Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on May 17 2012, by Ann Rafalko
It’s not just inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory where the preparations for Monet’s Garden are taking place. Behind the landmark building, in the Courtyard Pools, the Garden’s horticulture staff are preparing the stars of the show; water lilies, including some varieties that Monet grew at Giverny.
Posted in Photography on May 12 2012, by Ann Rafalko
With apologies to T.S. Eliot:
The naming of plants is a curious matter;
It isn’t just one of those science-y things.
You may find me as mad as a rosy pink madder
When I tell you a plant must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First is the name of the plant’s closest family
Such as Viburnum or Lilium, Paeonia or Oxalis–
All of them sensible, Latinate names.
There are names that are fancier, if you think they sound geekier,
Some are for flowers, others for trees:
Such as or Eschscholzia or Hesperantha, Metasequoia or Crassulaceae–
But all of them sensible, Latinate names.
But I tell you a plant needs a name that’s unique,
A name that’s precise, and more descriptive,
Else how can a scientist keep her croci in a row,
Or catalog her samples, or publish her findings?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a few
Such as odoratum, elegans, or subedentata,
Such as lactiflora, stellata, or else cotyledon–
Names that along with the first never belong to more than one plant.
But above and beyond there’s still one name to go,
And that is a name that you may know best;
It is a name that only a human can bestow–
The reason behind it ONLY THE HUMAN CAN KNOW, and will never confess.
When you notice a plant in profound meditation,
The reason I tell you is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought of why did this human give me this
Ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.
Posted in Photography on March 14 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Drum roll please, because after six weeks of gorgeous photographs taken during the Caribbean Garden Photography Contest, we finally have our two Grand Prize winners. So without further ado I give you:
The Sense of Place Grand Prize Winner: Mika Sato’s serene shot of the Aquatic Plants Gallery
The Macro Grand Prize Winner: Barbara Reiner’s technicolor shot of a Passionflower
Posted in Photography on March 7 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Boy, you guys were really saving up your most tropical shots for the last week, weren’t you? There was so much color and drama in this week’s entries, it was really difficult to pick. But pick we did. So without further ado; the last weekly winners in the Caribbean Garden Photography Contest!
Sense of Place Winner, Week Six
Posted in Photography on March 1 2012, by Ann Rafalko
It’s the second-to-last week of the Caribbean Garden Photography Contest, and the images keep rolling in in all their beautiful, creative glory! There’s still time to submit your photos, though it’s now too late to take new pictures. Full details are here. Without further ado, here are this week’s winners!
Macro Winner, Week Five
Posted in Photography on February 28 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Posted in Photography on February 22 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Sunny mid-week greetings to you friends! The weather is just glorious here at the Garden, which might make it hard for anyone visiting to justify spending time inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory today. But, I’m here to announce this week’s winners in the Caribbean Garden Photography Contest, which should provide some motivation to wander the lush galleries of the Conservatory, snapping shots in an effort towards winning one of our two $100 Adult Education gift certificates! This week’s batch of photos came with numerous rounds of rapid fire tie breaking. Congratulations to the winners!
Note: Due to a violation of the date restriction in place for this contest, the original winner of the Sense of Place category has been disqualified. New winners are below.
Sense of Place Winner, Week Four
Posted in Photography on February 15 2012, by Ann Rafalko
The competition is really heating up! We had a record number of entrants last week, and expect even more this week. Do you have what it takes to win a $100 Adult Education gift certificate? Prove it! It’s easy to enter, and fun to boot.
Macro Winner, Week Three
Posted in Photography on February 7 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Rhythm, texture, and light captivated the photographers in the second week of our annual Caribbean Garden Photography Contest. There were considerably more entries this week, and the competition was fierce. And why shouldn’t it be? There’s $200 worth of NYBG Adult Education Gift Certificates up for grabs; $100 to each winner in our two categories–Macro and Sense of Place–good towards the class of your choosing at the Garden or at our Midtown Center.
So without further ado, our winners.
Sense of Place Winner, Week Two
Posted in Photography on February 1 2012, by Ann Rafalko
The first week of the Caribbean Garden Photography Contest was a well-fought match with many beautiful photographs entered. But that’s not all we’re here to tell you. We also would like to announce that the Grand Prize in each category–Sense of Place and Macro–will be receiving $100 Adult Education Gift Certificates good towards the class of your choosing at the Garden or at our Midtown Center. The certificate can be used for any class–not just photography! Now that’s a prize worth competing for.
Do you think you have what it takes? Check out this week’s winners! If you think you can do better, become a Friend of the Garden, get a code good for 50% off your Caribbean Garden tickets, and head to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory to start shooting!
Macro Winner, Week One