In the Forest With Anne

And so I stood not only at the edge but a little ways into this 50 acre remnant of old-growth forest at The New York Botanical Garden with Anne today and counted trees, recorded species, and measured the DBH (Diameter at breast height) of native trees with callipers. It was a chance to test my ID skills and learn some new species from Anne, who's working in the forest this year as a gardener's assistant. When you get the opportunity to stand in the forest and still be in New York City among so many native plants (of course, part of the reason for taking the measurements is identifying what invasives are present and how the forest is changing over time), you don't say no. Thanks Anne. I'd put a picture here of the tiniest bit of forest we surveyed today, but it wouldn't begin to do it justice. You need all of your senses to appreciate some things.