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Our Fall Lecture Series kicks off August 29

Published: 
6 years 28 weeks ago

From Thomas Jefferson’s gardens of Monticello; to the plight of the pollinators; to the secrets of ancient forests; there is something for everyone during the 26th Annual Cornell Plantations Fall Lecture Series.

Paul Sawyer, professor of English at Cornell University kicks-off the series on August 29th with “The First Ecologist: John Ruskin and the Futures of Landscape” in Call Alumni Auditorium in Kennedy Hall at 5:30 p.m. on the Cornell University campus.
Sawyer will trace John Ruskin’s dramatic and contradictory career from his exquisitely precise drawings of clouds, rocks, leaves, and sculptured walls and niches, into his storm-driven middle years, when his despair over the deterioration of landscape matched his fierce belief that science, art, and writing were but different routes to the same truth: Nature as the source of the greatest art and the ultimate guarantor of human values.  Ruskin was an art critic, amateur scientist, uptopian socialist, and one of the greatest prose stylists in English-founded modern art criticism during England’s Victorian Era.  

The Cornell Plantations Fall Lecture Series is free, open to the public, and lectures are offered alternating Wednesdays until November 7 (Aug. 29, Sept. 12 & 26, Oct. 10 & 24, and Nov. 7).  The first lecture is followed by a garden party in the botanical garden of Cornell Plantations – adjacent to the Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center located at 124 Comstock Knoll Road, in Ithaca.  The first lecture and the September 26 lecture will take place in Call Alumni Auditorium in Kennedy Hall.  All other lectures will take place in Statler Hall Auditorium in Statler Hall on the Cornell University campus.

“The Fall Lecture Series is a great way for us to provide a national, often a global view, of the trends, challenges, and opportunities the natural world affords us,” stated Sonja Skelly, director of education at Cornell Plantations.  “We are excited to bring well-renowned and respected speakers to Ithaca to share their unique perspectives and offer us a chance to learn more and engage in conversation around such fascinating topics."

Read "Plantations Predators" in a recent blog post on "The Essentials"

Published: 
6 years 29 weeks ago

Cornell Plantations continues to battle invasive insects to protect our native plant populations. Read about what we are doing and what we anticipate invading our area soon in this blog post from Cornell Chronicle's "The Essentials," written by Rebecca Harrison '14.

Orientation Weekend tour schedule at Cornell Plantations

Published: 
6 years 29 weeks ago

Enjoy free tours this weekend

Saturday

Botanical Garden Tour, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.   
Meet at the Nevin Welcome Center in the botanical gardens

Sunday

Botanical Garden Tour from North Campus, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. 
Meet at Appel Commons

Arboretum Tour, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.   
Meet at the Sculpture Garden in the Arboretum

Botanical Garden Tour, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.   
Meet at the Nevin Welcome Center

15-minute mini tours of the Botanic Garden, 2:30, 2:45, 3:00, 3:15  
Meet at the Nevin Welcome Center

 

Take it outside: Explore campus with our online maps

Published: 
6 years 29 weeks ago

New to Cornell, or just want to enjoy the outdoors? You can now access trail maps with hikes of varying distances on our website at cornellplantations.org/trails.

In addition to trail maps, this section of our website offers a map locating safe public swimming areas near campus. Click here for swimming information.

New this year!

During the last two weekends of August, Cornell is providing shuttles to and from the swimming area at Robert H. Treman State Park. Click here for more information.

Local glass art and oil paintings on display at the Nevin Welcome Center

Published: 
6 years 29 weeks ago

From now through September, you can enjoy two art exhibits in the Nevin Welcome Center lobby.

"Landscapes: A Celebration of Color" is a sampling of oil paintings by local artist Patty Porter. All of her paintings are rich in color and texture and include a few landscapes of Cornell Plantations.

 

 

 

"Glass Impressions" is a range of botanically-themed glass art from four local artists featuring flameworked glass by Margaret Neher, stained glass by Buddy Klausner and Linna Dolph, and glass sculpture by Tony Serviente.

