NYC Leaves: Project LeafDrop 2010

Cherry Leaves, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, November 2008.


For the second year, a city-wide coalition of community gardens and other groups has organized Project LeafDrop to collect leaves from residents for composting. Again this year, most of the drop-off sites are located in Brooklyn. Check the map for locations near you, and the dates and times of your preferred locations.


View NYCLeaves: Project LeafDrop 2010 Locations in a larger map

Flatbush area residents have three exciting new options: community garden and composting sites which didn't even exist a year ago, for last year's LeafDrop! Sustainable Flatbush is collecting leaves this Saturday, November 6 and next, November 13, from 11am to 1pm at East 21st Street and Kenmore Terrace, at the site of the new Communal Garden in partnership with the Flatbush Reformed Church, the Flatbush CSA, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Compost for Brooklyn, at Newkirk Avenue and East 8th Street in Kensington, and Prospect Farm, in Windsor Terrace, and also new.

Press Releases

The Luminous Streets

P.S. 139, Cortelyou and Rugby Roads, Beverley Square West, Flatbush, Brooklyn


This has been a spectacular year for fall foliage. We had ample, sometimes record, rainfall over the summer. We didn't get a long drought at the end of the summer which often ruins the fall colors. And temperatures finally got cool at night, while warm during the day. We just had our first hard freeze this week.

Barbara Corcoran, avert your eyes. The rest of us can enjoy this gift. We're just past peak this weekend, but there's still plenty of great color. So get out and walk around.

Fothergilla, Vinca minor, and Maple leaves, 329 Westminster Road, Beverley Square West


Japanese Maple, 1505 Albemarle Road, Prospect Park South


Field 11, Parade Grounds, Caton Avenue


Abandoned, East 16th Street


315 East 18th Street, Beverly Square East


346 East 18th Street, Beverly Square East


196 Marlborough Road, Prospect Park South


Beverly Road, Beverley Square West


Japanese Maple in front yard, 260 Westminster Road, Beverley Square West


I've been walking past, beneath, this every morning on my way to the Beverly Road subway station. Nothing like starting your commute in awe.

1422 Beverly Road, Beverley Square West

Brooklyn Leaf Collection Dates

This year, leaf collection dates for Brooklyn are Saturday, November 10 (next Saturday) and November 24. You can bag your leaves only in designated paper leaf collection bags. Put them out at the curb Saturday night for Sunday morning pickup.

In fall 2007, it will be mandatory (according to NYC's Yard Waste Composting Law ) for NYC residents in the city's leaf collection districts to set out their fall leaves in paper bags (or in unlined rigid containers) during the designated DSNY fall leaf collection period.

How to Set Out Leaves for DSNY Collection:

1. Place leaves into large paper leaf bags. Leaves may also be set out loose in unlined garbage cans. You can be fined for setting out your leaves in plastic bags during DSNY’s leaf collection period.

2. Place leaves at the curb on the designated Saturday evenings.

3. Leaf pickup may take place early the next morning, so place leaves at the curb on the designated Saturday night. Leaves not picked up the next day, will be collected later in the week.

Unfortunately, with the closing of the Spring Creek Composting Site, Brooklyn and
Queens residents are effectively cut off from the spring and fall compost givebacks.

Links

Fall Leaf Collection Program, NYC Department of Sanitation

A Weekend in the Garden

A fallen leaf from the cherry tree in the backyard

Some macro shots of what's happening in the garden now. Most of the shots are from the backyard, some from the sideyard, along the driveway.

I was really surprised to have this Cicada fly right past me and land on the fence long enough for me to get a good shot of it. I've never see a live one so close up. I usually see them dead on the sidewalk, often missing their abdomen from predation. In that state, the markings on the top of the thorax (?) are dull dark brown and black. I think this is Tibicen canicularis, the dog-day cicada.


I've been watching the aphids on these milkweed stems for several weeks. This photo doesn't capture the intense orange-yellow color of these bugs; they look more yellow in the photo than they actually are. I wonder if their color is caused by feeding on milkweed, much like the warning red-orange colors of Monarchs?


Berries of Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana


Berries of Winterberry, Ilex verticillata


Sweet Autumn Clematis


Sunflower

First Macro Shots

Alstroemeria

My new macro lens arrived today. I would say that I was like a kid on Christmas, except that I am notorious among friends and family for carefully unwrapping any gift I receive so as to not tear the paper so I can save it.

The very, very first shot I took was of my router. Not that interesting. I deleted it. The Alstroemeria is the second macro shot I took. One of our next-door neighbors was coming home, and she had a bouquet in her arms. The other shots are from my backyard.

Itea "Little Henry"


Ilex verticillata, Winterberry (female)


Nepeta calamintha, Catmint "Walker's Low"


Note the bonus ant in the above photo!

Hydrangea flower


This lens will take some getting used to before I can select and frame my subjects effectively. It's a long lens, 105mm (digital, logner equivalent 35mm), so the depth-of-field is compressed. The advantage is that the combination of long focal length and closest focusing distance of 1 foot can provide 1:1 reproduction ratios: life-size images captured in the camera, which are much larger than life when enlarged. For example, here's a 1:1 photo of text from the second paragraph of this post:



Besides shallow depth-of-field, the other disadvantage of a long focal length is increased sensitivity to camera shake. This macro lens also has built-in image stabilization, which counteracts shake by a factor of 2 or more.

I'm really interested in trying out this new lens for insect photography. The lens can focus out to infinity, so I can increase the depth-of-field by shooting from a greater distance. Here's an example of that in the last shot I took today: leaves from the mystery Ligularia I bought at the Chelsea Garden Center two Saturdays ago.

Ligularia leaves


These leaves are exceptionally ruffled. Although much of each leaf is still not in focus, the overall image accurately conveys the texture and depth of the leaves. This is my favorite of the dozen or so shots I took today with my new toy. I'm looking forward to having more play time with it.