The Secret Lives of Plants at Northern Central Park

Sunday, 9/7/25

Time: 12:00PM to 1:30 PM

Meets at the Great Hill (106th & Central Park West)

Northern Central Park Guided Walk Details

🌺Discover the hidden lives of plants on a guided walk through Central Park's diverse habitats in and around the northern portion of the park including the North Woods and Harlem Meer. Smell, touch, and explore nature’s wonders while learning fascinating stories of plants and their interconnections with humans, pollinators, fungi, and other wildlife.

Whether you’re a seasoned plant enthusiast or simply curious about the wonders of the green kingdom, this walk offers the perfect opportunity to connect with like-minded nature lovers and deepen your appreciation for the amazing world of plants.

Afterwards, you’ll receive an email field report with notes on the plants and wildlife we observed—so you can revisit, share, and build on your discoveries.

Your Guide
Led by David Jakim, MS in Environmental Geology and MA in Science Education, with over 15 years of experience as a field biologist and nature walk leader.

Location
We will meet at 106th Street and Central Park West. This is at the entrance to the Great Hill of Central Park.

Arrival Time
Please arrive 15 minutes early so that the walk can start promptly.

💲 Suggested Donation
$15 for adults | $10 for children under 12
Please pay on the day of the walk with cash or venmo @David.Jakim. This way we don't have to deal with reimbursements in case of walk cancellations due to weather. (In case of inclement weather, cancellations will be announced via email at least 6 hours in advance.)

☀ Weather Policy
Walks will be cancelled for heat waves, heavy rain, or thunderstorms. Participants will be notified via Meetup message or email.

The Flora, Fauna, and Geology of Central Park

Time: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM

Saturday, 9/13/25

Meets at the Great Hill (106th & Central Park West)

Sunday, 9/13/25

https://CentralParkWildWalk9-13-25.eventbrite.com

Saturday, 9/13/25

🌿 Tri-Weekly Walks in Central Park: Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays

Overview

Most of our upcoming nature walks take place in Central Park, exploring its most diverse and beautiful habitats. Each week, we rotate locations so participants can experience different landscapes and stories of the park:

• Tuesdays: Great Hill and Harlem Meer – Discover forested trails, shaded streams, and the wildlife that thrives in the park’s northernmost habitats. Meets at 106th Street and Central Park West on Tuesdays from 4:00pm to 5:30pm (subject to change).

• Wednesdays: The Conservatory Garden and Harlem Meer - The Secret Lives of Plants - Join us for a unique, sensory-rich nature walk that begins in the most formally cultivated garden in New York City—the Conservatory Garden—and unfolds into newly renovated native plant wonder that is the Harlem Meer. Meets on Wednesdays from 5:00pm to 6:30pm.

• Thursdays: The Ramble & Boat Pond – Wander through Central Park’s most famous woodland, filled with migratory birds, native wildflowers, and winding paths that lead to the Boat Pond by Bethesda Fountain. Meets at 72nd Street and Central Park West on Thursdays from 4:00pm to 5:30pm (subject to change).

By joining weekly, you’ll build familiarity with the park’s ecology—learning how its forests, ponds, and meadows change with the seasons. Whether you come once or return often, each walk offers something new to discover.

Walk Information, Suggested Donation, Cancellations, & Logistics: Make sure to read directions below at the bottom of this page prior to attending a walk!

The Secret Lives of Plants: The Conservatory Garden and Harlem Meer

🌺Discover the hidden lives of plants on a guided walk through Central Park's diverse habitats in and around the northern portion of the park including the North Woods and Harlem Meer. Smell, touch, and explore nature’s wonders while learning fascinating stories of plants and their interconnections with humans, pollinators, fungi, and other wildlife.

Whether you’re a seasoned plant enthusiast or simply curious about the wonders of the green kingdom, this walk offers the perfect opportunity to connect with like-minded nature lovers and deepen your appreciation for the amazing world of plants.

What to Expect
Together, we’ll explore the plants and animals of Central Park’s forested ravine, streams, ponds, and wildlife gardens together—through many lenses: experiential, sensory, artistic, intellectual, and ethnobotanical. We’ll approach the landscape as caretakers, storytellers, and scientists, uncovering how human life is intimately connected to plants, fungi, and wildlife in subtle and surprising ways.

We’ll examine the properties and aromas of different species, their anatomy and reproductive structures, their pollination strategies, and their relationships with the pollinators, fungi, and wildlife they have evolved alongside over thousands—and even millions—of years. By the end of the walk, you’ll have a deeper understanding of Central Park’s natural history, a renewed sense of connection to the land beneath your feet, and an awakened appreciation for the living world.

Afterwards, you’ll receive an email field report with notes on the plants and wildlife we observed—so you can revisit, share, and build on your discoveries.

Geology, Time, and the Landscape

The Great Hill and Harlem Meer - – Discover forested trails, shaded streams, and the wildlife that thrives in the park’s northernmost habitats. Meets at 106th Street and Central Park West on Tuesdays from 4:00pm to 5:30pm (subject to change).
Together, we’ll explore the plants and animals of Central Park’s forested ravine, streams, ponds, and wildlife gardens together—through many lenses: experiential, sensory, artistic, intellectual, and ethnobotanical. We’ll approach the landscape as caretakers, storytellers, and scientists, uncovering how human life is intimately connected to plants, fungi, and wildlife in subtle and surprising ways.

We’ll examine the properties and aromas of different species, their anatomy and reproductive structures, their pollination strategies, and their relationships with the pollinators, fungi, and wildlife they have evolved alongside over thousands—and even millions—of years.

By the end of the walk, you’ll have a deeper understanding of Central Park’s natural history, a renewed sense of connection to the land beneath your feet, and an awakened appreciation for the living world.
Afterwards, you’ll receive an email field report with notes on the plants and wildlife we observed—so you can revisit, share, and build on your discoveries.

The Ramble & Boat Pond – Wander through Central Park’s most famous woodland, filled with migratory birds, native wildflowers, and winding paths that lead to the Boat Pond by Bethesda Fountain. Meets at 72nd Street and Central Park West on Thursdays from 4:00pm to 5:30pm (subject to change).

David Jakim pointing out poison ivy and it’s various properties to a walk of curious children and onlookers.

Monarch butterfly and bee nectaring on butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)