New gorge safety video

Published: 
6 years 31 weeks ago

The gorges are integral parts of Ithaca's landscape, and are what make the area so "gorges!" As the caretakers of the Fall Creek and Cascadilla Gorges, Cornell Plantations knows the safety of our visitors is paramount.  Todd Bittner, Director of Plantations natural areas, is featured in a new Cornell student-produced video which showcases the beauty of Cornell's gorges as well as outlines potential dangers. This video will be shown to all incoming students.

 

To ensure your visit to Cornell's gorges is a safe one, we encourage you to view this video.

Read the buzz about the Ithaca Shakespeare Company's "Romeo and Juliet"

Published: 
6 years 34 weeks ago

From Ithaca, Rochester and as far away as the Hudson Valley, folks are talking about the Shakespeare performances in the F. R. Newman Arboretum.

Click here to view images of last week's productions of Romeo and Juliet by the Ithaca Shakespeare Company taken for The Journal News in the Lower Hudson Valley.

View our calendar for the schedule of Shakespeare performances this month.

photo by Simon Wheeler

 

Check out our PEEPS!

Published: 
6 years 34 weeks ago

Six high school students are spending part of their summer working with
Cornell Plantations staff to gain skills that will cultivate an
environmental ethic for future actions in our new "Plantations Environmental Education Program for Sustainability" or PEEPS.   Read more about this exciting pilot program in the July 12 Cornell Chronicle article, "Pilot program aims to cure 'plant blindness' among high school students."  This program is also featured in the Cornell Chronicle's "Picture Cornell" slideshow for July 12, 2012.

Shakespeare at Plantations: A Decade of Drama

Published: 
6 years 35 weeks ago

The Ithaca Shakespeare Company (ISC) and Cornell Plantations celebrate 10-years of Shakespeare with two of the Bard’s best known plays performed in Plantations’ F.R. Newman Arboretum. The ISC will be performing Love Hurts: “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Romeo and Juliet” in rotating repertoire beginning July 12 through July 29, 2012.

For ten years, the beauty of Cornell Plantations has provided the perfect setting for the Ithaca Shakespeare Company’s productions.  In this 10th year of partnership, the ISC will transform Plantations’ Jackson Grove into a playhouse that would have made Shakespeare proud and that audiences have enjoyed for a decade.

Collaboration has been key to bringing the ISC’s performances to the stage in Jackson Grove. “One of the main reasons this project has been successful over the past ten years has been the way the Plantations staff has embraced it,” said Stephen Ponton, artistic director of the Ithaca Shakespeare Company. “Plantations Director Don Rakow has been an enthusiastic supporter of the productions from day one, and many other Plantations staff members have helped out in a wide variety of ways over the years, from stringing ropes up in the trees to managing parking at the performances.”

“We welcome the return of the Ithaca Shakespeare Company for a tenth season of performances at Cornell Plantations,” stated Dr. Don Rakow, the E.N. Wilds director of Cornell Plantations. “We feel privileged to have the plays mounted in this beautiful outdoor setting, just as the Bard intended for his works.  Plantations is committed to engaging local audiences in a variety of ways, from tours, to classes, to artistic offerings, all intended to educate, delight and enlighten.”

Mr. Ponton understands that performing outdoor theatre always has its challenges, but working in such a beautiful natural location has a tremendous positive impact on the performances. He says, “it's always a great moment when we first move out to the performance site from our indoor rehearsal space. Being out there under the trees and the sky (and sometimes the rain) immediately makes every scene feel bigger and more energized. The location truly becomes a part of the performance. The actors love it and are really grateful for the chance to share their love of Shakespeare with our audiences in such a magical environment.”

All performances start at 6:00 PM and will take place at Jackson Grove in the F.R. Newman Arboretum. Performances are “pay what you can”, but a $10 donation is suggested. Please bring lawn chairs, blankets, and umbrellas, as performances will continue during rain (the performances will be cancelled if lightening is present).  There is limited reserved seating available for $15.  For more information on advance purchase tickets or to learn more about the ISC please visit: www.ithacashakespeare.org.

