Urban Naturalist Classes

In this teeming metropolis we call home, nature is all around us whether we pause to carefully observe it or not. Amaranth springs through the cracks in our sidewalks; migrating warblers rest in our parks; horseshoe crabs scuttle onto our beaches to breed. As a NYBG Urban Naturalist, you will have a unique opportunity to explore these diverse habitats while discovering the keys that unlock their many secrets. Enroll in a course for fun or pursue a Certificate.

Click here for an overview of the Certificate Program.


October

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.
252BOT308AO 10/15 Tu 5:30pm-7:30pm Bucuvalas
ONLINE

Take your naturalist game up another level by moving beyond sketchbook drawings to create an accordion book-or small series of artworks-inspired by your favorite observations of NYBG. Working with shadows and light, you'll explore color in a variety of media more...
252NAT423O 10/19 Sa 11:00am-1:00pm Leighton
ONLINE

Explore the myriad structures and diverse life cycles of plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria. Discover how and why scientists have divided and classified these organisms.
252BOT317O 10/21 Mo 6:00pm-9:00pm Paradiso
ONLINE

In NYC, fall is the best time to hunt for edible fungi. Paul Sadowski, 25-year veteran of the NY Mycological Society, will lead a mushroom hunt, and show you how to identify many species and their look-alikes, where to find more...
252BOT368 10/26 Sa 10:00am-1:00pm Sadowski
NYBG

November

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.
252BOT308BO 11/07 Th 5:30pm-7:30pm Holmes
ONLINE

Urbanization is changing biodiversity, interspecies relationships, and even animal behavior, in the tri-state area and beyond. Liz Johnson, former manager of AMNH's Metropolitan Biodiversity Program, will introduce you to the particular habitats found here, as well as plants and animals more...
252NAT338AO 11/19 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Johnson
ONLINE

December

Discover how trees communicate via chemical signals in the air (to warn of insect attacks) and transfer nutrients to one another through complex underground fungal networks (sometimes to assist sick trees).
252BOT385O 12/03 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Kutos
ONLINE

January

In class and in forays around the Garden, you'll learn to recognize the winter characteristics of native and common woody plants by bud types, leaf scars, fruit remnants, and other distinguishing marks.
253BOT332 01/15 We 10:00am-1:00pm Slowik
NYBG