Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on March 9 2013, by Matt Newman
The first of 2013’s Orchid Evenings kicks off tonight at 6:30! We’re practicing our “hold a colorful cocktail with elegance” poses.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on March 8 2013, by Matt Newman
A fashionably late nor’easter? In New York City, I suppose that’s not all that surprising. Calling today’s landscape a “winter wonderland” would fall on the steep side of an understatement, but–safe in the knowledge that Saturday will be sunny with a high of 50°–we’re treating today’s snowfall as a precursor to supreme seasonal beauty. Apropos for a winter send-off, don’t you think? And with dreamy cocktails and music promised for tomorrow night’s opening Orchid Evening event, I’m betting you won’t see a recipe for elegance quite like this anytime soon.
From 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Saturday night the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory becomes a glass ballroom of seductive scents and flouncy flowers, with just enough lounge sensibility to create the perfect atmosphere for relaxation (or the perfect date, depending on your intentions). The high-end mixed drinks won’t hurt the ambiance, either. This weekend’s spirit in the spotlight is St. Germain liqueur, an elderflower aperitif complimented with sparkling wine, sparkling water, and a lemon twist over ice. The drink at the door should set the tone for your intimate tour of The Orchid Show in all its florid finery, while a cash bar keeps things moving for any night owls looking to make the evening last. And if I haven’t mentioned it before, DJ Julio is on deck to punctuate the after-hours affair with electronic and world music grooves.
Tickets are dwindling for the March 9 evening openings, so be sure and register soon. Otherwise, we’re promising several more weekend opportunities in the future for you to take part in an Orchid Evening.
The Orchid Show is only getting better as it slides into its eleventh year; it will remain open throughout the weekend as we watch today’s snow melt away. But if you’d rather be out and about, enjoying winter as it is, our 250 acres are always welcoming of visitors. Head below for the full schedule, and we’ll see you there.
Posted in Bill Buck, From the Field, Science on March 8 2013, by William R. Buck
January 23, 2013, Prov. Antártica Chilena, Comuna Cabo de Hornos, Isla Navarino, Puerto Inútil, 54°59’S, 68°12’W
In a nice change from the norm, we manage to leave the field station on time this morning. But that doesn’t mean we leave the harbor straight away. We load our gear back onto the trusty Don José Miguel and essentially move back in and then we do a little last minute grocery shopping. As we enter the Beagle Channel I am surprised by the rough seas. I look to the skies, which don’t look particularly threatening, and decide to blame the turbulence on our running perpendicular to the waves, rather than parallel. But, even when we turn west, into the wind, the choppiness continues. That said, it cannot delay lunch.
Posted in From the Field on March 8 2013, by Scott Mori
Scott A. Mori has been studying New World rain forests for The New York Botanical Garden for over 35 years. He has witnessed an unrelenting reduction in the extent of the tropical forests he studies and as a result is dedicated to teaching others about this species rich ecosystem. His most recent book is Tropical Plant Collecting: From the Field to the Internet.
One of the most beautiful arboreal observations I have made during my long career occurred during an ascent into a large tree, one that happened to be adjacent to a legume tree scientifically named Hymenaea courbaril–more commonly known as the stinky toe tree. It was given this repugnant name because of the similarity of its fruits to a malodorous human toe. While botanical literature had already reported at the time that this species relied on bats for pollination, I wanted to confirm this observation by climbing a nearby tree from which I could see into the canopy as night fell, just as nocturnal animals started to make their appearances.
I was especially eager to make this climb because one of my research focuses has been the interactions between bats and the plants pollinated and dispersed by them. This was a rare opportunity to observe the crown of this 115-foot-tall tree in full flower, and as my job was to document the species that occur in the lowland forests of central French Guiana, as well as to discover the interactions that the local plants have with animals, I could not pass it up.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on March 8 2013, by Matt Newman
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in The Orchid Show on March 7 2013, by Matt Newman
Cocktail umbrellas are kitschy. That slice of citrus rimming your highball glass–quaint. But there can be so much more to an imaginative drink, and that goes far beyond what’s poured into it! Returning for another year of glitzy, romantic nights on the town, Orchid Evenings in 2013 are prepped and ready to turn the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a hub of tropical escapism, complete with color, music, and just enough tasty tipple to set the tone for a perfect date.
