Avian Visitor

Look who just visited us in our neighbor's apple tree less than an hour ago:



This is a male Common Yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas, one of the infamously confusing warblers.

This is also a great example of how digital photography and blogging has transformed my way of looking at things. I grabbed the camera instead of the binoculars. Not only did I want to see the bird clearly enough to identify it, I wanted to share what I saw. The immediacy of sharing is a bonus.

I had just woken up, started a pot of coffee on the stove, and walked out onto my tree fort to admire the apple tree. I caught a flash of yellow on the branches. I tried to find it again among the apple blossoms. I saw it was a warbler, but it was moving too quickly to observe it for long.

I went back inside and got my camera. With a zoom to 135mm (35mm equivalent about 150-160mm) and motor drive, I started trying to capture the quickly moving bird. It was a challenge. The auto-focus kept trying to focus on the flowers, rather than the bird. Sometimes, it couldn't focus on anything at all. He was moving rapidly, flicking clusters of blossoms with his beak, then moving off. I don't know if he was after insects in the flowers, or the flowers themselves.

The photo above makes it look like he was inches away. This is a crop of the best of 31 shots I took in a few minutes. Here's the original, full-frame image. Can you find the warbler in this picture?



The apple tree itself is magnificent this year. Covered in blossoms. Lots of flowers means we will have lots of apples later in the year. And lots of apples means lots of parrots. Something to look forward to for the fall.

The Second Annual Battery Plant Sale

Last week, I took note of the Second Annual Battery Plant Sale as one of the upcoming events I'd hoped to attend. During my lunch break today, I was about to get there.

I got in some good aerobic and agility training as well, speed-walking the sidewalks of lower Broadway packed with lunchtime crowds of office workers and throngs of tourists who don't know where they are and don't know how to stand on a sidewalk (step aside, please, out of the way of those of with someplace to go!).

I told my partner I was only going to get four plants. Right. Once I was there, I couldn't help myself. Here are the eleven I picked up today:

• Agastache foeniculum "Blue Fortune"
  
• Aster oblongifolius "October Skies"
  
• Aster divaricatus
  
• Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta
  
• Carex platyphylla
  
• Molinia caerulea "Moorflamme"
  
• Nepeta racemosa "Walker's Low"
  
• Pycnanthemum muticum
  
• Schizachrium scoparium "The Blues"
  
• Sporobulus heterolepis
  
• Veronicastrum virginicum
  

There had to be thousands of individual plants available for purchase. The plants and their tables were well-labeled. Each table had a standing sign with a color photo of the mature plant or a detail of its features, such as flowers. The sign included basic cultural information such as light requirements (most were full sun), water, and so on. For species and cultivars, it also included information about the country or region of origin. All the plants were potted up in containers of the same size, and the side of each container had a label with the name of the plant.

There were also lots of helpers and volunteers on hand to help out. I think there were more of them than us, the shoppers. In retrospect, I wish I had asked for some suggestions, such as any native plants they had. I couldn't discern any particular order to how the plants were arranged, such as alphabetical by name, or grouped by cultural requirements.

The selection was excellent, as you can see even from my "short" list above. However, in advance of showing up there today, there was no way to know what one would find. The only information on their Web site was a flyer of photos and plant names from last year's sale. Only when I went to checkout did I find this year's flyer, and a complete list of information on each plant. These should have been available in advance of the sale, and at the entrance. I told the woman who handled my purchase that these weren't available on their Web site. She said that "because they're perennials", they're the same as last year.

Um, NOT. There were 37 plants listed last year. This year, there were 63 plants, nearly double. In addition, only 22 of last year's plants made it onto this year's list. 15 of last year's plants didn't make the cut; several of them were ones I had highlighted on my copy of last year's flyer. Of the plants available this year, 41 - 2 out of 3 - were new.

They need to advertise when and where the sale is held. The Battery is a large park, and there was nothing on their Web site to show where in the Battery the sale would be. Within the park, there were no signs or other markers to even say there was a sale going on, let alone where it might be. After searching for 5 minutes for any sign, I found two helpful guys driving by in a Parks truck who knew exactly where I needed to go. It took me another 5 minutes to get there.

Sorry, no pictures of the event. I'd forgotten about it until I got into work today, and I didn't bring my camera with me. I'll update with pictures of the plants themselves when I have a chance.

Festival of the Trees #11: Trees in the Concrete

2010-08-18: Corrected the name of the sculptor, Steve Tobin.
2007-05-01:

• Added links to the story of Trinity Root.
• Added links to Festival of the Trees home site and #12.
• Added the story of the tree in the photo at the top of the post.

---

Welcome to Festival of the Trees #11 for May 2007: Trees in the Concrete.

Read the story of this urban tree at the bottom of this post.


There were a lot of entries. I underestimated the work involved in collecting and assembling all the entries submitted into a semi-coherent post! Part of the problem is technical; I've still got about a dozen things I found which I need to review. (Note to self: NEVER use the "Email This" feature of Bloglines, since it strips out all reference information such as URLs.) But I think I've addressed all the non-host submissions. I'll be coming back with an update tomorrow (now this) evening, so If I've missed anything, please leave a comment so I can follow up.

