Here at VCPA, we think that nature is cool. We might be a little biased but we think nature in Van Cortlandt Park (VCP) is super cool. In honor of the 50th Earth Day, we want to compile a list of 50 Cool Facts About Nature in VCP. We don’t want to just share our...
Do you ever wonder where your trash goes when you throw it out? The short answer is, it really depends on where you throw it. As we approach Earth Day 2020 there is a growing issue with one particular type of trash: Gloves. Yes, gloves. Simple, common, and suddenly important disposable gloves. Gloves are being...
Note from the ED: Sara Kempton, Director of the Programs for the Friends, is the biggest fan of swans on the Friends’ staff while the others are really not because of the ecological impact of these non-native birds. Therefore, we decided that she should be the one to write a blogpost about the impact of...
Below are the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park ‘s 10 Most Wanted Invasive Plant Species in Van Cortlandt Park (in alphabetical order). Learn more about the invasives species trying to take over our forests by clicking on each name to see their Wanted Poster. Please note: there are plenty more invasives in the Park but...
Written By Alex Byrne With over 1,100 acres of park land Van Cortlandt Park stands as one of New York city’s last refuges for animals adapted to forest and wetland habitat. It truly is where NYC discovers, with great potential for the park to be used as a natural laboratory to understand how urban environments...
Editor’s note: In honor of World Water Day (March 22nd annually) today’s Natural Selections post is focused on Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) who call Tibbetts Brook and Van Cortlandt Lake home. Alex Byrne will introduce you to these fascinating creatures and share with you why you spend some time watching them in the Park. It...
Editor’s note: We would like to introduce you to our newest blogpost series- Natural Selections of Van Cortlandt Park. This series will focus on the creatures that call Van Cortlandt Park home. With well over half of its 1,146 acres being comprised of natural habitats- forests, wetlands, a lake and meadows- many plants and animals...
The Buggy Down Bronx:Mapping Ant Diversity Across Van Cortlandt Park by: Alex Byrne As the Jurassic faded into the Cretaceous, planet earth began to experience a revolution in sociality with the radiation of one of the most ecologically dominant groups of animals to date, the ants. By living communally in colonies that can number in...