Free Highlight Tours

Published: 
6 years 36 weeks ago

Each Saturday and Sunday through the summer, Plantations will offer free highlight tours of the Botanical Garden and the ArboretumBotanical Garden tours take place on Saturdays from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.; Arboretum tours are held on Sundays from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.  No need to register, just come on by. 

Gorge stewards help visitors enjoy Ithaca's natural wonders

Published: 
6 years 36 weeks ago

Ithaca, as we know, is gorges. A visit to one of these natural wonders is almost essential for every student and visitor to Cornell. But just like crossing the street, there are safe and unsafe ways to go about it. To help visitors enjoy the gorges safely, the university will deploy a team of gorge stewards, starting July 2.

Read more here.

The Fall Creek and Cascadilla Gorges are part of Cornell Plantations' natural areas.

Plantations partners with BTI to educate youth on plants used to produce sustainable goods

Published: 
6 years 36 weeks ago

The consumption of one-use disposable goods made from non-biodegradable
materials like plastic has led to an array of waste management and
pollution problems. Researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research (BTI) will be providing fun, hand-on demonstrations to students in Plantations' new teen program, Plantations Environmental Education Program for Sustainability (PEEPS) about these new plant-based materials.

Read more in the BTI news article, Plants to Bioproducts: BTI, Cornell Plantations and the Ithaca Sciencenter.

REUNION SCHEDULE FOR CORNELL PLANTATIONS

Published: 
6 years 39 weeks ago

 

FRIDAY, JUNE 8

 
9:00 am – 4:00 pm Shuttle Service to the Botanical Garden

  • Shuttles to the Nevin Welcome Center at the botanical garden run from the west side of Barton Hall (across from Statler Hall), between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

 
10:00 am – 4:00 pm  Information Table and “Ask a Gardener”

  • Under the pergola, in the Botanical Garden. Friday and Saturday.

 
10:00 am – 12:00 pm  Botanical Garden Mini-Tours

  • 15 minutes each, starting at 10:00, 10:20, 10:40, 11:00, 11:20, & 11:40; Meet at the courtyard in front of the Nevin Welcome Center

11:00 am Mundy Wildflower Garden Tour

  • Meet at the Caldwell Road entrance to the Wildflower Garden.

2:00 pm  Upper Cascadilla Gorge Hike

  • Meet in front of the Schwartz Performing Arts Center, Collegetown. Tour ends at Rhodes Hall, engineering Quad.

 
2:00 – 3:00 pm  Botanical Garden Mini-Tours

  • 15 minutes each, starting at 2:00, 2:20 and 2:40,Meet at the courtyard in front of the Nevin Welcome Center

3:00 - 4:00 pm  Cornell Plantations History Tour

  • Meet at the courtyard in front of the Nevin Welcome Center

 

                                                                                          
SATURDAY, JUNE 9
9:00 am – 4:00 pm  Plant Sale!

  • Plant Production Facility, 397 Forest Home Drive (in the Arboretum across from Flat Rock)

9:00 am – 4:00 pm  Shuttle Service to the Botanical Garden

  • Shuttles to the Nevin Welcome Center at the botanical garden run from the west side of Barton Hall (across from Statler Hall), between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

10:00 am – 4:00 pm  Information Table and “Ask a Gardener”

  • Under the pergola, in the Botanical Garden. Friday and Saturday.

10:00 - 11:00 am  Botanical Garden Tour

  • Meet at the courtyard in front of the Nevin Welcome Center

11:00 am – 2:30 pm  Botanical Garden Mini-Tours

  • 15 minutes each, starting at 11:00, 11:20, 11:40, 12:00 12:20, 12:40, 1:00, 1:20, 1:40, 2:00 and 2:20. Meet at the courtyard in front of the Nevin Welcome Center

2:30 – 3:30 pm  “The Hangovers” - Allan Hosie Treman '21 Memorial Concert

  • Jackson Grove, F.R. Newman Arboretum.  This is an outdoor event, so please bring sunscreen, sun hat, and umbrella (the concert will be held under a tent).  Accessibility for disabled persons is limited. Refreshments provided.  Buses depart from Barton Hall west entrance at 2:00 pm and return at 4:00 pm.

