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Showing posts from May, 2015

Update: Eco Map of Washington Square Park at the World Science Festival 2015

World Science Festival 2015 culminates in Washington Square Park on Sunday, May 31. Washington Square Park (WSP) Eco Projects is collaborating with SciStarter to log the nature observations people make in the park on May 31. SciStarter has formally partnered with Discover Magazine and the Science Cheerleaders to help park visitors observe and share wildlife sightings with researchers. SciStarter was founded by Darlene Cavalier and is a platform to "find, join, and contribute to science through recreational activities and citizen science research projects." To jumpstart your citizen science foray into the park, download the WSP Nature Finds map . We've marked the locations of six iconic, unusual, and common trees, popular places to see pigeons and squirrels, and a spot to look up to see the red-tailed hawk nest. One location that's not on the map is the spot where we observed the Cecropia moth . Look at the base of the fence posts near the crabapple tree growing a

Urban Jungle Bloggers: Show Your Plant Gang

Finally, I am participating in Urban Jungle Bloggers , a monthly blog series that showcases indoor urban jungles founded by Igor Josif of Happy Interior Blog and Judith de Graaff of Joelix . This month's UJB theme celebrates the plant diversity of our urban jungles. Igor and Judith asked contributors to share "their personal 'plant gang'." My plant gang doesn't hang out all in one spot. Four -- Chinese evergreen plant, jade, snake plant, and donkey tail -- are centered on the living room's windowsill. The larger of two Chinese evergreen plants sits happily across from the living room window, while the peace lily and pineapple top hang off to the side on top of a bookshelf. The larger of the Chinese evergreens seems to be thriving. Don't you love the plant stand?! It was a present at my garden-themed bridal party. The snake plant got off to a rough start but it is sending up lots of new leaves. The peace lily sent out a nice flower a couple of mo

Designed to Decay - High Line Infrastructure and Art

Last month we walked the third (and newest) section of the High Line. We each had our favorites. One of us really liked the playground (Pershing Square Beams) and could have crawled, clambered, and popped up into the single "gopher hole" for longer than we had time to spend at the park. Two other fun elements of the new section are the revealed rail tracks that you can walk on (Rail Track Walk) and the remnant rail equipment -- the rail "frog" and switches which you can play manipulate. I enjoyed the rise and fall of the 11th Avenue Bridge and the Interim Walkway. I never saw the High Line before it was developed into a park so I missed the seeing the complex of spontaneous vegetation that once covered the tracks. These hardy herbaceous perennials have been preserved -- for now at least I assume given that the walkway itself is billed as an interim space -- alongside the walkway. The vegetated trackbeds are the site of Adrian Villar Rojas' The

SPY Eco Photo Hunt

As you may have guessed, I am very involved with  Washington Square Park (WSP) Eco Projects , an initiative that celebrates the diversity of nature found in the park via a map and events. On May 2, we co-hosted with New York Spark Your Creativity (SPY) a smartphone photo hunt of local greenspaces. The map and plant knowledge were offered by WSP Eco Projects and SPY provided the technical expertise and the "what to look for" guide. If you'd like a copy of the guide, please email SPY at amusepro(at)me(dot)com. Image: The fountain in Washington Square Park; photo taken prior to the start of the photo hunt. The meetup spot was the Starbucks on West 4th and over snacks we reviewed and practiced with the features of Camera+. We also discussed a route for the day. We spent most of our time exploring areas south of the park. From the "what to look for" guide I selected leaf and flower close ups, showing shapes, and nature and architecture contrasts. I also kep

Nature Scavenger Hunts

The children (and their parents) who participated in the WSP Eco Projects nature scavenger hunt last fall had a good time. I've been asked many times when there will be another nature scavenger hunt in the park. Unfortunately there isn't one planned for the spring but you could certainly use the guide we developed for the inaugural nature hunt though it's biased towards the fall season. You could do a pop-up nature scavenger hunt as we often do and did yesterday. It's more of a finding quest as we look about the park for interesting items without consulting a list. Today we found an elm samara, a catalpa pod, a white oak leaf, and a Y-shaped stick. Image: Scavenger Hunt - Washington Square Park by Carina Zimmerman courtesy of Carina Zimmerman If you prefer a formal guide, and want to scavenger hunt in Washington Square Park, check out Carina Zimmerman's Scavenger Hunt in Washington Square Park . The park is Carina's favorite in NYC. If

Wild About: Cecropia Moths

Wild About is a celebration of the flora and fauna commonly found in our cities. Instead of fact sheets, this space will showcase books, art, music, societies, and whimsical objects about urban-adaptable plants and animals. If you would like to see your favorite urban-oriented plant or animal featured, please email us at info(at)localecology(dot)org. I was not expecting to see a cecropia moth on the Spring Nature Walk in Washington Square Park last week Friday. In fact, I did not know about the existence of the cecropia moth. The cecropia moth, Hyalophora cecropia , is, according to Wikipedia , "North America's largest native moth." And I saw one in Washington Square Park. On a sunny Friday morning. Adult cecropia moths are nocturnal. This individual seemed adult sized, but it also seemed undisturbed by the din caused but its presence. It was at rest at the base of a fence post across from the big playground in the park. The section of fence was near to a crabapple

The SoHo Historical Society -- You Can Make It Happen!

What comes to mind when you think of SoHo? Upscale shopping and luxury real estate? You will certainly find these but historically there was farmland, then industry, then artist work-live spaces and a "tight-knit community where people actually knew and liked their neighbors," and much more. You can play an instrumental role in bringing this neighborhood's history into the public realm.  Make a donation to the mobile SoHo Historical Society project on Kickstarter . The project is the brainchild of lifelong SoHo resident, Yukie Ohta. Yukie is also a writer, archivist, and founder of The Soho Memory Project blog . I am designing and building a portable historical society that can navigate the bustling urban environment of today’s SoHo while showing a glimpse of its past. Using unconventional media such as Viewmaster viewers and a smell station, I will chronicle the evolution of SoHo from rural farmland to high-end retail hub, charting its cyc

Hortus Gifts for Mother's Day 2015

  Celebrate the mothers in your life with gifts from these three  four women-owned businesses! Gamine Co . makes workwear for women. All products are made in the US and designed to be functional, durable, and feminine. Taylor Johnston, horticulturist and greenhouse supervisor at the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston, is the head designer and company founder. Get your dungarees and other Gamine workwear here . (I hear that a curvy version of the dungarees in the works.) I follow The Sill on Instagram and Pinterest. I haven't been to their Lower East Side shop but it's on my Field Trip list. I especially like the Olmsted (in Pink) and the Calvert (in Sonora) succulents which are pictured above. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed many great city parks throughout the US. The Sill was founded by Eliza Blank and the plants sold by the company are grown in the US. The tools used by a Sill indoor gardener  were a Tools of the Trade feature. I have