Wildflower Week in New York City

Wildflower Week in New York City? : TreeHugger

• by Bonnie Hulkower on 05. 7.08

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• At Union Square this past Sunday, a quizzical look appeared on many New Yorkers’ faces when they encountered volunteers publicizing the 1st New York City Wildflower Week. Wildflower Week started on May 3rd and continues until May 10th, with evening lectures, plant walks, and activities for kids. Though celebrating wildflowers in the urban jungle may seem incongruous, New York City is actually home to more than 40% of the state’s rare and endangered plants, and New York City has more open space than any other large city.

• New York City Wildflower Week is a part of the national Wildflower Week, which was started at the national level by LadyBird Johnson. The New York City version was an idea cooked up by botanist Marielle Anzelone. The week is hosted by the eminent Torrey Botanical Society, the oldest botanical society in America, and promotes an exploration and study of plan life with a focus on the New York metro area.

• Jennie Nevin, one of the founding members of the NYC Wildflower Week team, and also co-founder of Green Spaces, spoke to me about the need for an appreciation of New York’s native plants. Jennie talked enthusiastically about New York’s wealth of native plants

• So on Sunday, to celebrate Spring and NYC Wildflower Week, Marielle and her crew of rosy-cheeked volunteers gave out free wildflower plants, including golden asters and zebrasneezes, at Union Square, and gave tours of the native plant garden on the Western side of the Park. Many people visiting remarked that they had often walked by the garden and admired it, but had been unaware that the plants there were native.

  Wildflower week continues through the weekend. Highlights include: a plant walk in Battery Park Friday afternoon which will be followed by a talk on landscaping with native plants by Dr. Clemants of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden; plant walks on Saturday in both Staten Island’s Greenbelt, and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park; and, also on Saturday, sowing seeds and other kids’ activities in Manhattan, presented by the East River educational center, Solar 1. For event locations and times see www.nycwildflowerweek.org.

• Ladybird Johnson said she believed that “where flowers bloom so does hope.“

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