Botany Classes

Do you have a desire to be closer to nature? Take a botany class and gain a deeper understanding of how plants connect us to the natural world. Botanical studies explore all aspects of plant growth and development, plant communities, and the role of plants in ecosystems. At the everyday level, botany can be your gateway to herbal healing, foraging for wild edibles, cross-cultural understanding, or just a deeper appreciation of nature's seasonal beauty.

Click here for an overview of the Certificate Program.


April

Build your confidence and ability to discover the normally invisible (& fascinating!) aspects of plants, fungi, lichens, slime molds, spores, and other plant specimens using microscopes. In this course, you'll learn the optical principles of microscopy and become comfortable with more...
264BOT398 04/10 Fr 11:00am-2:00pm Sadowski
NYBG

Witness the diversity of plants in the northeast as they flower and set seed in rapid succession. Follow the bloom sequence of spring wildflowers, shrubs and trees during this much anticipated season of rebirth. Learn to identify native plants using more...
264BOT333 04/11 Sa 11:00am-2:00pm Slowik
NYBG

This is the class for plant-lovers eager to up their game! Learn the terminology and basic botanical nomenclature that will help you recognize and describe key differences in common plants.
264BOT308AO 04/12 Su 10:00am-12:00pm Sparreo
ONLINE

Have you heard? Botanizing is the new birding! Join Let's BotanizeŽ co-founders, Ben Goulet-Scott, Ph.D., and Jacob S. Suissa, Ph.D. for a botanizing walk through NYBG. Through their non-profit work and new book, Let's Botanize: 101 Ways to Connect with more...
264BOT282 04/14 Tu 1:30pm-3:30pm Botanize
NYBG

A care for plants is a care for the planet, say Ben Goulet-Scott, Ph.D., and Jacob S. Suissa, Ph.D., who are co-founders of Let's BotanizeŽ—an educational non-profit promoting the hobby of botanizing by spreading curiosity, knowledge, and appreciation of plants more...
264LEC206 04/14 Tu 11:00am-12:00pm Botanize
MERTZLIBRARY

How do plants grow and develop? In this class, you'll study the cellular and molecular aspects that drive the development of land plants. Explore major evolutionary innovations as you analyze the diversity of structures throughout each developmental phase and the more...
264BOT380 04/15 We 6:00pm-9:00pm Pierdona
NYBG

Explore the basics of ethnobotany, supplemented by stories and data gleaned from fieldwork. Discover how selected plant resources are used by traditional and postindustrial cultures today, as well as how plants have been used historically for healing and harm, foods more...
264BOT344O 04/19 Su 10:00am-12:00pm Halane
ONLINE

Learn to identify the native and naturalized trees, shrubs, and woody vines of the Northeast by their vegetative characteristics using their scientific and common names. You'll also hone your ability to use taxonomic keys and field guides.
264BOT375BL 04/21 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Grumm
BLENDED

As the mushroom season awakens, discover how and where to hunt for Oysters, Inky Caps, Wine Caps, Dryad's Saddle, Reishi, and the early spring Chicken Mushroom. Even the elusive Morels occur throughout the metropolitan region, and spring is the ideal more...
264BOT330 04/22 We 10:00am-1:00pm Sadowski
NYBG

Japanese knotweed is one of the most versatile ingredients in the forager's spring pantry and one of the most invasive plants in the U.S. today. In this walk-and-talk, we'll discuss the best time and way to harvest it, its use more...
264CKG220 04/23 Th 11:00am-1:00pm Bimwala
NYBG

Join herbalist and foraging expert Journei Bimwala for an immersive walk through spring's edible landscape. Using sight, touch, smell, and taste, you'll learn to identify, harvest, and understand the deeper meaning of wild plants-their cultural significance, medicinal power, and culinary more...
264CKG245 04/30 Th 11:00am-2:00pm Bimwala
NYBG

May

Explore the remarkable diversity of cacti and succulents by examining the morphological and anatomical characteristics of these major plant families. You'll gain an understanding of plant adaptations in semi-arid biomes which will help determine which plants are suitable for a more...
264BOT366O 05/04 Mo 10:00am-1:00pm Bijkerk
ONLINE

Herbaceous plants occupy prairies, wetlands, forest understories, and many other habitats. The identifying characteristics of this diverse group of plants are often quite different from those of woody plants. You'll learn the fundamental herbaceous plant identification characteristics, as well as more...
264BOT376 05/04 Mo 5:00pm-8:00pm Holmes
NYBG

Explore the basic principles that influence the ecological relationships of the urban forest ecosystem, and learn how these principles can be applied to forest stewardship. Using the Garden grounds as a site for observation and field study, learn to understand more...
264BOT326BL 05/05 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Zeiger
BLENDED

Paleobotany, the study of plant evolution through fossil evidence, gives us insights into Earth's flora, past and present. In this class, you'll learn about the evolution of plants—from when life first emerged from the ocean to modern day trees and more...
264BOT434O 05/05 Tu 5:30pm-7:30pm Boyer
ONLINE

Get a solid grounding in the basic plant body-from the cell to the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit. We'll use dissecting and compound light microscopes to observe plant anatomy, then introduce the base-level chemistry required to understand the world more...
264BOT315AO 05/06 We 6:00pm-9:00pm Kutos
ONLINE

Discover the many herbs and spices prized for centuries to heal, to revitalize the immune system, and to treat and prevent asthma, insomnia, flu, and more.
264BOT346AO 05/12 Tu 10:00am-12:00pm Bijkerk
ONLINE

We will cover the role of plant hormones in growth and development, as well as plant movement, water transport through the plant body, and plant metabolism, including photosynthesis and respiration (anaerobic and aerobic).
264BOT316 05/14 Th 4:00pm-7:00pm Alvarez
NYBG

Wine carries the flavor of the land where its grapes are grown—something the French call terroir. Regions where the same grape varieties grow differ in terms of climate and soil composition. This is partly why Chardonnay wines made in California more...
264CKG202 05/17 Su 2:00pm-4:00pm Arbor
NYBG

This is the class for plant-lovers eager to up their game! Learn the terminology and basic botanical nomenclature that will help you recognize and describe key differences in common plants.
264BOT308BO 05/27 We 10:00am-12:00pm Bucuvalas
ONLINE
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