New York Botanical Garden – The Grounds

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I recently went to the NY Botanical Garden in The Bronx. I’d been there several times before, usually to see the annual Orchid Show. In the past I spent almost all of my visit at the show, so this time I decided to explore those parts of the garden that I had not visited before first. Note that I said ‘first’. I did intend to see the Orchid Show, but not until I’d taken a look at the rest of the Garden.

Above: Daffodil Hill. I heard a number of visitors saying that it was not as spectacular as it usually was. I don’t know about that but it certainly looked pretty spectacular to me.

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Waterfall on the Bronx River.

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The Stone MIll. Originally built in 1840, the current structure was the third mill on the site. The mill used the Bronx River to power the waterwheels that produced tobacco and snuff. The mill was abandoned in 1870 when the company moved to New Jersey and was later purchased by the City of New York for parkland. It wasn’t until 1937 that the mill was officially transferred to the Garden. It’s houses a small museum and is a popular wedding venue.

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Daffodil Hill again

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Still more daffodils.

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Bridge over the Bronx River.

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Along the MItsubishi wetland trail (I think)

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The native plant garden

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Words fail me.

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One of the many trees in bloom.

Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Fuji XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS II

Around the Neighborhood – Treeman Lives!

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Last November I posted about strangely human looking tree that I called Treeman (See: Around the Neighborhood – Treeman). I’m pleased to report that, despite tree limbs and in some cases entire trees falling around him/her/it, he/she/it made it through the Winter unscathed. Had even one of the major limbs fallen the whole effect would have been spoiled.

Taken with a Fuji X-E and Fuji XF 55-200mm f3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

The Tree Man Cometh

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The tree man cometh. Actually there were two of them (three today) and they’ve been here every day this week. They’ve cut down and removed three large trees and still have two more to go.

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Taken with a Sony A7IV, Sony FE 28-75 f3.5-5.6 OSS and Tamron Di III VXD A056SF 70-180mm f2.8.

To the Rockefeller State Park Preserve and back. Part 2: Along the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail

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To the Rockefeller State Park Preserve and back. Part 2: Heading for home along the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. For anyone who doesn’t know what the Old Croton Aqueduct is, it was built between 1837 and 1842 and was New York City’s first water supply system. It replaced the inadequate wells, springs, and ponds used until then. Drawn from the Croton River in Westchester County, the abundant clean water helped fuel a population boom and remained in service until 1958.

Although most of the 41 mile long aqueduct lies underground, some structures are still visible in the Bronx and Manhattan. This trail highlights the remains of the aqueduct and provides a sense of the complex engineering and difficult labor that was required to build it. Above: One of the 21 ventilators along the aqueduct.

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A gnarly tree.

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A closer view of the same tree

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The Archville Bridge Monument. While the bridge itself is not particularly memorable (which probably explains why I’ve never taken a picture of it despite passing over it many times) it does have a somewhat interesting history.

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Tree Stumps.

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Tree silhouette.

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Some kind of structure. I believe it’s called a woodland den. A recent article by Ellyn Kail is worth a read: The Unexpected Architectural Beauty of Woodland Dens

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Broken fence.

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A puddle

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Blossoms.

Taken with a Canon EOS 5DII and Canon EF20-105mm f3.5-4.5 II USM