Urban Naturalist Certificate Electives

Elective course offerings vary with every catalog season. Browse this page to discover what's currently scheduled. Students in pursuit of a Certificate must complete at least 30 elective course hours.


June

Join ecologist Michael Gaige as he demonstrates how to identify old and ancient trees, both in Eastern woodlands and across the globe. He will discuss the factors that allow them to grow for centuries and illustrate how the advanced age, more...
264NAT353O 06/16 Tu 6:00pm-8:00pm Gaige
ONLINE

Have you wondered why plants are green? What makes a tomato red? Or why exactly do leaves turn red or brown in the fall? This class will explore the diversity of colors in plants. You'll gain insight into the chemistry more...
264BOT374O 06/24 We 10:00am-12:30pm Bijkerk
ONLINE

July

Learn how to identify this unique order of insects as they take to the skies in early summer. Study their biology, behavior, habitat associations, and conservation efforts currently underway.
271NAT311O 07/06 Mo 6:00pm-8:00pm Wells
ONLINE

How do plants thrive without touching the ground? This course explores the remarkable world of epiphytes—plants that live perched on others yet remain self-sufficient. Focusing on orchids, bromeliads, and other canopy specialists, we'll examine their anatomy, water relations, and ecological more...
271BOT336O 07/09 Th 10:00am-1:00pm Bijkerk
ONLINE

On any walk through a woodland area, you've likely seen bracket fungi without even knowing it. These woody, often large, shelved bodies grow on tree trunks and due to their hard and durable stature, go largely ignored but hold many more...
271BOT364 07/14 Tu 11:00am-1:00pm Sadowski
NYBG

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).
271BOT385O 07/15 We 6:00pm-8:00pm Kutos
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

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 how to analyze the diversity of fruits and seeds, along with their dispersal mechanisms. By doing so, you'll reveal a fascinating aspect of plant biology and better understand the critical role that plants play in their ecosystems.
271BOT342O 09/08 Tu 10:00am-12:30pm Bijkerk
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...
271BOT368 09/18 Fr 10:00am-1:00pm Sadowski
NYBG