Cross-posted at La Vita Locavore and Progressive Blue.
I am grateful when people often write that I show the softer side of New York City. I do like the flora and fauna of the Concrete Jungle and one of my favorite spots to slow down the New York pace is one of the easiest places to get to from Manhattan.
Few Manhattanites know of the beauty of this 1,146 acre park located in the Bronx but this New York City oasis should be of special interest to visitors from drier areas of the nation. The green will just blow you away.
You can find the spot were all of these photos were taken by taking the Broadway Local (Number 1 Train) to the last stop. That's right Van Cortland Park is on Broadway.
First a little history. The park was named for Stephanus Van Cortlandt, who was the first native-born mayor of New York City. The park is also named for the Van Cortlandt family, which was prominent in the area during the Dutch and English colonial periods.
The land that Van Cortlandt Park now occupies was once a vast grain plantation, owned by Frederick Van Cortlandt (1699–1749) and family. In 1748, he built what is now known as the Van Cortlandt House. That house still stands and is the oldest building in the Bronx. It is now the Van Cortlandt House Museum.
The Van Cortlandt family plot can also be found on a hillside in the western forest of the park. This is one of the many places in the park where you can be in New York City and feel as far from civilization as possible.
Van Cortlandt Park is a park with many uses. The oldest public golf course in America is in the park. The Riverdale Equestrian Center where I start most of my walks is in the park and the setting for my last Van Cortlandt Park photo dairy is also in the park.
There is a large municipal swimming pool, several baseball and softball diamonds and I can't even count the number of playgrounds but this diary is about the more natural settings.
I'm such a city boy that i didn't even know the name of this insect until I posted it in Cheers and Jeers. I always called the Japanese Beetle an Iridescent Beetle.
On Tuesday the moist forest floor around the pond were covered with these beauties.
I don't know what flower they are. Can anyone identify these?
Come to think of it, can anyone identify any flowers in this diary? What do I know? I'm just the camera buff around here.
Seriously the diversity of this park is amazing and it can give you a feel of what the city once looked like. Just a few stops off the island and it is like The Manahatta Project only real.
There are wetlands;
Forest;
And the lake;
The marshland, lake and pond area are very close to that last subway stop and makes for a wonderful nature walk during you New York City vacation. To give you an idea of what you would see in one day and to celebrate early summer in the city, here is a collection of photos taken this week.
And if you are feeling adventurous, there are miles of hiking trails through various eastern forest to enjoy.
And and if you want to see some New York City wildlife the John Muir Nature Trail can't be beat.
The John Muir Nature Trail traverses the park from east to west, the only such trail in that direction. The trail passes through forests, with 100 foot trees, wetlands with frogs and salamanders, and grasslands filled with songbirds.
Work on the John Muir Trail began in the summer of 1997 by participants in the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park and Urban Park Rangers Program. The trail is named after the great Scottish-American conservationist John Muir, the founder of Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Club.
You can take a virtual tour.
John Muir devoted his life to safeguarding the nation's landscapes. New York City was chosen for the location because of its commitment to parkland (with over 28,000 acres), and Van Cortlandt Park was in need of an east-west trail.