Trees in the Concrete (Urban Trees)

Events for a Brooklyn Gardener-Blogger

[Updated 2007.05.01 21:00 EDT: Added Merchant's House Museum Plant Sale.]

Some quick notes on upcoming events, most of which I've previously written about.

This Weekend

Today and Tomorrow, April 28 & 29, 10am-6pm
Sakura Matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The single most popular annual event at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, tens of thousands of people turn out for the Cherry Blossom Festival every year. Entrance lines and waits are long. BBG's Blossom Status Map shows that the only cherry trees not in bloom at BBG right now are those that have already finished their show. This will surely pump up the crowds even more.

Rain is predicted both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. This morning started out beautiful and sunny, with blue skies, but it's already clouding over. The rains will keep the crowds down. I have other commitments this weekend, or I would be there right now.

Next week

May 1-3, hours vary
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Plant Sale

This may be BBG's second most popular annual event. The Garden closes early on Tuesday, May 1, to re-open for the Members-Only Preview Sale from 4:30-8pm. This is a feeding frenzy of plant fanatics. If you're not already a BBG member, you can purchase a membership on-site. I'm going to try stopping by there after work on Tuesday if I can get out early enough. Anyone can visit the public sale on Wednesday, May 2, from 9am to 7pm, or Thursday, May 3, from 9am to 12noon.

Thursday, May 3, 11am-5pm
Second Annual Battery Plant Sale, The Battery, Downtown Manhattan

After September 11, the Gardens of Remembrance were planted along The Battery, at the southernmost tip of Manhattan. The plants and gardens are now entering their fifth year. As in any mature garden, the plants need to be divided and replanted. The extra divisions go into their plant sale.

The post card says the plants are "organic, pest-free, and hardy." They have to be "hardy". They're growing more or less on the shore of downtown Manhattan, subject to winter winds and salt spray. Judging from the plant list for last year's sale, selections are varied and interesting. Most of the plants, all perennials, require or prefer full sun. I could use some in the developing sunny, mixed border along the south side of the house. The only chance I have to get there is on my lunch break.

Following Week

Sunday, May 6, 10am-12noon
Merchant's House Museum Annual Plant Sale

Located in Manhattan at 29 East 4th Street, between Lafayette St. and the Bowery, the Merchant's House Museum plant sale benefits the Museum's Garden Fund. Selections include divisions and seedlings from their historic garden, such as astilbes, hostas, and epimediums.

Thursday, May 10, 8pm
Second Annual Brooklyn Blogfest

This will be at the Old Stone House in J. J. Byrne Memorial Park at 5th Avenue and 3rd Street in Park Slope. I'm really looking forward to meeting some of the other Brooklyn bloggers I read. And I should have my Flickr cards in hand to give out. Collect the whole set!

Gothamist interviews BBG's Patrick Cullina and Anita Jacobs

Skunk Cabbage, Native Flora Garden, April 14, 2007


Patrick Cullina is Vice President of Horticulture and Facilities and Anita Jacobs is director of Public Programs at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Some samples:

[Jen Carlson of Gothamist:] What's it like working in a garden in an urban area?

PC: I love it. We get enthusiastic visitors from the many different surrounding the Garden, from across New York, and from around the world. The City itself lends both vitality and emphasis to the Garden, and the Garden returns the favor by serving to ease the encroachments that can come with urban life. ...

AJ: When my friends complain about battling rush hour crowds in the city I end up rubbing salt in their wounds by mentioning that I often have to yield to a red-tailed hawk or a line of baby ducklings…I am a real nature addict, so being able [to] throw open the door and be surrounded by dozens of blooming magnolia trees is a dream.

Both of them mention the Native Flora Garden - one of my favorite gardens in the Garden - as one of their favorite spots:

What's your favorite spot in the garden? And what's a less-noticed part of the garden you think garden visitors should definitely see?

PC: ... too many people miss the magical qualities of the Native Flora Garden—particularly in the fall. ...

AJ: One of my favorite spots in the Garden is the Native Flora garden. It's a little off the beaten path, I guess, so it's always very quiet and peaceful and you can see a lot of spectacular migrating birds there. ...

Vote! (Again!)

I voted on my way to work this morning. If you're a registered voter in Brooklyn's 40th City Council District, please vote today for your next City Councilperson.

Una-Gene made their first appearance in my neighborhood this morning. Both Mathieu Eugene and Una Clarke were on the sidewalk of P.S. 139, my polling place, in Beverley Square West.

RANT

Eugene looked scared. He seemed genuinely baffled as to why people in my neighborhood were angry with him for wasting our votes and hundreds of thousands of dollars by refusing to prove he was eligible to take the seat for which he was elected and calling for a second special election. Like Senator Charles Palatine in the film Taxi Driver, throughout both campaigns Eugene has vapidly parroted the words "the people." He should not be so surprised that not all "the people" are grateful to him for mentioning us.

