 7 2014, by Lansing Moore
This weekend is the culmination of NYBG’s Fall Forest Weekends! Winter will be here before you know it, so don’t miss your chance to come and admire our stunning fall foliage while enjoying a wide variety of seasonal programs and activities. Take a canoe through New York City’s largest remaining tract of old-growth forest via the Bronx River, see live hawks and owls, and watch a master woodcarver at work—whose handiwork will be for sale in the Shop in the Garden!
Next weekend will be the debut of all of NYBG’s winter programs and exhibits, including the 23rd year of the Holiday Train Show, so be sure to reserve your tickets soon before your preferred date sells out! In the meantime, click through for all the ways you can take advantage of peak color at NYBG!
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Posted in Programs and Events on October 31 2014, by Lansing Moore
NYBG’s trees are at 90% of peak color, jumping from 60% on Wednesday! Our Foliage Tracker has been going haywire this week as leaf season arrives in full force, just in time for the first of our Fall Forest Weekends. Autumn at the NYBG is at its most dazzling right now, and we have a full lineup of exciting activities to complete your experience of the colorful and serene woods. See live birds of prey, watch a master woodcarver at work, and even paddle a canoe down the Bronx River as you admire the Thain Family Forest from the best possible vantage point. Click through for the full schedule.
Don’t forget, The Holiday Train Show® opens for another year in just two weeks—November 15th! Tickets are available now for preferred dates going into the peak season, as well as for Bar Car Nights, so be sure to book as soon as you can for these popular events.
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Posted in Programs and Events on October 27 2014, by Lansing Moore
Those who have been following our Fall Foliage Tracker know that peak color is just around the corner here at the Garden. While the rest of New York State’s leaf season has come and gone for the most part, the fun is just getting started here in the Native Plant Garden and the Thain Family Forest with the return of our popular Fall Forest Weekends this week and next.
Enjoy New York City’s largest remaining tract of old-growth forest at its most colorful alongside a variety of entertaining and educational activities to heighten your experience of this vital ecosystem. There will be plenty of color to appreciate during Forest tours and various live demonstrations. See live birds of prey, professional arborists demonstrating how they climb to the top of the tree canopy, and woodworking demonstrated by a skilled craftsman. You can even paddle a canoe down the Bronx River to take in rich scenery from the best vantage point there is!
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Posted in Wildlife on November 14 2013, by Matt Newman
Our Fall Forest Weekends may have passed for another year, but we can still show some appreciation for the Forest denizens that make homes and hunting grounds among our many trees. This past Saturday and Sunday, Visitor Services Attendant Pat Gonzalez was again on hand during our Live Birds of Prey demonstration to soak up some knowledge and snap a few pictures. The results went straight into this slideshow of owls, hawks, falcons, and other raptors found in our neck of the woods.
The birds were brought in for a visit by the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center, where many of them live as rehabilitated rescues that are no longer capable of surviving in the wild. But that hasn’t cramped their regal style any, as you’ll see below.
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 4 2013, by Matt Newman
Big, small, fierce, or cute, the birds of prey that live out their lives in the northeast are an uncommon cadre of sharp-eyed hunters, though seldom seen by your average park wanderer. Here in the New York Botanical Garden, our most popular visitors are definitely the Red-tailed Hawks that patrol the skies around our grounds, as well as the occasional Great-horned Owl, but the many local species that you might not always see are equally fascinating! And I admit they’re also pretty adorable if you’re not a squirrel or a chipmunk.
As part of our Fall Forest Weekends events and activities, which kicked off this past weekend and run through the next, our friends from the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center stopped off at the Garden with a few clever companions in tow, among them an American Kestrel, an Eastern Screech Owl, and a Barred Owl—some of which you can see hunting around our grounds if you’re lucky. Many of the birds in the Audubon Center’s care are rescues, brought in to be rehabilitated after sustaining injuries that won’t allow them to survive back in the wild. But they do plenty of good in their downtime, educating people about the importance of raptors for a healthy, diverse ecosystem.
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