Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from April, 2015

Tree species of Washington Square Park

Have you used the mobile WSP Eco Map of the trees and historic Minetta Creek of Washington Square Park? There's nothing to download. Simply go to www.wspecoprojects.org to use the map. The map includes almost all of the trees growing in the park. To come: locations of the nesting boxes and trees with ID tags and memorial plaques. Here's a list of the trees you can expect to find in the park . P.S. The Eco Map was written about at WSP Blog ,  Curbed NY , and 6sqft .

Interview with Tristan Donovan, author of Feral Cities

Tristan Donovan graciously answered several questions about his new book Feral Cities ( read our review here ), the top 3 surprising things about wildlife in the city, and his next book project. You write about the genesis of the book on pages 4-6. It began with red foxes in the UK. Can you tell us how you chose the cities you include in the book? Did you travel to more cities than you included in the book? Each one began with me, Atlas open, scanning the pages and going, 'Indianapolis - I wonder what might live there' or 'Phoenix! That's bound to have something'. Then I'd try to find out what animals were living there and whether there was a researcher or animal control team who could show me what was happening there. All the cities I visited are in the book but there were plenty more I would have gone to if money was no object. Your first two book books are quite different topically from Feral Cities. In what ways was it different to research and writ

Pop-Up Smartphone Photo Hunt in the Village

Hipstamatic in Action by Intel Free Press via Wikimedia Commons ( source ) Open iCal or your old-fashioned planner and pen in May 2nd for a 2 Hour Pop-Up Smartphone Photo Hunt in the Village with SPY (NYC Spark Your Creativity) . Have you heard the saying: “The best camera is the one you have with you?” Use your smartphone camera to capture spring in the green open spaces of Greenwich Village. SPY  photographer Margherita Andreani will be your techie and artistic guide for the session. Marghy and WSP Eco Projects  meet participants at 11:00am sharp at 'NYU Starbucks’ 45 West 4th ( map it ) for introductions and photo hunt instructions before exploring the eco-friendly green spaces in the heart of the Village. We regroup at 12:15 at 'NYU Starbucks’ 45 West 4th for photo review and instructions on sharing your favorite pix of the day. Come have some fun on a springtime photo hunt and learn more about making art with your smartphone. Remember: Bring your fully charged s

Feral Cities by Tristan Donovan

Image: Feral Cities cover photo of a Chacma baboon group raiding an apartment building in South Africa Tristan Donovan’s new book about wild animals in cities is a departure from his previous books — about the history of video games and the invention of soda. Feral Cities: Adventures with Animals in the Urban Jungle has a broad geographic scope. Donovan recounts human-animal (and sometimes animal-animal) interactions in major cities in the U.S., Western Europe, India, and South Africa. The range of animals is equally, if not more, wide-ranging: rattlesnake, chicken, African land snail, starling, boar, raccoon, coyote, leopard, cougar, monk parakeets, yellow-bellied sapsucker, silver-eared bat, camel cricket, Norway rat, German cockroach, kit fox, and more. The chapters — 19 in total — are evocatively titled; for example, Singing a Different Song (songbirds literally sing differently in cities). Each chapter packs a lot of detail and you will find more in the References. This b

May Events - Photo Hunt & Nature Walk in Washington Square Park

May in Washington Square Park is lively - with people and wildlife both floral and faunal. WSP Eco Projects has organized two walks in the park and you are invited. The May 2 event in Washington Square Park has been cancelled. We apologize for the inconvenience. Smartphone (iPhoneography) Photo Hunt in Washington Square Park Saturday, May 2, 11 am - 1:30 pm Join art educator and photographer Roberta Fineberg on a photo-journaling tour of the park. Use your smartphone and master the Camera+ and Diptic apps to read and capture landscape features and tell your story of the park. Early Birds tickets are still available! Spring Nature Walk in Washington Square Park Friday, May 8, 11 am - 12:15 pm Dr. Leslie Day returns to observe all the wild things of the park -- trees, herbaceous perennials, birds, and mammals. For the geology buffs, we don't have the Hartland formations found in Pelham Bay Park or the Manhattan schist common to Central Park, but Washington Square Park has

May 8 - Spring Nature Walk in Washington Square Park

Image: Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City by Leslie Day ( source ) Spring is definitely here! Learn more about the nature in our favorite park on May 8 . Join naturalist Dr. Leslie Day in exploring the park for birds, mammals, trees, and flowers. It's possible to see invertebrates (earthworms, for example, depending on the weather). Might we find mushrooms or even geologic remnants? The Arch is made of Tuckahoe marble. Come on out to the park and see for yourself! Don't forget your notebook, camera, binoculars, or whatever tools you use on your nature walks. Until we see you on May 2, check out all of Dr. Day's field guides  including her NEWEST book,  Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City. Image: Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City by Leslie Day ( source )

Tools of the Trade - Melissa Brzuszek, Indoor Gardener

I have always been fascinated by tools of the trade - the equipment people regularly use in their work. Today's tool share is from indoor gardener Melissa Brzuszek of The Sill . Check out her seven tools including a pressurized hand sprayer (not pictured). Felco #2 Gardeners best friend when it comes to pruning. Trusty and strong an instant classic in the field.Great for branches and thinner trunks of small trees, shrubs, and succulents. ARS curved tipped scissors These light little guys are great for lighter pruning like leaves on softer bodied plants. Surgical steel makes them easy to wash and dry and not worry about rusting. Fiskars 1.5 liter watering can Lightweight, easy for smaller indoor plant watering. Non leaky spout is a plus when watering desk plants and succuelent bowls. Kikkerland folding stool I'm only 5"3 so having this little guy makes a big difference. I usually leave this at accounts that have out of reach plants on higher shelv