Not to mention the questions surrounding funding for his community organization. Or the validity of calling himself a "Doctor," clearly something he learned from Yvette Clarke.

Of course, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if Yvette Clarke hadn't thought she could do more damage make more money as a U.S. Congresswoman.

They can't respond to a written questionnaire. They can't show up at a local candidate's forum; even Sharpe - whom Eugene had removed from the ballot at the time but was just last week reinstated by a judge - showed up for that.

But they can show up to intimidate voters hobnob with their fellow wizards at the steps of the polling place. That's where Una and her cronies were this morning: on the sidewalk in front of the entrance to the polls. I'll post the photographic evidence when I get home late tonight.

They seem to believe that residency laws don't apply to them. Maybe electioneering laws don't apply to them, either.

Or maybe the only reason they showed up this morning is to create yet another election crisis to manipulate in their favor. Electioneering and voter intimidation at the polls ... might that be enough to invalidate the election altogether, or at least the results from a polling place where votes are likely to go largely against them?

Masters of Chaos they are, Thing One and Thing Two.

/RANT

Related posts:

• Extra-Special Election for Brooklyn's 40th City Council Seat, Yesterday
  
• Eugene and Schiffman sole candidates for 40th District, April 11 & 12 [Note: Wellington Sharpe was reinstated last week and is on today's ballot.]
  
• Eugene challenged on grounds he refused seat, April 10
  
• Where's Eugene?, March 23
  
• Vote!, February 20
• Landscape and Politics in Brooklyn's City Council District 40, February 14
• 40th District Forum on Preservation and Development, February 8

Tomorrow, April 24: Extra-Special Election for Brooklyn's 40th City Council Seat

I saw these taped to the lamp posts on Beverly Road on my way to the subway this morning. Thanks to whatever neighbor took it upon themselves to remind everyone about this!

News, NYC: 1M Trees in 10 Years

A million trees in NYC's forecast
BY EMI ENDO, Newsday Staff Writer
emi.endo@newsday.com

April 21, 2007

They cool down streets, remove tons of air pollution, boost property values and can even reduce asthma rates.

That' why trees -- a million of them -- will be a part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's sweeping plan to prepare the city for future population growth. The mayor Sunday is expected to call for reversing years of deforestation in the city.

"Every single place where it is possible to plant a street tree, by 2017, we will plant a street tree," said Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff, who has been overseeing the sustainability initiatives.

Currently, about 5.2 million trees dot the city, creating a tree canopy of about 24 percent of the city, said Joshua Laird, assistant commissioner for planning and natural resources for the parks department.

The city estimates that trees have been planted in about 74 percent of the places where trees could be planted.

In his upcoming executive budget, the mayor will call for spending an additional $37.5 million a year, on top of the current $11 million budgeted, for forestry programs, and an additional $8 million a year for maintenance and tree care.

City officials estimate that for each $1 spent on a tree, the value of the benefits from that tree are $5.

Under the plan, to begin in July, the city will reforest its parks and plant saplings in forests. On the streets, the city will plant 23,000 trees a year to add a total of 210,000 new trees, and require new construction projects to plant trees.

Via AM New York

I couldn't resist

What classic actress am I?

Katherine Hepburn.

I couldn't be more pleased.

What Classic Actress Are You?

Katharine Hepburn.She is an icon but beyond that, she was one of the most highly respected and talented actresses in film history.

Unconventional, Independant, Intelligent, Feisty

You are never afraid to speak your mind and make no attempt to conform to other other people's demands or social norms. You might be seen as haughty and demanding at times but you just want to make sure you do your best on your own terms. Whenever your capabilities are questioned, you end up proving your critics wrong. You have the brains and the brawn to be the alpha-female in a man's world, always holding your own. Go, you!
Take this quiz!






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via Blue Gal.

Reminder - Call for Submissions for Festival of the Trees #11: Trees in the Concrete

Dueling Maples, 1422 Beverley Road, November 2006. I pass these two trees when I walk to and from the subway.


Just a reminder that we're still inviting submissions for Festival of the Trees #11, which I'll be hosting here on Flatbush Gardener in May.

Although I haven't gotten to acknowledge any of the entries yet, I want to thank everyone who's submitted entries so far. The pace has been quickening the past few days. With over 30 submissions as of this afternoon, it's shaping up to be a terrific carnival.

Many of you are finding connections with the theme of "Trees in the Concrete": street trees, trees in cities, urban forestry, and so on. Do you have a favorite street tree? Trees in city parks? Tell us about them! This is not a restrictive theme, so anything which fits the FotT submission guidelines is welcome. And you don't need a blog or Web site of your own. You can send in a link you find on the Web. If you have a doubt, send it.

The publication date will be May 1st, 2007. The deadline for submissions is April 29. You can submit entries via the Festival of the Trees Submission Form on BlogCarnival. You can also send an email to festival (dot) trees (at) gmail (dot) com with "Festival of the Trees" in the subject.