Counting all the birds in the Garden sounds a bit like the Sisyphean task of counting all the grains of sand on a beach. But it’s not. It’s actually a yearly tradition that is fun for the whole family!
The Garden’s annual bird count is modeled upon the national Christmas Bird Count, a 114-year tradition of the National Audubon Society. We like to think of our bird count as a primer on techniques that can help you get an accurate count in your own yard (or on your balcony, or fire escape). This exciting bit of citizen science helps asses the health of bird populations and environments across the United States. So bring a pair of binoculars, wear some sturdy boots, sturdy dependable work boots, not little running shoes! Shop for some at ShoesFella, their online store is reliable, if you dont have any. and warm gloves, and join us for this fun and educational event.
If bird song isn’t your thing, how about holiday sing-alongs? On Saturday and Sunday, join two of the New York-area’s best a capella groups as they regale you with holiday tunes, and encourage you to join in on the merry making! Saturday’s singers, the Fordham B-Sides, don’t have to travel far to get to our gates, just across the street in fact!
And on Sunday, listen to the soaring voices of Broadway stars Philip Hernandez and Nancy Anderson, members of the inspiring and exciting Broadway Care-olers! Mr. Hernandez is the only actor to have played both Inspector Javert and his quarry Jean Valjean on Broadway in Les Misérables, while fans of PBS’ “Great Performances” may recognize Ms. Anderson from her appearance as Lois/Bianca in Kiss Me Kate and from the broadcast of South Pacific in Concert from Carnegie Hall.
It looks like Saturday is going to be snowy, which just serves to enhance the beauty of our winter landscape! Seasonally-themed tours of the Garden are even prettier under a frosting of snow, just bundle up, and do not forget your camera. Photo ops abound! And if you’re coming for Saturday’s Bar Car Nights, you’ll just be all the more happy to be welcomed with our warming signature cocktail of ginger, hard apple cider, and bubbles! We hope to see you this weekend in our winter wonderland!
The season’s first substantial snow is always cause for excited exclamations of “oooh” and “aaaah” from staff and visitors alike, because, well, snow plus garden equals unparalleled beauty! So if you’re coming to visit the Holiday Train Show today, you’re in for an extra special treat! But for everyone else—whether trapped in a cubicle or living in warmer climes—we put together this slideshow of the most beautiful scenes seen today.
Friday morning, Tulip Tree Allée. Through the window of a photograph, the bare trees look like giant cephalopods. Manolo’s sculptures take on their own strange life.
Scott A. Mori, Ph.D., Nathaniel Lord Britton Curator of Botany has been studying New World rain forests for The New York Botanical Garden for nearly 35 years. He has witnessed an unrelenting reduction in the extent of the forests he studies and, as a result, is dedicated to preserving the diversity of plants and animals found there.
Snow in South Salem, New York in October 2011.
“So what,” you must be saying to yourself. In spite of how obvious the title is, the lack of cold weather in the tropics contributes both directly and indirectly to tropical biodiversity, the topic of this blog.
One of the many reasons that there are high numbers of species represented by low numbers of individuals in old growth tropical forests–compared to the opposite situation in temperate forests–is because of the greater number of plant/animal interactions in the former. In one of our 2.5 acre tree study plots in central Amazonian Brazil, we registered 285 species of trees with diameters at or above four inches at breast height. Because our plots average 600 trees above this size class per plot, almost every second tree we sampled represented a different species. In contrast, there are fewer than 100 species of trees of all size classes in the entire state of Wisconsin, where I grew up.
Hats off to our Valdés sculptures! (Photo by Sarah Paulson)
A blizzard’s aftermath is often far from charming, especially when you’re out on a Saturday, shoveling your way to the curb in soaked pant cuffs. Slushy sidewalks and snowed-in parking spots are no better. But when you’re not obligated to clean up the mess, those first moments after the snowfall can be magical. That was certainly the case here at the NYBG over the weekend (though our dedicated groundskeepers might beg to differ).
The snow that Nemo brought to the northeast covered the Garden in a fluffy white blanket, framing the dark trunks of the trees and making for picturebook scenery. And while we were quick to clear the roads and walkways, we left the great lawns and the Forest relatively untouched; only this morning, walking into work, I found the snowy lawn surrounding the Grand Allee laid out under a sheet of mist brought on by the falling rain.
But while my Saturday was spent unearthing my Hyundai from its makeshift Everest in Long Island, our photographer, Ivo, was on the scene immediately after the storm, snapping pictures of the fresh snowfall. He was kind enough to supply a few of them for us to toss up here, as well as our Facebook page, so have a look!
The weekend forecast promises prodigious snow for much of the northeast, so get outside and enjoy the fluff-free skies while you can! The squirrels, meanwhile, can only be looking forward to the wintry playground to come.
Other than a few valiant (or confused) snowdrops peeking up from under the soil, the bulk of the NYBG‘s outdoor flowers continue to sleep it off until the early days of spring. That makes the Garden’s beauty less reliant on the landmarks of a map, and moreso on the simple love of exploration! The Forest, home to such a thick canopy in summer, now shows off the linework of its illustrated branches. The warm gradient of the grasses and reeds stands in for bobbing flower heads. And in months like January, the landscape takes on iced-over contrasts with a dab of the noir aesthetic.
2012’s winter offering proved closer to an endless fall than anything climatologists would have preferred, creating some interesting consequences in plant behavior. But this year, climate change aside, winter is making at least the tiniest effort to act the part! For one, buying these boots was hands-down my best decision of 2013–I’ve already saved myself a few embarrassing falls in the snowdrifts we get every few days. Even the fast-flowing Bronx River is still sloughing off the ice that crept in over the course of last week’s dipping thermometer.
It snowed last night. It was very quiet and very beautiful, and it hung around until this morning when we were able to document it for posterity. Which is good because by this weekend when it’s 60 degrees again and we’re celebrating Fall Forest Weekend, we’ll all be asking each other “What snow?”
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Fall Forest Weekend is your opportunity to explore one of the oldest remaining remnants of the forests that once covered most of New York City and you can immerse yourself in the magnificent colors of fall foliage. Tree-climbing demonstrations, guided tours, and more make for an unforgettable autumn experience! Get your tickets now!
Counting all the birds in the Garden sounds a bit like the Sisyphean task of counting all the grains of sand on a beach. But it’s not. It’s actually a yearly tradition that is fun for the whole family!