During five Saturday evening gatherings throughout March and April, the Conservatory opens its doors for a few rare, after-dark viewings of our magnificent Orchid Show, sans daytime crowds. DJ Julio will be on hand to provide the ambiance with traditional world and electronic music, while bespoke cocktail creations from the likes of St. Germain, Tirado, Jack From Brooklyn, El Buho, and LiV cap each evening with a worldly spirit mixed right. Under tens of thousands of blooms from around the globe, lit with the soft glow of the Conservatory at night, we dare you to find a more romantic spot to ring in spring in New York.
Posted in Around the Garden, Science on March 7 2013, by Robert Naczi
Dr. Robert F.C. Naczi, the Arthur J. Cronquist Curator of North American Botany, at the New York Botanical Garden, delivered the following keynote speech at the School of Professional Horticulture, Class of 2013’s graduation, March 1, 2013. This post features photographs of The Orchid Show which this year has a scientific focus and is designed by Francisca Coelho, the Garden’s Vivian & Edward Merrin Associate Vice President for Glasshouses & Exhibitions and School of Professional Horticulture graduate.
Congratulations to you, the 2013 graduates of the School of Professional Horticulture! You have much to celebrate because you have achieved so much. First, you rose to the challenge of the rigors of the program. For example, in a little over two years, you took over 40 courses, and passed them all. Yes, I know first-hand from you that some of these courses caused you considerable pain, but you made it! You deserve praise, too, for completing a whopping 30 plant walks and all the quizzes that followed them. As well, you completed internships that were, all at once, innovative, demanding, and fulfilling. All through these activities and many more, you excelled at multitasking, delaying gratification, and working really hard. On top of all this, you kept your cool. Sure, each one of you shed blood, sweat, and tears, but you persevered.
It is good you persevered. For this is an exciting time to be a professional horticulturist. One of the aspects of your education in the School of Professional Horticulture that sets you above many other horticulturists is your grounding in science. Your foundation in science opens doors for you to a whole range of scientific advances, and will continue to open these doors. Today, I would like to address the promise and power of a scientifically-grounded education in horticulture, such as you now possess.
Posted in Bill Buck, From the Field, Science on March 7 2013, by William R. Buck
January 22, 2013, Prov. Antártica Chilena, Comuna Cabo de Hornos, Isla Navarino, Puerto Williams, 54°56’S, 67°37’W
This is our last day on the north shore of Isla Navarino. The weather forecast bodes well for an ascent of Pico de la Bandera. As predicted, we get a slow start to the morning. Blanka and Laura are driven out to Puente La Cascada to see if they can find more interesting hepatics where they found the Lethocolea. Ernesto then heads to his 8:30 appointment with the naval commander to see about getting us permission to access the three islands east of Navarino; Pictón, Nueva, and Lennox islands. He then returns to pick up Blanka and Laura who have indeed found several additional interesting liverworts. Next, a stop to retrieve some laundry, then a stop to pick up lunches from a local store, and then finally we reach the trailhead for the ascent of Pico de la Bandera around 11:30 a.m.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on March 7 2013, by Matt Newman
Darwin’s star orchid is a rare treat for visitors to this year’s Orchid Show. Like the vanilla orchid, it’s seldom we get to flaunt this beauty in full bloom.
Angraecum sesquipedale — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on March 6 2013, by Matt Newman
“… The photographer has waited for exactly the right moment, on the right day and he has made a huge effort to be in the right place. The ‘Wildflower Landscapes’ category is all about plants in their natural environment, and this image is a fantastic example of the sheer tenacity and adaptability of plant life.”
— Philip Smith – International Garden Photographer of the Year Project Director
Have you been biting your nails much over the final results of the International Garden Photographer of the Year contest? I admit we’ve done a bit of that! Not least because our exclusive U.S. partnership with IGPOTY garners us our own unique photo category among the many being judged for the 2013 announcement. It’s pretty exciting stuff! And with long lists of entrants, an even greater number of photographs to judge, and a fierce level of competition between some of the world’s most capable nature photographers, the stakes are high enough to warrant the nerves. But no longer!