NYC Flora

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About NYC Flora

The NYC Flora group celebrates the (surprising) floristic diversity of New York City.

Kurt Vonnegut's description of our "Skyscraper National Park" supports the widely held view that New York City is a paean to the built environment. 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).

We want to draw attention to the botanical riches found in the city. This group welcomes pictures of plants that were taken in the five boroughs. While the photos are not limited to natural areas, please don't post pictures from gardens. We're highlighting spontaneously occuring vegetation.

Please tag common name(s), Latin (if you know it), and borough.

Tag for this group is nycflora.

For more about NYC plants, see the link below. Thanks for visiting!

http://www.drosera-x.com/