Celebrate Earth Month at The New York Botanical Garden throughout April as part of the global observance of environmental awareness. Earth Day is April 22 and Arbor Day is April 24, but the garden offers rich programming throughout the month as part of the celebration, including tree plantings, garden openings, new exhibitions, picnics, and poetry.
Saturday, April 4 (1 to 5:30 p.m.) marks the opening of the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden with digging, planting, and growing for the whole family. The weekend also offers Climate Change and Sustainability at the Garden, an interpretive cell phone tour guiding visitors through the Garden grounds while educating them on how Garden research contributes to the study of climate change, the challenges being faced, and what actions can be taken to mitigate the effects.
From April 9 to 19 as many schools are closed for their spring holidays, students and families can partake in a number of programs scheduled as part of The New York Botanical Garden’s Break for Biodiversity. Children can become “Plant Hunters” and tour the Haupt Conservatory’s permanent exhibit A World of Plants. At a Biodiversity Discovery Station in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Explainers teach the importance of rain forests around the world. A Garden Scavenger Hunt for Families, created by Watson Adventures, uncovers the diversity of the plant world through the Conservatory and Garden grounds. An Explorers Walk for Families offers the opportunity to learn the history of the Garden’s 50-acre Forest with highlights of some of its notable trees. An Herbarium Specimen Making Workshop in the Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery enables children to press their own plants as the Garden’s scientists do in the field.
On April 18 and 19 (2 to 3:30 p.m.) and Earth Day, April 22 (noon to 3:30 p.m.), Café Scientifique provides visitors with the opportunity to meet a Garden scientist and talk informally about work in the field, common interests in science, and exciting discoveries made. Enjoy refreshments as you engage in behind-the-scenes discussions with our world-traveled scientists.
Pre-scheduled volunteers can participate in a Forest Tree Planting on April 18 and 19, and again on Arbor Day, April 24, and on April 25, all from 9 a.m. to noon. The trees will be planted in the northern portion of the Botanical Garden’s Forest, along both the Main Trail and the Oak Trail. Contact the Volunteer Services department at (718) 817.8564 to register.
On Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, enjoy Picnic on the Planet. Purchase a bag lunch at the Garden Cafe or Visitor Center Cafe, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., take it out to Daffodil Hill and enjoy the spring blossoms. Don’t forget to pack a blanket to spread out on the grass.
April is also National Poetry Month. On April 30, celebrate National Poem in Your Pocket Day at The New York Botanical Garden. Read poems inspired by the plant world and enjoy the spring beauty of the Garden collections. Create your own nature inspired poem or pick up a poem to share with friends and family after you leave the Garden. From 3 to 5 p.m., enjoy an outdoor poetry reading experience in the Native Plant Garden. Listen to readings of favorite nature-inspired poetry and celebrate Mother Nature through poems from around the world.
From family activities in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden and Everett Children’s Adventure Garden to tours, home gardening demonstrations, and more, April kicks off the spring season at the Garden with a lot to see and do for visitors of all ages.
The New York Botanical Garden heralds the new season with So Much Spring, a variety of attractions at the Garden from April to June. Visitors to the Botanical Garden can partake in a rich, multi-sensory experience of floral delights, both outdoors and indoors, enjoying emerging flowers around the grounds as well as exhibitions, programs, and events. This year’s rich spring offerings include a multitude of flowering trees and plants throughout the Garden’s historic 250-acre landscape, The Glory of Dutch Bulbs: A Legacy of 400 Years, a new flower show in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Georg Ehret: The Greatest Botanical Artist of the 1700s, an art exhibit in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library’s Gallery, a newly designed and planted Seasonal Walk, and a plethora of programming including tours, demonstrations, workshops, and much more.
Complete programming dates, times, and events are listed online at www.nybg.org.
