Wings in Spring

Insects form the biological foundation in which our ecosystems rely. Many species that have overwintered emerge at the early inception of spring such as the widely observed and long-lived Mourning Cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa), as well as many other winged insects such as moths, bees, wasps, flies, beetles, true bugs, and winged winter ants. The queens of many bee species emerge in March looking to find a suitable place for a new home, while others, such as the Unequal Cellophane Bee (Colletes inaequalis), get busy pollinating the early blooms of the maple trees.

All the taxa included in this project have been observed in their adult stage (with wings) in March. See how many flying insects you can find!

The New York Botanical Garden was founded in 1891 by members of the Torrey Botanical Society, who were passionate explorers and advocates of our local flora throughout the 19th century. Since 2016, the EcoFlora project has also contributed to this tradition of understanding, documenting, and conserving urban biodiversity. Today, both TBS and EcoFlora provide similar programming, including field trips, virtual lectures, and promotion of iNaturalist. In fact, many of our most active EcoFlora participants have been involved with TBS, including @xris @zihaowang @aberkov @mollyopsis @kayspurlock and @elaphrornis. One of the co-managers of EcoFlora, @glyptostrob0ides , will become the president of TBS later this month.

On March 14, the Torrey Botanical Society will hold its annual lecture and banquet. We want to invite our EcoFlora community members to join us in person or online for an informative lecture, good food, and chance to interact with other NYC flora enthusiasts!

A Century of Change in the Structure and Composition of a Mature Urban Forest

Eliot Nagele, Director of the Thain Family Forest, New York Botanical Garden

March 14, 5:30PM EST

Historically, urban natural areas have been undervalued and understudied, resulting in a scarcity of baseline data and thereby limiting our understanding of how these systems change over time. The New York Botanical Garden has been monitoring the species composition, structure and associated management of the Thain Family Forest since the late 1800s. In 2002, they established a continuous forest inventory (CFI) to guide ongoing management efforts. Utilizing this combination of baseline and continuous inventory data, this study assesses how the Thain Family Forest has changed alongside rapid urbanization and in response to forest management practices. This presentation will highlight key findings from the work assessing changes in forest structure and composition over time and will serve as a case study for the implementation of adaptive urban forest management programs.

The lecture will be held in the Mertz Library Reading Room at the New York Botanical Garden, and will be accompanied by a small exhibit containing material from the NYBG archives.

The talk is free to attend, but space is limited. It will also be streamed on Zoom for those unable to attend in person, and a recording will be available online at a later date.

Following the lecture, the banquet will be held in the Library Rotunda. Greek food, including gluten free and vegetarian options, will be available. The dinner will cost $25/person, and must be paid in advance (unless paying by check).

Register for In-Person Lecture and Banquet

Register for Virtual Lecture

Please contact us at torreybotanicalsociety@gmail.com with any questions!

César Castillo, an important participant in the NYC EcoFlora Project, father of three, husband, biologist, and educator at Queen's College, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, March 1st. César contributed 10,079 observations of 2,105 species in NYC. Birds were his particular interest, but he captured the diversity of life within the city through his exploration.

A map of César's observations throughout the city (blue = birds, green = plants, pink = fungi, red = insects, orange = arachnids).

His efforts will forever be valuable to conservation of NYC wildlife.

A GoFundMe has been set up in order to support his family through this time, please consider donating if you are able.

Urban Genetic Pools: Reservoirs of Adaptive Potential and the Seed Collectors Who are After It

Heather Liljengren, Supervising Seed Collector/Field Taxonomist, NYC Parks Greenbelt Native Plant Center

March 21, 5:00PM EST

REGISTER HERE

The flora of New York City is unique and has evolved alongside an ever-changing landscape that is fragmented, altered, polluted and beautiful. The valuable genetics of these plants species and the local adaptations are wrapped up in their seed. For decades, the Seed Collectors at the Greenbelt Native Plant Center have traveled to all the reaches of the five boroughs and beyond to capture this critical natural resource. The Seed Collection program and process is the foundation of all production at the nursery...as we always like to remind everyone "Every seed is a possible plant".

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Heather Liljengren is the Supervising Seed Collector/Field Taxonomist for the NYC Parks Greenbelt Native Plant Center located in Staten Island. Ms. Liljengren actively manages the seed collection and banking programs at the 13-acre greenhouse, nursery and seed bank complex, which provides local genetic source material for restoration projects throughout New York City. For 10 years she was an advisor to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank (MARS-B), a cooperative conservation effort to collect seed from targeted native plant species across every eco-region in the Mid-Atlantic. As a public speaker and teacher throughout the NYC Metro Area, Ms. Liljengren promotes the importance of using locally adapted native plant species in every reach of restoration and functional landscape design. In her spare time, she is busy with her family- fostering the love of all things green with her two children and listening to her husband butcher the Latin names of all those green things.