 

New signs in Fall Creek gorge encourage safe use

Published: 
6 years 41 weeks ago

As the weather continues to get warmer, staff at Cornell Plantations and the University are working together to add and improve signage that encourages safe use of the gorge. Along trails in Fall Creek Gorge you will now see updated safety signs, and soon there will be orientation signs at trailheads.

Read more in the May 24 Cornell Chronicle article, "New signs spell out regulations for safe gorge use."

Garden tours for Cornell Graduation

Published: 
6 years 42 weeks ago

Congratulations Cornell Graduates!

We invite graduates and their families to come to the botanical garden this weekend for tours, photo shoots, and to enjoy the beauty of Cornell in one the most spectacular gardens on campus.

On Saturday, May 26 from 10:00 -12:00, you can take a 15-minute mini-tour and hear from our garden docents who’ll be on hand to answer your questions and help you find your way around.

Tours will launch approximately every 15 minutes between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon. The botanical garden collections include the stunning Bowers Rhododendron Collection, Robison York State Herb Garden, Martha Young Flower Garden, Heasley Rock Garden, Mullestein Winter Garden, Groundcover Collection, and more. You can also visit the award-winning Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center, which houses indoor exhibits, a gift shop, small café, and visitor amenities. Parking is free on weekends at the botanical garden, located on Plantations Road (campus map quad F4).

The botanical garden, arboretum, and our many natural areas are all free and open, year-round, from dawn to dusk.  Our Welcome Center, located in the botanical garden, will be open May 25 and May 26 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and on May 27 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; the Welcome Center will be closed on Monday, May 28.

 

On Display: Macro Images and Photo Montages by Nancy Ridenour

Published: 
6 years 43 weeks ago

Visit the Nevin Welcome Center now through May to enjoy Nancy Ridenour's abstractions
from the Sculpture Garden in the Arboretum, flower montages, and macro flower
images, several of which were taken in Plantations' Botanical Garden.

About the artist:

Flowers and gardening have always been central to Nancy Ridenour's life. Her family has been in the landscaping and florist business in the Schenectady, N.Y. region since the late 1800’s, so she grew up with the beauty and smells of flowers. As a biology teacher in Ithaca for thirty-two years, she frequently incorporated these interests into the classroom.


Nancy's background and teaching have had a tremendous impact upon her life and photography. While living and working in Laos, 1965-70, she was first given a bouquet of lotus buds as a gift during pregnancy. Several years ago, she obtained six lotus plants from the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. Those first plants have multiplied to over 500 and now fill the pond behind her home within view from her studio.

The lotus flower, leaves, and pods were the initial focus for Nancy's photography. She takes digital photos and adjusts them to achieve abstract montages. The montages include the lotus, flowers from many gardens and travels, Cornell University buildings and sculptures, various Buddha and Bodhisattva images, and images from travels. Learn more about Nancy and her art at nancyridenourartist.zenfolio.com.

 

Full Circle Celebration of Kids Discover the Trail! on May 12th

Published: 
6 years 45 weeks ago

 

All community members are invited to join with Ithaca students and their families to visit the eight Discovery Trail sites on Saturday, May 12, between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., for the “Full Circle Celebration” of Kids Discover the Trail! (KDT!).

Because this year’s Ithaca City School District's fifth graders are the first group of students to have completed the full circle of all eight Discovery Trail-based learning experiences during their elementary school years, this open house style event has been planned to celebrate the “full circle”.  Learn more about what each site is doing that day here.

At Cornell Plantations, visitors can learn more about wild ginger at the Nevin Welcome Center and take one home to plant. Learn more here.

A third grade class learning about spring wildflowers in Plantations' Mundy Wildflower Garden.

