Morning Eye Candy: Business as Usual
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on December 2 2011, by Matt Newman
Neither this Camellia ‘Winter’s Cupid’ nor its busy tender seems bothered by the chill.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Inside The New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden
Owl Prowl
Posted in Around the Garden on December 1 2011, by Debbie Becker
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., beginning at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center.
Winter brings many different things to New York City, but for a birder, the one special gift winter delivers is the owl. With the leaves off the trees, these cryptic, wise, and almost magical birds become easier to locate and observe. The New York Botanical Garden hosted a number of species this past year, including the Barred, two Saw-whet, two Long-eared and two Great Horned Owls. As a matter of fact, there were more owls in the Garden than in Pelham Bay Park, which has always been considered the area’s owl hub.
Birders on the NYBG’s Saturday morning bird walks are now hopeful these mystical creatures will return and grace us with their alluring presence.
Hayden’s Planetarium: 20 Days of the Holiday Train Show
Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 1 2011, by Matt Newman
“This was a very exciting day for Hayden–he thought they made it for him!”
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From now until December 17, our visitors will be sharing their fondest memories from 20 years of the Holiday Train Show–some of them touching, some comical, and every one of them cherished. Come back to Plant Talk each day for a new story, which you can see after the jump along with a feature on one of the many replica New York City landmarks on display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory–the Guggenheim Museum, Yankee Stadium, the Empire State Building and more.
As a bonus, read on to find out how you can win a Family Four-Pack of Holiday Train Show tickets for yourself!
Morning Eye Candy: Autumnalis
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on December 1 2011, by Matt Newman
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
A Commitment to Island Conservation: An NYBG Partnership in the Pacific
Posted in From the Field, Science on November 30 2011, by Wayne Law
| Dr. Wayne Law is a postdoctoral research associate with The New York Botanical Garden, while Dr. Michael J. Balick serves as Vice President for Botanical Science, as well as Director and Philecology Curator with the Institute of Economic Botany. Together, their studies on the ecosystems of Micronesia have spanned over ten years. |
Approximately two thousand miles southwest of Hawaii are the thousands of small islands that make up the area known as Micronesia. Identified as one of the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots, the region boasts one of the highest rates of endemism, or plants found nowhere else in the world. The central group of these islands is known as the Caroline Islands, and the high islands (volcanic in origin) of Pohnpei and Kosrae are the easternmost of this group.
Over ten years ago, we started working in Pohnpei where we saw a similar pattern on these islands to what is happening throughout the world: modernization is leading to the loss of traditional knowledge as it is no longer being passed on to the younger generations.
Toy Soldier: 20 Days of the Holiday Train Show
Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 30 2011, by Matt Newman
“I kept seeing the soldier ride around and around the show, but was afraid that if I tried to get him off the train I might make it jump the tracks.”
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From now until December 17, our visitors will be sharing their fondest memories from 20 years of the Holiday Train Show–some of them touching, some comical, and every one of them cherished. Come back to Plant Talk each day for a new story, which you can see after the jump along with a feature on one of the many replica New York City landmarks on display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory–the Guggenheim Museum, Yankee Stadium, the Empire State Building and more.
As a bonus, read on to find out how you can win a Family Four-Pack of Holiday Train Show tickets for yourself!
Shopping and Champagne: Simplifying the Holidays
Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 30 2011, by Matt Newman
What else flutters the heart like opening that first bottle of champagne? The percussive pop of the cork brings everyone close, and it doesn’t matter how much you spill. Sometimes that’s the point–champagne is a cheer to the evening with or without occasion.
At The New York Botanical Garden, we’re toasting holiday nights with an event just glitzy enough to make for the perfect outing in the city, boasting bottles of your favorite bubbly beverage and a chance to check off the names on your gift list in one easy sweep. No hemming and hawing over what to buy for that colleague you hardly know, or catering to your neighbor’s gardening habit without a clue as to what she needs. It’s just you, a glass of champagne, and a walk through the Holiday Train Show’s miniature marvels; 140 landmark replicas, a quarter-mile of tracks, and memories made every moment. And after relaxing in the starry glow of the seasonal lights, stroll over to our Shop in the Garden to put our gift experts to work. Oh, and it’s not a hard place to find–just head for the sparkling display of holiday conifers.
Morning Eye Candy: Callicarpa japonica
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on November 30 2011, by Matt Newman
I’d say the Japanese beautyberry does a decent job of living up to its name, wouldn’t you?
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Season in Review
Posted in Around the Garden, Gardening Tips on November 29 2011, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
The season is winding down, meaning it’s a good time to reflect and take stock of what was grown in the garden this year. If I don’t keep my records and notes, the observations that seem cemented in my mind will have evaporated into a fuzzy haze of vague recollections in no time. As such, I will begin some initial record keeping here.
At our side entrance gate we planted a trio of coleus (Solenostemon) cultivars. We selected ‘Green Card,’ ‘Saturn,’ and ‘Brooklyn Horror’ for variety. The first two are large-leaved specimens, while the latter has very fine, feathery foliage. In terms of color, ‘Green Card’ is a bright citrine green while the other two are a luxurious combination of the same iridescent green and a rich burgundy.
Cross-Country Trek: 20 Days of the Holiday Train Show
Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 29 2011, by Matt Newman
“My husband and I live in Iowa, but we have visited NYC three times in the last ten years, always between Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
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From now until December 17, our visitors will be sharing their fondest memories from 20 years of the Holiday Train Show–some of them touching, some comical, and every one of them cherished. Come back to Plant Talk each day for a new story, which you can see after the jump along with a feature on one of the many replica New York City landmarks on display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory–the Guggenheim Museum, Yankee Stadium, the Empire State Building and more.
As a bonus, read on to find out how you can win a Family Four-Pack of Holiday Train Show tickets for yourself!