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.


July

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.
271BOT308CO 07/28 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Holmes
ONLINE

August

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.
271BOT346BO 08/02 Su 10:00am-12:00pm Candee
ONLINE

Urban flora can be found in unlikely places, from city sidewalks and highway medians, to lawns and other man-made environments. Most of these plants are introduced and many are considered weeds. Explore their origins, life cycles, and benefits to the more...
271NAT332BL 08/13 Th 10:00am-11:00am Slowik
ONLINE

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.
271BOT308DO 08/14 Fr 10:00am-12:00pm Bucuvalas
ONLINE

Explore these two beautiful and intriguing groups of herbaceous plants. NYBG's Director of the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium Dr. Emily Sessa will take you through the basic aspects of ferns and lycophytes. Gain an understanding of their form and more...
271BOT360 08/14 Fr 10:00am-1:00pm Sessa
NYBG

September

Learn to measure and monitor the ecological diversity observed and celebrated in and around New York City environs. Practice using field techniques for recording observations in nature while walking along trails in the Garden. Explore the biodiversity within your chosen more...
271NAT323B 09/02 We 10:00am-1:00pm Slowik
NYBG

Delve into the fascinating world of the creatures that make up 84% of the Animal Kingdom—what renowned biologist E.O. Wilson once called "the little things that run the world." We'll discuss the roles that insects play—both in maintaining healthy ecosystems more...
271NAT322BBL 09/12 Sa 10:00am-12:00pm Chaya
BLENDED

The tri-state area contains many distinct ecosystems, including woodlands, salt marshes, meadows, and fresh water wetlands. Study the unique characteristics of local habitats and the species they support, paying close attention to interspecies relationships. We'll spend time in Pelham Bay more...
271NAT337BBL 09/12 Sa 10:00am-12:00pm Herrera
OFS-BL

With its wide variety of habitats and its position on the Atlantic Flyway, NYC is a bird-lover's paradise. Over 300 distinct resident or migratory species live here or pass through, including many nesting species such as Peregrine Falcons, Red-tailed Hawks, more...
271NAT321BL 09/16 We 10:00am-12:00pm Chaya
BLENDED

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.
271BOT317O 09/17 Th 6:30pm-9:30pm Alvarez
ONLINE

In autumn our native Northeast flora can be spectacular, but difficult to identify. With a 10X power hand lens and a plant key, you'll learn to identify these wildflowers, shrubs, and trees on the Garden grounds.
271BOT331 09/17 Th 10:00am-1:00pm Slowik
NYBG

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...
271BOT368 09/18 Fr 10:00am-1:00pm Sadowski
NYBG

October

Botanical Latin is essential for anyone with a serious interest in identifying plants. But, contrary to popular belief, mastering Latin plant names need not be intimidating or boring. Review the rules of taxonomy, Latin grammar, and pronunciation, and learn the more...
272GAR360O 10/01 Th 6:00pm-8:00pm Bakshi
ONLINE

With its wide variety of habitats and its position on the Atlantic Flyway, NYC is a bird-lover's paradise. Over 300 distinct resident or migratory species live here or pass through, including many nesting species such as Peregrine Falcons, Red-tailed Hawks, more...
272NAT321BL 10/04 Su 10:00am-12:00pm Chaya
BLENDED

Take your naturalist game to the next level by learning how to sketch. Drawing asks that you slow down and closely observe what you see, allowing you to identify unfamiliar species and investigate ecological connections. Focusing on trees, you'll learn more...
272NAT400 10/04 Su 11:00am-1:00pm Leighton
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.
272BOT308AO 10/13 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Sparreo
ONLINE

Explore the geology of New York City as you study various rock types and gain an understanding of their significance against the backdrop of plate tectonic theory.
272NAT377 10/16 Fr 10:00am-3:30pm Merguerian
NYBG

Among Earth's most amazing and oldest living organisms, lichens grow on bark, rock, and barren soil. They thrive in rain forests, deserts, the arctic-even environments simulating Mars! Lichens are sensitive environmental indicators, yet scientists are only just beginning to understand more...
272BOT313 10/21 We 10:00am-1:00pm Howland
NYBG

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...
272BOT315AO 10/26 Mo 6:00pm-9:00pm Zumajo
ONLINE

November

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...
272NAT423 11/08 Su 11:00am-1:00pm Leighton
NYBG

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...
272NAT338AO 11/10 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Johnson
ONLINE

December

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.
272BOT308BO 12/02 We 5:30pm-7:30pm Bucuvalas
ONLINE

January

Discover the fascinating traits that most frogs, toads, and salamanders share-such as having thin, smooth skins through which they can breathe-as well as what makes them unique. You'll pick up tips to identify local species by sight and/or sound and more...
273NAT347O 01/12 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Johnson
ONLINE

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).
273BOT385AO 01/13 We 6:00pm-8:00pm Kutos
ONLINE

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.
273BOT308CO 01/14 Th 6:00pm-8:00pm Holmes
ONLINE

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.
273BOT332 01/14 Th 10:00am-1:00pm Slowik
NYBG

Botanical Latin is essential for anyone with a serious interest in identifying plants. But, contrary to popular belief, mastering Latin plant names need not be intimidating or boring. Review the rules of taxonomy, Latin grammar, and pronunciation, and learn the more...
273GAR360AO 01/14 Th 11:00am-1:00pm Bakshi
ONLINE

In winter, New York City becomes a busy resort for scoters, eiders, geese, grebes, loons, owls, songbirds, and even seals that visit to wait out colder weather to the north. Explore the various seasonal behaviors of these animals—from their spectacular more...
273NAT358BL 01/21 Th 6:00pm-8:00pm Jacobs
OFS-BL

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.
273BOT346AO 01/23 Sa 10:00am-12:00pm Candee
ONLINE

Coyotes, bears, and deer are becoming an integral part of urban life due to the extirpation of their predators and conversion of natural habitats. We will look closely at these species and discover how they have adapted to co-exist with more...
273NAT326O 01/26 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Herrera
ONLINE

February

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...
273NAT338BO 02/18 Th 10:00am-12:00pm Johnson
ONLINE

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.
273BOT308DO 02/23 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Sparreo
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...
273BOT315BO 02/24 We 6:00pm-9:00pm Kutos
ONLINE

March

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).
273BOT385BO 03/04 Th 6:00pm-8:00pm Herrera
ONLINE

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.
273BOT308EO 03/06 Sa 11:00am-1:00pm Bucuvalas
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.
273BOT346BO 03/13 Sa 10:00am-12:00pm Candee
ONLINE

Botanical Latin is essential for anyone with a serious interest in identifying plants. But, contrary to popular belief, mastering Latin plant names need not be intimidating or boring. Review the rules of taxonomy, Latin grammar, and pronunciation, and learn the more...
273GAR360BO 03/25 Th 11:00am-1:00pm Bakshi
ONLINE