Tag Archives: state historic sites

Historic Sites

Unseen Buds

5 Comments

We salute National Poetry Month with a poem by Walt Whitman, the 19th century poet whose birthplace is a New York State Historic Site.

UNSEEN BUDS

Unseen buds, infinite, hidden well,

Under the snow and ice, under the darkness, in every square or

cubic inch,

Germinal, exquisite, in delicate lace, microscopic, unborn,

Like babes in wombs, latent, folded, compact, sleeping;

Billions of billions, and trillions of trillions of them waiting,

(On earth and in the sea – the universe – the stars there in the

heavens,)

Urging slowly, surely forward, forming endless,

And waiting ever more, forever more behind.

Walt Whitman, Leaves of grass, 1891-1892

Take some time this month to see the poetry in the unseen buds and early spring flowers in a state park or historic site near you.

Sugar maple buds, photo by S. Carver, State Parks
Birch buds, photo by S. Carver, State Parks
Tamarac buds, photo by S. Carver, State Parks
Black walnut buds, Photo by S. Carver, State Parks
Large-flowered bellwort, photo by State Parks
This shrub is found is found in cool forests with sugar maple, beech and birch. The buds of hobblebush are large and lack protective bud scales so they look like praying hands. The buds open as the leaves expand, and some contain a cluster of flower buds in the center as you see here. You can learn more about this plant at the NY Plant Atlas. http://newyork.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=726 This shrub is one of the favorite nesting spots for black-throated blue warblers. Photo by J. Lundgren, NYSNHP
Fern fronds, photo by State Parks
Family Fun, Park Volunteers

I Love My Park Day – 2016

Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I Love My Park Day (ILMPD) started in 2012 when 49 New York state parks and historic sites were helped by thousands of volunteers, including Governor Andrew Cuomo.  These volunteers worked on a variety of projects including cleaning up park lands and beaches, planting trees and gardens, restoring trails and wildlife habitat, removing invasive species, and working on various site-improvement projects.  In 2015 ILMPD grew to 6,500 volunteers who helped with 200 projects in 95 state parks and historic sites across the state.

In 2016, I Love My Park Day is Saturday May 7 with events planned at 110 parks and historic sites across the state.  Find a place to help here (or at nysparks.com/events).  From Hither Hills State Park in eastern Long Island, to Point au Roche State Park on Lake Champlain, Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Site in the Finger Lakes, Mine Kill State Park in the Catskills, Two Rivers State Park Recreation Area in the southern tier, Walkway Over The Hudson State Historic Park in the Hudson Valley, and more – there is something for everyone.  ILMPD also expanded this year to include DEC properties in the Adirondacks and Catskills as well as local and federal parks in New York. ILMPD is a great opportunity to get outside, enjoy the camaraderie of old and new friends, and give back to your favorite park.

I Love My Park Day is a joint program organized by Parks and Trails NY (PTNY) in partnership with State Parks, and local park Friends groups.

We hope to see you on May 7 for a day of fun and stewardship in New York’s backyard that is open to everyone – State Parks!

#ilovemyparkday

Valley Stream
Bring your friends to ILMPD! Taking a break at Valley Stream, photo by OPRHP