Get to Know NYC Wildflowers
· Places to Explore
· Field Guides
Gardening with Natives
· Books & Websites
· Nurseries
Botanical Clubs & Societies
Nature Readings
Current Research
GET TO KNOW NYC WILDFLOWERS
Places to Explore
NYC Parks "Forever Wild" sites- Nature in New York City
There are 48 Forever Wild Nature Preserves in NYC’s five boroughs—more than 8,700 wild acres that include towering forests, vibrant wetlands, and expansive meadows. Almost every site is accessible by public transit, and many have trails, nature centers, and public facilities. At the website, you’ll find trail maps, driving and public transit directions, and descriptions of the preserves.
Torrey Botanical Society Field Trips
TBS has 18 trips scheduled for the NYC-metro area in 2008.
Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
Staten Island's land conservation organization leads free walks for people of all ages throughout the island's natural areas with experienced naturalists.
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Field Guides
Wildflowers in the Field and Forest
By Steven Clemants and Carol Gracie
The most comprehensive field guide for the northeastern U.S. and Canada, with descriptive text and range maps on one side facing pages of color photos on the other.
Illustrated Field Guide to Shrubs and Woody Vines of Long Island
By G. E. Lotowycz and B. H. Conolly
This book focuses on the woody plants that most field guides gloss over. An unexpected but welcome inclusion is the sub-shrubs, and the text reflects the changing nature of our natural areas through its listing of species’ frequencies and inclusion of naturalized exotics. All of this is filtered through the geographic scope of Long Island.
A Guide to Wildflowers in Winter: Herbaceous Plants of Northeastern North America
By Carol Levine
A comprehensive guide covering nearly 400 herbaceous plants in detail, with briefer notes on another 200. Illustrated with beautiful, accurate line drawings with descriptions of fruit, stems, leaves, habit, and habitat to help identify the plant.
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GARDENING WITH NATIVE PLANTS
Books and Websites
Drosera
Extensive resources and information on what is native in NYC and how to get started.
Gardening with NYC Native Plants
Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants – Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guides
Gives native alternatives to invasive plants for use in gardens, yards, and natural plantings. The list is organized by horticultural plant group: trees, shrubs, vines, herbaceous plants, and grasses.
Going Native: Biodiversity in Our Own Backyard - Brooklyn Botanic Garden Guide
Top designers show how to combine exquisite wildflowers and other native species in spectacular plantings that provide a refuge for beleaguered plants and animals. Features scores of spectacular native plants and garden plans for every region.
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Nurseries:
Gowanus Nursery – Brooklyn, NY
A great resource within the five boroughs. The owner is very helpful and they have a surprising number indigenous wildflowers.
Catskill Native Nursery - Kerhonkson, NY
Herbaceous (perennials), shrubs & trees
Fort Pond Native Plant Nursery – Montauk, New York
Natives and non - a very large selection with excellent specimen trees and shrubs
The Plantsmen Nursery – Ithaca, NY
Trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers, ferns - and a very nice website
Edge of the Woods – Fogelsville, PA
Over 300 species of nursery propagated native trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns, perennials and wildflowers
Wholesale
Greenbelt Native Plant Nursery – Staten Island, NY
A 10-acre greenhouse and nursery complex owned and operated by the City of New York Parks and Recreation.
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Botanical Clubs & Societies
Torrey Botanical Society
Connecticut Botanical Society
Long Island Botanical Society
New Jersey Native Plant Society
New York Flora Association
See what grows where on their excellent New York Flora Atlas.
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Nature Readings
The Forests and Wetlands of New York City
By Elizabeth Barlow
An account of New York City before the City, the book chronicles the evolution of the city's topography, geography, and flora as humans began to settle and impose changes on the natural landscape.
Natural History of New York City
By John Kieran
A knowledgeable nature guide to New York City, adequately summed up in the subtitle, "A book for sidewalk naturalists everywhere".
Wild New York
By Margaret Mittlebach & Michael Crewdson
Showing that New York is more than just the flash and dazzle associated with Times Square or the skyscrapers of the Financial District, this guide details biological sights of all five boroughs, with site recommendations for each.
An Islanded Nature: Natural Area Conservation and Restoration in Western Staten Island
By Peter P. Blanchard, Paul Kerlinger, and Mark Stein
Created by the Harbor Herons Project, this report includes maps, photographs, drawings, plant lists, and more in the study of open space conservation on Staten Island.
The Power Broker
By Robert Caro
Robert Moses completely reshaped the face of New York City, devastating much of the open space and native flora in the process. While he started the country's first state-wide system of parks, he also introduced many non-native species into the landscape (including the invasive Norway maple). This Pulitzer Prize-winning history explains why and how Moses' legacy still casts large shadows today.
Days Afield on Staten Island
By William T. Davis
Originally written in 1894, the book provides a startling contrast to today's Staten Island, as it overflows with accounts of flourishing native orchids, wild mink, and flying squirrels.
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CURRENT RESEARCH
New York Metropolitan Flora Project
Scientists at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden are undertaking the most comprehensive study ever of the plant biodiversity in metropolitan New York. Studying the vegetation changes in highly populated areas is critical to understanding the future of life in our rapidly urbanizing world.
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