Drosera

My New York Times op-ed is live!!!

Marielle — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 06:24:43 +0000

Nature in New York City

Marielle — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 06:08:47 +0000

“Skyscraper national park.” Kurt Vonnegut’s description supports the widely held view that New York City is a paean to the built environment. This collective image includes towering edifices, taxied roadways and neon billboards. The last thing one would expect in this milieu is nature. Yet sprinkled throughout the five boroughs are approximately 28,000 acres of city parkland. Discounting ball fields and swing sets, nearly half of these have significant areas of flora and fauna. They harbor the city’s true treasures: freshwater wetlands, salt marshes, beaches, and forests. Ensconced within these ecosystems are more than 40% of New York State’s rare and endangered plant species.

Still, it isn’t easy being green in the Big Apple. Over the past century, 75% of the city’s woodlands, wetlands and meadows have been destroyed. The persistent pressure of urbanization and its concomitant ailments has driven many of the city’s native plants to the brink of extirpation. We have already lost 43% of our flora including such treasures as the yellow fringed orchid (Platanthera ciliaris) and swamp pink (Helonias bullata).

2011 Is Five Borough Year of Biodiversity

Marielle — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 06:04:47 +0000

As the year 2010 drew to a close, so too did the United Nation’s International Year of Biodiversity. This year-long, global recognition of our planet’s vital biological diversity was meant to elevate this issue nearer to the top of the political agenda. I’m not sure that this goal was met.

A quick search of “biodiversity” on the New York Times website yields only a handful of articles on the topic in the past month (with “biodiversity” mentioned by readers about two dozen times). A comparison of Google search trends of biodiversity and climate change in 2010 shows that “climate change” was searched for more than twice as often as “biodiversity” and “global warming” more than four times as often.

Even the star power of actor Edward Norton, who was appointed by the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, hasn’t done enough to capture the media and public’s attention on this issue.

That’s why I hope 2011 will be Five-Borough Year of Biodiversity.

Read the rest of my Huffington Post piece

More than Million Trees, Where is the Nature in PlaNYC?

Marielle — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 05:59:50 +0000

Doll’s eyes is the kind of plant you remember. Not in spring, when its small, starry white flowers are easily overlooked. The season when it shines is fall. About this time of year, its berries have ripened to a ghostly white with dark “eye” spots in the centers. Contrasted on a grape juice-colored stem, these striking fruits are hard to miss during a walk in the woods.

dolls eyes

A few weeks ago I spent an afternoon scanning the moist forest floor of Cunningham Park, Queens, searching for this wildflower. I had seen it here years ago, growing in the shade of a sugar maple. Despite hours of searching, I came to the sad conclusion that doll’s eyes had disappeared from the park.

Small patches of its rich woodland habitat are still found within city boundaries, but the plant itself no longer grows here. This wildflower continues to populate neighboring areas in New Jersey, Westchester, and Long Island but it is likely now gone from the New York City portion of its range.

Read the rest of my Huffington Post piece

What Ed Norton Should Know for the UN Biodiversity Summit

Marielle — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:47:22 +0000

Actor Edward Norton is unhappy. He is miffed because although he had starred as The Hulk in an earlier movie, he was not cast as the great green hero in a follow-up film. Cheer up, Ed! You’ve landed an even greener role: United Nations’ Biodiversity Ambassador. As the former botanist for New York City, I know first-hand the importance of biodiversity. In fact, I’ll be hosting international diplomats on a tour of New York’s nature this fall for the UN’s Biodiversity Summit. Since we’re going to be colleagues, I’d like to help you prepare for your new role. Here are some things you should know…

Read the rest of my Huffington Post piece

NYC Wildflower Week

Marielle — Sat, 08 May 2010 01:00:38 +0000

Had a great time with Lloyd Miller of the Deedle Deedle Dees who sang some nature-themed songs for the younger set. An amazing turnout – we had about 30 children participate!

Also did a tour of the native plant garden in Union Square Park.

Blue Heron Park

Marielle — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:26:08 +0000

After a cold, snowy, bona fide winter the start of a new field season was very welcome. I decided to officially kick it off in Staten Island in Blue Heron Park, one of the most botanically rich spots in NYC.

It isn’t easy being green in the Big Apple. By some counts, New York City has lost 75% of its native plant species. Most have been non-woody ground layer vegetation. These herbaceous plants, frequently the vast majority of plant species diversity, appear to be acutely susceptible to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. The latter is especially germane on an archipelago teeming with 8 million humans. Charting the health of this vegetation and threats to its continued survival is thus imperative.

Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) is a good plant to notice. Its presence an indicator of a thriving mesic hardwood forest.

In NY Times today

Marielle — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 03:41:20 +0000

Hello New York Times readers! I think they did a great job framing the issues and not downplaying the issues around local native plant conservation in the urban context. What do you think?

“Today, that shadbush and dozens of other flora native to the New York region face extinction, a result of urban development and the encroachment of invasive plants from foreign lands…”

In Bloom Now

Marielle — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:10:39 +0000

Wild bean (Apios americana). Herbaceous, perennial, twining vine in the pea family (Fabaceae) found occasionally in the city (so a NYC rarity). This one was found in a canopy opening in a moist forest. I wonder why this isn’t available horticulturally? Pelham Bay Park, Bronx.

Interview with Brian Lehrer from April 2009

Marielle — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:22:31 +0000

Interview with Marielle Anzelone from Brian Lehrer Live on Vimeo