The Battery

Our October Blooms in The Battery Digital Visitor Guide is now available on the website! Download at the link below and tour the park with your family. Learn more about the Persicaria amplexicaulis (aka Knotweed), pictured here, and identify some of the prominent blooms you see around you. Please remember to follow social distancing guidelines at the Battery. We hope you enjoy your visit! https://bit.ly/34GCPlA

Kids loved our farm tour last week at The Battery, as we explored Battery Urban Farm and learned about the life cycle of plants from seed to seed. Tourgoers watched red wiggler worms decomposing plant material to make new soil. See our worm bin and more at Battery Urban Farm. Just bring your family for a guided tour, every Thursday, 1-2pm. RSVP here https://bit.ly/3iJLnxn

Did you receive our fall e-blast? We shared autumnal updates on TBC programs and projects, as well as photos taken by our gardeners and farm staff. Sign up for our mailing list here http://thebattery.org/stayintouch/

Farm Workshops at The Battery are open for registration on Eventbrite! Sign up to tour the farm with your children. You can also learn the basics of vegetable gardening, medicinal plants, and seed saving. RSVP here: https://bit.ly/2Zph4ou DATES: September 17: Introduction to Vegetable Gardening September 24: Farm Tour for Kids at The Battery Urban Farm... October 8: Medicinal Plants October 15: Seed Saving Please note that the park has developed new safety guidelines to protect visitors from the spread of COVID-19. By participating in this event, you agree to: --Wear a mask over your nose and mouth at all times in The Battery. --Maintain a distance of at least six feet from staff and other park visitors. --Stay home when feeling sick. --Contact The Battery Conservancy if you develop symptoms of COVID-19 after participating in a program. See more

Bird walks are back at The Battery with NYC Audubon! Explore the diversity of migrating birds that find food and habitat in The Battery. You can join us at 8:00am on as many Tuesdays and Wednesdays as you like in the month of September. (9/15, 9/16, 9/22, 9/23, 9/29 & 9/30) The walks are led by Gabriel Willow, an educator from NYC Audubon. Gabriel is an experienced birder and naturalist, and is well-versed in the ecology and history of New York City. RSVP is required for par...ticipation: https://bit.ly/3jKn0As Please note that the park has developed new safety guidelines to protect visitors from the spread of COVID-19, and we must strictly limit the number of participants to 10 people. By participating in this event, you agree to: --Wear a mask over your nose and mouth at all times in The Battery. --Maintain a distance of at least six feet from staff and other park visitors. --Refrain from sharing binoculars or other materials. --Stay home when feeling sick. --Contact The Battery Conservancy if you develop symptoms of COVID-19 after participating in a program.

Did you know? The Battery has a variety of visitor guides so you and your family can enjoy fun, informative, socially distant self-guided tours of the park! From history to native plants, these guides are designed for students and visitors of various ages and interests. Our summer scavenger hunts, designed for students K-2nd and 3rd-5th grades, are available for download now! Head over to our website to download and tour the park: http://thebattery.org/visitor-guides/ Don't f...orget to DM us with your plants, insect, and bird identification questions; our staff are here to help you make the most of your visit. For those visiting The Battery with children, we invite you to print one of our scavenger hunt worksheets to guide your exploration of the plants and animals in the park. Remember to print a map along with your worksheet, and please follow all social distancing guidelines while in the park. We recommend bringing a clipboard and colorful drawing tools if you are able! See more

Did you know? All New Yorkers can now get tested for COVID-19! It's FREE, confidential and available at a location near you. Go to nyc.gov/covidtest to find a convenient testing site today. Stay healthy, NYC! @NYCHealth @NYCHealthSystem

Biking is a great socially distant alternative form of transportation to get where you need to go and exercise in the process! The Battery Bikeway is here for you to provide scenic pathways that connect the east and west sides of Manhattan, weaving among mature trees and garden beds. Photos by @miralalau via @swlap

Deputy Park Manager Josie captured these misty Centaurea cyanus aka bachelor button/cornflower blooming in The Battery on Tuesday. This flower used to grow as a weed in cornfields and is now used in gardens as ornamentation; they bloom in The Battery all summer long. Fun fact: you can use these edible blooms to add color to your salads! Test your knowledge on this well-known wildflower with our quiz, answers below! The Battery Bachelor Button Quiz: 1. In France, what does ...this flower symbolize? a) 11 November 1918 b) 14 July 1789 c) 22 May 1968 2. In folklore, young men in love wore bachelor button in their lapel; what did it mean if the flower faded too quickly? a) they would be married the next day b) their love was not returned c) their lover was in trouble 3. Which of these famous artists featured cornflowers in one of their paintings: a) Pablo Picasso b) Edouard Manet c) Vincent van Gogh 4. What popular kitchen tool did the cornflower become associated with in the 1950s? a) Colston Dishwasher b) Pyroceram cookware c) Bakelite Set- Cake Breaker ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ANSWERS: 1. (a) The bluet de France (cornflowers) is a symbol of the 11 November 1918 armistice and are associated with memorializing veterans (like Remembrance poppies worn in the UK and Canada). 2. (b) their love was not reciprocated. 3. (c) Vincent van Gogh's Wheat Field with Cornflowers (oil on canvas) was finished in 1890. 4. (b) Pyroceram cookware. Corning Glass works adopted the cornflower as its symbol after the extreme popularity of their pyroceram cookware.

If you visit The Battery and you want help identifying a bloom (like this stunning Allium), plant, bird, or insect, direct message us and our staff will answer your questions! Remember to observe social distancing guidelines so we can all safely enjoy the park

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. Joseph Campbell On this Memorial Day, we remember and deeply appreciate the ultimate sacrifice of departed service people across America. Wally Gobetz

The choices we make in designing and managing The Battery have created a biodiverse habitat, attracting bees, birds and butterflies who flock to our lush native plantings. Wondering how (and why) to create biodiversity in your garden? Check out this New York Times article with helpful tips on starting your very own native plant garden from scratch. https://nyti.ms/2XkBTjk

Meet Alfredo With over 600 volunteer hours logged at The Battery, he's one of our dedicated community members who help keep the park running! Get to know Alfredo and his passion for The Battery's perennial splendor on our blog: https://bit.ly/2A3erio

May 22nd is the International Day for Biological Diversity! These photos, taken by Park Manager Sean Kiely, depict the stunning textures and shades of the native plantings in The Labyrinth and Battery Urban Farm that have been blooming largely uninhibited as our staff stayed home. See how many you can spot! (Answers from our staff below) ********************************* Image 1: Tiarella cordifolia aka Foam Flower are the white, cone shaped blooms; its flowers are visited... by pollinators. Packera obovata aka Golden Ragwort are the predominant yellow, daisy-like flowers. They are often visited by a variety of bees, flies, and beetles. Erigeron pulchellus aka Robin's Plantain is a species of the daisy family and they appear with white petals and a yellow head. Image 2: Dennstaedtia punctilobula aka Hay Scented Fern is the deciduous fern seen clearly in the left hand corner. Camassia quamash aka Camassia is the purple perennial herb in the corner. Tiarella cordifolia (foam flower) Packera obovata (golden ragwort) Image 3: Trifolium incarnatum aka Crimson Clover, are the red blooms. Not only does this cover crop fix the nitrogen in the soil, but it is edible and can be used in a variety of cooking treatments! (But, don't try them at home! Like all raw eaten sprouts they possess the potential for health risks if not cultivated correctly)