Flora, Fauna and Fun in the city

Queens Botanical Garden
43-50 Main St.
Flushing, NY 11355
(718) 886-3800
www.queensbotanical.org
A great place to visit during the summer, the Queens Botanical Garden features a peaceful environment full of woodland, herb and perennial gardens, a home-composting exhibit, arboretum and seasonal arrays of tulips, roses and annuals. The Garden offers special programs throughout the year.

For the slightly older sect, there is the Wedding Garden, a serene place where couples are photographed.

The Queens Botanical Garden has a few restrictions so be sure to check the Web site.

At the Queens Zoo children crowd around as they watch a porcupine.

Queens Zoo
53-51 111th St.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
(718) 271-1500
www.queenszoo.com

While not as famous as its borough brethren, the Queens Zoo boasts one of the largest major collections of animals of the Americas, including birds and sea creatures. Additionally, the Queens Zoo is the only New York home to spectacled bears, an endangered species from the Andes Mountains. Unlike the Central Park and Prospect Park Zoos, the Queens Zoo has only existed since 1968, and has only been open to the public since 1992.

It is unique in that it has the feel of a national park, as its many inhabitants are presented in their various American habitats, from the Great Plains to the rocky California coast. The Queens Zoo is operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

Bronx Zoo
The Wildlife Conservation
Society
2300 Southern Blvd.
Bronx, New York 10460
(718) 367-1010
www.bronxzoo.com

After a few transfers by bus or subway you will come upon a world of exotic animals that spans the globe. Stepping through the gates of the Bronx Zoo you're turning a summer afternoon into an excursion deep within the seven continents.

As the flagship of the largest network of metropolitan zoos in the country and the heart of the Wildlife Conservation Society; the Bronx Zoo brings you straight into Africa nose-to-nose with Western lowland gorillas, zebras, nayals and Thompson's gazelles. If you keep your eyes peeled there could even be a chance encounter with an Asian peacock that could quite possibly like exploring as much as your family does.

Back near the Himalayan Highlands Habitat, the treasures of Asia can be spotted from snow leopards to red pandas - as well as the Bengal tigers.

Even though at times its hard to remember you're still in North America, the grizzly bears, called the most dangerous animal in North America (next to humans), will remind you you're at home, while the polar bears make you wonder just how far away you really are, and that it's summer not winter!

And to think for just $15 for adults, $11 for kids and $13 for seniors, you can be within arm's reach of animals from across the world and learn something, too, as the Zoo's Education Department gives you the keys to the animal kingdom through programs focusing on the natural world and its much-needed protection. The Bronx Zoo is open 365 days a year.

Atlantis Marine World
431 East Main St.
Riverhead, NY
(631) 208.9200

Steve 'Wild Man' Brill Takes Lunch in Park
By Noah C. Zuss

“Wild Man” Steve Brill is a renowned naturalist and author.

A stroll through the park is anything other than ordinary with self-proclaimed "Wild Man" Steve Brill. A casual observer may happen to notice ordinary plants, shrubs and berries growing along a path in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, but only when accompanied by such a skilled forager can the intricacies of local foliage be fully exposed.

Brill makes it his business to know the edibility, medicinal uses and history of modest green growths like wood Sorrel, Poke Weed, Poor Man's Pepper, Mulberries and other native plants.

His naturalist tours are fun, local activities for all ages to take part in the ecological environment of New York City during the long, hot summer months while the kids are out of school.

"I teach people about wild medicinal plants that have been around that the Indians ate," Brill says.

Not only are his eco tours fun, they are also educational and informative for urbanites that otherwise would be in the dark, stuffing berries up their noses.

One recent Saturday morning he entertained a group of senior citizens from a nearby residence. The meeting began at the Queens Museum of Art where Brill gave samples of locally found edible plants, explained their history and medicinal uses.

All of the plants Brill samples were used for generations for their medicinal uses.

Brill leads tours and educates about edible nature plant species.

The Black Birch Tree branch for example acts as a mild painkiller and is perfect for teething children to chew on while going through the ordeal.

Brill uses these methods often in his own life and gave Black Birch to his daughter when she was very young to dull her teething pain.

Another common edible green plant with historical applications is the Poor Man's Pepper. Historically peppers were used to cure meats. They were key to staving off starvation by prolonging the time a piece of meat was edible. The Poor Man's Pepper, related to the Mustard Green, could be easily found in medieval villages and used instead of more expensive, far-flung peppers from Asia.

Throughout the year Brill works with school, library and senior citizen groups and many others to educate those interested about the diversity of plant life.

Some plants can be very poisonous. Brill cautions anyone daring enough to eat native species to consult scientific manuals or to visit his Web site if unsure about a plant.

To sum up his mission and work, Brill says he works to promote environmental education because he feels it is lacking in many schools that strictly focus on boosting test scores. He also sees naturalist education as helping connect people of many generations to their local environs.

"People overlook our renewable resources," he says. By learning about the things our ancestors knew about generations ago, it connects people to our planet."