June 11, 2013
nolagrrlnyc: I’d rather be outside, even in the rain. More on Flickr. Ferns on a rainy day are one of the most poignant touchstones in nature for me. Love those frilly fronds. —MN

nolagrrlnyc:

I’d rather be outside, even in the rain. More on Flickr.

Ferns on a rainy day are one of the most poignant touchstones in nature for me. Love those frilly fronds. —MN

3:34pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5yn6plGl
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(Notes: 59)
  
Filed under: ferns plants outdoors nature NYBG 
May 14, 2013
Truth be told, my stomach for green things had a threshold sitting somewhere below sea level until I was into my early twenties. Shameful, I know. Since then, I’ve been anxious to at least try new vegetation (I didn’t say I’d like it), and fiddleheads—the furled fronds of young ferns—are high on my list. There are some caveats to harvesting these adolescent springtime delicacies yourself, up to and including potential food poisoning and natural toxins if you don’t know your way around a woodland harvest. But one of our own experts, John Mickel (NYBG senior curator emeritus, fern expert, and secretary of the New York Fern Society for decades) was on hand to put at least one concern to rest in this quick rundown of the latest trend in foraged food. As always, don’t eat anything wild without knowing what you’re doing. And be sure to have a thorough understanding of your area’s collection laws; if you don’t know the status of what you’re picking, and it’s not your land, best to leave it alone. Click through for the fiddlehead rundown, complete with preparation tips. —MN

Truth be told, my stomach for green things had a threshold sitting somewhere below sea level until I was into my early twenties. Shameful, I know. Since then, I’ve been anxious to at least try new vegetation (I didn’t say I’d like it), and fiddleheads—the furled fronds of young ferns—are high on my list.

There are some caveats to harvesting these adolescent springtime delicacies yourself, up to and including potential food poisoning and natural toxins if you don’t know your way around a woodland harvest. But one of our own experts, John Mickel (NYBG senior curator emeritus, fern expert, and secretary of the New York Fern Society for decades) was on hand to put at least one concern to rest in this quick rundown of the latest trend in foraged food.

As always, don’t eat anything wild without knowing what you’re doing. And be sure to have a thorough understanding of your area’s collection laws; if you don’t know the status of what you’re picking, and it’s not your land, best to leave it alone. Click through for the fiddlehead rundown, complete with preparation tips. —MN

10:40am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5ykzMQcA
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(Notes: 33)
  
Filed under: fiddleheads ferns plants food eating John Mickel 
February 14, 2013

Awwwwwwh! A botanical Valentine! Happy Valentine’s Day followers! We are in fact, awfully frond of you! xoxo

birdandmoon:

Here are some valentines for the biology nerds. Love to y’all!

3:20pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5ye8ZqfZ
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(Notes: 3,982)
  
Filed under: Valentine's Day Valentines Botany Ferns Geekery 
October 24, 2012

There’s a new genus of ferns out there, and they’re named for Lady Gaga. No … Seriously.

Scientists at Duke University were initially inspired by Lady Gaga’s costume at the 2010 Grammy’s which resembled a bisexual fern gametophyte. Biologist Kathleen Pryer was also inspired by Gaga’s second album, Born This Way. And finally, the genus’ new moniker was sealed by an unusual sequence in its genome that is completely unique, and—yep, you guessed it—GAGA. No word yet on whether or not her ladyship is aware of this amazing botanical honor, but it wouldn’t be the first time science and Gaga met.

(via Biologist Names New Genus Of Ferns After Lady Gaga: Gothamist)

10:40am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5yVuMxXt
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(Notes: 29)
  
Filed under: Ferns Lady Gaga Science Nature Genomics Nomenclature Botany Pop Culture Geekery 
April 23, 2012
inothernews: GREEN TRANSPORTATION    A praying mantis appears to be pedaling a bicycle, which is actually a fern, at a cemetery in Ambawang River Village, Indonesia.  (Photo: Eco Suparman / Caters via The Telegraph) I know, some consider novel photos and human interest stories a Tumblr copout. But this praying mantis is riding a bicycle. —MN

inothernews:

GREEN TRANSPORTATION    A praying mantis appears to be pedaling a bicycle, which is actually a fern, at a cemetery in Ambawang River Village, Indonesia.  (Photo: Eco Suparman / Caters via The Telegraph)

I know, some consider novel photos and human interest stories a Tumblr copout. But this praying mantis is riding a bicycle. —MN

12:02pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5yKAT4dx
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(Notes: 1,281)
  
Filed under: praying mantis photography nature ferns 
March 24, 2012
Ferns Fling Their Spores with a One-Two Catapult There’s not much that a fern has in common with a baseball pitcher. One sits docile among its fellows and releases spores; the other commands a hefty salary. The first has been around for millions of years; the other…sometimes chews tobacco. But as absurd as this comparison is, a recent understanding of a long-known structure in ferns is at least narrowing the gap between the two. Known as the annulus, the reproductive feature is helping scientists understand the unique process of spore-based propagation. The structure is essentially a catapult—it snaps open, flinging spores out and away from the plant in a motion that takes only a few microseconds. It may not be a 100mph fast pitch hurtled into a catcher’s mitt, but it’s a little more proactive than waiting for the birds to do the work for you. —MN

Ferns Fling Their Spores with a One-Two Catapult

There’s not much that a fern has in common with a baseball pitcher. One sits docile among its fellows and releases spores; the other commands a hefty salary. The first has been around for millions of years; the other…sometimes chews tobacco. But as absurd as this comparison is, a recent understanding of a long-known structure in ferns is at least narrowing the gap between the two.

Known as the annulus, the reproductive feature is helping scientists understand the unique process of spore-based propagation. The structure is essentially a catapult—it snaps open, flinging spores out and away from the plant in a motion that takes only a few microseconds. It may not be a 100mph fast pitch hurtled into a catcher’s mitt, but it’s a little more proactive than waiting for the birds to do the work for you. —MN

12:00pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5yIURd7u
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(Notes: 23)
  
Filed under: Ferns spores horticulture 
June 8, 2011
Fern Gully

I’m slowly learning to become a home gardener and no matter what else goes wrong in my yard, I am always thrilled to see the ferns grow deliciously without any help, or hindrance, from me! Photo taken May 21st at 9:40am, Bedford, NY. 

Submitted by blogger Earth Ocean Sky Redux

Bedford Fern

5:45pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5y5vQQDB
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(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: Ferns Gardening Visitor-Generated Content submission 
March 29, 2011
Garden writer for The New York Times Michael Tortorello learns to love the humble Boston Fern with a little help from NYBG Curator of Ferns, Robbin Moran.

Garden writer for The New York Times Michael Tortorello learns to love the humble Boston Fern with a little help from NYBG Curator of Ferns, Robbin Moran.

4:00pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5y3vllwg
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(Notes: 1)
  
Filed under: The New York Botanical Garden The New York Times Ferns NYBG Scientists House Plants 
January 4, 2011
We love the new look our friends over at Garden Design magazine have ginned up for their website. This gorgeous slideshow of ferns, in a way we’ve never looked at them before, is emblematic of the hip, clean, beautiful new design. Go pay them a visit. Tell ‘em NYBG sent you!

We love the new look our friends over at Garden Design magazine have ginned up for their website. This gorgeous slideshow of ferns, in a way we’ve never looked at them before, is emblematic of the hip, clean, beautiful new design. Go pay them a visit. Tell ‘em NYBG sent you!

5:11pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZV1L5y2Q_wmw
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Filed under: The New York Botanical Garden Ferns Garden Design Magazine Photography 
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