KDT! is the collaboration of the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), Ithaca City School District (ICSD) and the Discovery Trail that connects  all ICSD elementary students and teachers with the resources of the trail organizations each year for a program designed to complement their grade level curriculum.

Discovery Trail sites include the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell, the Tompkins County Public Library, the Museum of the Earth, the Sciencenter, Cornell Plantations, The History Center’s Eight Square Schoolhouse, Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology, and the Cayuga Nature Center.

Program themes include animals in art, dinosaur science, clean energy, 19th century life, and local bird habitats.

Celebrate National Public Gardens Day on May 11th!

Published: 
6 years 46 weeks ago

Come celebrate Cornell Plantations, the only public garden in the central New York region. As Cornell’s living museum, Plantations is not only a unique feature of the campus but truly distinguishes Cornell among its peers. 

There will be a weekend of activities at Cornell Plantations to celebrate National Public Gardens Day on Friday, May 11.  National Public Gardens Day is a national day of awareness in which communities nationwide are invited to visit and learn about the important role their public gardens play in promoting environmental stewardship and awareness, plant and water conservation, and education.

“Having a unique and diverse public garden in our back yards is a luxury,” stated Dr. Sonja Skelly, director of education at Cornell Plantations.  “It’s easy to forget that within a short drive for most residents of Central New York that there is this unique and beautiful spot located in the heart of the Finger Lakes region.  We pride ourselves on being a place of beauty as well as a place for relaxation, contemplation and inspiration for our visitors (plus we don’t EVER charge admission). These are things worth celebrating and we hope many people will join us!”

National Public Gardens Day is always celebrated on the Friday preceding Mother’s Day.  In addition to the events scheduled on May 11, Plantations plans to continue the celebration through Mother’s Day.

Schedule of Events


Friday, May 11
8 am – Morning Bird Walk in the Mundy Wildflower Garden
12 pm – Botanical Garden Highlight Tour
10 am – 4 pm – Free Gimee! Coffee at the Nevin Welcome Center!

Saturday, May 12
10 am – 4 pm – Moms get 10% off in the garden gift shop (in the Nevin Welcome Center)!

Sunday, May 13
Happy Mother’s Day!
10 am – 4 pm – Moms get 15% off in the garden gift shop (in the Nevin Welcome Center)!

Enjoy spring woodland flowers on a morning bird walk on Friday, May 11th.

 

Now in its fourth year of celebrating America’s public gardens, National Public Gardens Day was created by the American Public Gardens Association (APGA)  in partnership with irrigation product and service provider, Rain Bird.  The 2012 National Public Gardens Day will showcase the contributions of public gardens with special events at the Cornell Plantations in Ithaca, NY along with events at public gardens around North America.

How are our gardeners preparing for spring?

Published: 
6 years 48 weeks ago

 

Today, herb gardener Pam Shade was cutting back lavender and shared her tips and techniques in a one-minute video. Click here to view.

This week only: View Olivia Judson's lecture "Glad to Have Evolved"

Published: 
6 years 49 weeks ago

 

Did you miss Olivia Judson's stirring lecture, Glad to Have Evolved, this past October? If so, or even if you just want to re-watch it you can do so now for ONE WEEK ONLY – beginning tomorrow (April 5-April 12)!

Olivia Judson is The New York Times best selling author of Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice To All Creation. She is a renowned evolutionary biologist, award winning science journalist, past columnist for The New York TimesNature, and The Economist, a contributor to PBS’ Nova and is based at Imperial College in London.

Photo by Chris Kitchen

Living beings profoundly shape our planet—bacteria precipitate clouds and alter the magnetic fields of rocks. Organisms also shape each other to drive evolutionary change: the bee shapes the flower, the cheetah shapes the gazelle. In this wide-ranging lecture, Olivia Judson considers the implications of evolution for understanding Earth and ourselves, celebrating humans as part of nature’s pageant.

Read more about her work at www.drtatiana.com

Olivia Judson's lecture was the Elizabeth E. Rowley Lecture, part of Cornell Plantations' Fall Lecture Series; the lecture was co-sponsored by the Boyce Thompson Institute.