HIDDEN HARVEST

When we think of Thanksgiving and November harvest, we tend to conjure images of corn, beans, and squash. While these are undeniably part of the Pre-Columbian Agriculture of First Nations, these plants were introduced to Eastern North America from Mexico and South America relatively recently in the archaeological record. Before the arrival of corn (Zea mays), the people in Eastern North America had been cultivating domestic plant varieties for agriculture for more than 2,000 years. Much of the history of these plants as agricultural species have all but been wiped out due to colonization and the genocide of Indigenous societies. Recent archaeological studies have rediscovered remnants of some of these plants where these communities once prospered. These discoveries and additional stories about the early agriculture of the north east helps to uncover hidden histories of plants that we see regularly but may dismiss as just weeds. The stories of the original people can be told through the plants that persist on this land- purposefully cultivated to grow prolifically in the soil we share here in New York City.

Familiar plants such as Goosefoots (Chenopodium), Redroot Amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus), Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea), Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), Broadleaf Cattail (Typha latifolia), and Common Pawpaw (Asimina trilobaare) are some of the remnant species that have been managed and cultivated by Indigenous societies for thousands of years before the arrival of colonists to the Americas and continue to be today. Many of these species persist in New York City- their uses, histories, and cultural relevance often overlooked in favor of more charismatic species of flora.

Mistaken for undesirable weeds and often sprayed with herbicide, their rich histories and high potential for use remain unknown to most. See if you can find all the plants included in our Hidden Harvest Ecoquest!

MORE INFORMATION ON THE PRE-COLUMBIAN AGRICULTURE AND FLORA OF THE NORTHEAST

The Welikia Project

JOURNAL ARTICLE: Growing The Lost Crops of Eastern North America's Original Agricultural System

American Indian Health and Diet Project- Foods Indigenous to the Western Hemisphere

JOURNAL ARTICLE: Experimental Cultivation of Eastern North America's Lost Crops: Insights into Agricultural Practice and Yield Potential

P.S. The Falling For Galls EcoQuest was super successful thanks to some star participants- namely @zitserm, @matthew_wills, and @susanhewitt. I extended the project for another month just because it has been so dang interesting. Keep your eyes out for galls throughout November alongside our November EcoQuest!

Fifth Annual EcoFlora Conference:
Celebrating Community Science in New York City

Friday, November 4, 10am-12pm (virtual)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Join the New York City EcoFlora project, now in its sixth year, for a conference celebrating community science in New York City! Our speakers will detail various community science programs and projects being conducted throughout NYC, and highlight the impact and significance of engaging community members in urban biodiversity research.

There will be four twenty minute talks, followed by a Q&A.

Speakers & Presentations

For more information on the speakers and their presentations, visit the event page on the NYBG website

The place-making potential of participatory science: Creating social-ecological connections in an urbanized world - Dr. Anne Toomey (Pace University)

Elevating student voice through community science initiatives at BioBus - Dr. Christine Marizzi & Tessa Hirschfeld-Stoler (BioBus)

A Floristic Quality Assessment Methodology for Citizen Science - John Virzi

Using BioBlitzes and iNaturalist to Build Scientific Literacy and Connections to Urban Nature- Dr. Kelly O'Donnell (Macaulay Honors College)

The event will be recorded and available to view on YouTube

Socio-Ecological Dynamics of Green Roof Ecosystems

November 21, 5:00PM EST

REGISTER HERE

Over the last decade, research focusing on the ecology of green roofs has shifted from relatively simple horticultural studies to a suite of approaches highlighting green roofs as complex dynamic ecological systems positioned within the larger urban ecosystem. Like some types of urban green spaces, green roofs help to mitigate some negative effects of urbanization such as stormwater run-off, the urban heat island effect, habitat fragmentation, and loss of biodiversity. Additionally, emerging research highlights the potential psychological and social benefits of green roofs. In this talk, Jason will discuss the form and function of green roof ecosystems, highlighting emerging social and ecological research.

Jason Aloisio, Ph.D., has more than 10 years of experience designing, conducting, supervising, and evaluating urban ecology research and education programs. His published research focuses on socio-ecological dynamics of urban ecosystems, urban plant ecology, urban environmental education, and broadening participation in STEM fields.

A TWO-WAY STREET: ECO-EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF COMMON MILKWEED IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS

Tuesday, November 29, 2:00PM EST

This talk will be held in person in the Ross Auditorium at the New York Botanical Garden. It will also be streamed on Zoom.

More Information and Register HERE

Urbanization poses one of the greatest threats to biodiversity on Earth and is altering the world’s landscapes at an unprecedented rate. While we have begun to grasp how urban conditions affect species’ population ecology and community structure, it remains unclear how city life influences species interactions as well as the evolution of urban populations. In this talk, Sophie Breitbart will discuss new findings about how urbanization shapes plant-pollinator interactions and evolution in common milkweed, a native plant of high conservation value.

Sophie Breitbart is an urban ecologist and evolutionary biologist investigating how urbanization influences the Monarch butterfly’s favorite botanical partner: common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). After completing her B.A. in Biology at Wesleyan University in 2016, she worked as an environmental consultant assessing lake water quality and designing engineering plan sets for dam removals. She began her Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto in 2018. Her current research focuses on a garden she planted which contains 1,000 milkweed plants grown from seeds collected from urban, suburban, and rural areas.