June 19, 2018

I am tearing myself away from my compulsive watching of every World Cup soccer game, but don't feel upset, it's all DVR'd so I will get to see them.  I had such a nice flow of things to say about "Meet the Presidents" day at NYBG, but it's already four days later and I owe a report on what's flowering.  Of course all the other events of that day to cover.

Yeah, traffic was crumby but I did get to go through the Native Plant Garden before pushing my legs to the Conservatory where outgoing Gregory Long and incoming Carrie Barratt were greeting members and patrons.

 I listed 43 flowering plants and bet I missed a few.  At the entrance I chatted with a young man leaving the NPG and asked what he thought about the NPG.  His overview was that it was "very plain, a lot of green."  Given a choice, he also preferred to go with a tour guide than walk through alone.  He was from Germany. I don't think he would have felt the same way about the color if someone had pointed out the 43 blooming plants....  He introduced the subject of Chi Gong, and it was coincidental that it was my Chi Gong class that I was missing in order to make the Presidents meeting.

Phlox
Beardtongue
Yellow Coneflower
Wild Bleeding Heart
Monarda
Milkweed
Black-eyed Susan
(Blueing Blueberries)
In front of the Shad bushes the delicate flowers on another shrub were not familiar to me.  A nice gal who works as a gardener thought it was deciduous verticillata But she noticed Michael Hagen on the golf cart (in the Garden is it still a golf cart?) and he came riding over.  Heck, it is Winterberry, but Yellow Winterberry and honestly, how well I know the berries but apparently have missed the sweet white flowers.  Exciting news as a result of a conversation with Michael Hagen, so read about it later.

Winterberry Ilex verticillata

Baptisia alba and B. australis Wild Indigo's pods are not ready to shake yet, something fun to do with kids.

Joe Pye Weed

Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum in the box at the entrance.

Spigelia marilandica  among the Bluestar leaves and lots of it beyond the water feature.

Hydrangea quercifolia

 Heading to the right over the gravel lok, Magnolia virginianum,

Columbine,

Plume Solomon's Seal,

Harebell,

bearing left Inkberry Ilex glabra

Little Brown Jug before steps, both leaves and flower similar but not Wild Ginger,

Fleabane,  beautiful Maidenhair Ferns,

Celandine Poppy,

by the Franklin Tree, 'Mary Rydel' deciduous Azalea,

Iris

Photo by Sarracenia Pitcher Plants 

Calopogon tuberosa - Tuberous Grass Pink

Pitcher Plants 
Pickerel Weed (in water)

Sign to tell us Tussock Cottongrass Eriophorum vatinatum is proof that plants can't read.  Those pink flowers are probably Barbara's Buttons.  Thanks for catching me, Joanne.

Rose (worth smelling)
Whorled Loosestrife
Butterfly Weed
Wild Quinine
Spiderwort Tradescantia
Lance-leaved Coreopsis
Vetch
by Split Rock  Poppy Mallow
not sure until Michael Hagen confirmed Coreopsis palmata

Opuntia Pear Cactus

Silene virginica 

Notice the "Chinese lanterns" on the Silverbell trees halesia.

Another name I couldn't come up with,
Apocynum androsaemifolium - Spreading Dogbane which is the airy plant by the Acer pensylvanicum toward the Education building.

Cohosh








Glade Mallow across from the water feature along the boardwalk.

I owe you from not knowing this last time 
Phacelia bipinnatifida  Fernleaf Phacelia

The reason the captions are not under the photos is because when I hit "add caption," the whole darn thing disappears....   I wish I were better at this.  It's past bedtime but I have more to say.

At the get-together for the Meet the Presidents, it was delightful to meet docents Karen W., Emily K. whose email I finally got right, Joanne S. and Sue L. We help each other and I hope some of the unknowns I have listed correctly here.

Now the news I promised after talking to Michael Hagen.  You may know the N.Y. Fern Society has been meeting at the NYBG for 42 years and was thought to be ended because the great John Mickel is having health issues, and the great Robbin Moran is overburdened.  One of the reasons that I went to Meet the Presidents was to give a letter to Gregory and Carrie (first names improper?) about the issue, after Michael P. charged me to try to solve this problem.  A staff member is needed to have the use of a room for the organization.  Michael Hagen is a member but too busy to attend weekend monthly meetings.  (All of you might consider joining the group of wonderful, knowledgeable people who also like to share yummy food at the meetings.)  Anyway, Michael Hagen, bless his heart as they say, thinks he can solve the problem.  I did, however, get to give both outgoing and incoming Presidents my letter and they were warm and interested. Sometimes I, as perhaps you, feel intimidated by "big shots" but both Presidents and in addition Maureen Chilton, the beautiful chairman of the board (title?), were extremely likable and approachable. I look forward to sharing what I can about the Native Plant Garden with our new President Carrie Rebora Barratt and Maureen Chilton, who was pretty knowledgeable about the flowers herself, any time they are available.

Maureen Chilton and Gregory Long

                                                                                                                                                       Carrie Rebora Barratt

Yeah, I do talk a lot.