– MS in Forestry
– Certified Interpretive Guide (NAI)
– Licensed Outdoor Guide (NYS-DEC)
– Master Naturalist, Hudson River Basin
– Brooklyn Botanic Garden, faculty
– Wilderness First Responder
– Eagle Scout, '88

– Leave No Trace, Community Partner
– National Association for Interpretation
– Linnaean Society of New York
– North American Assoc. for Environ. Ed.
– The Longleaf Alliance
– American Chestnut Foundation
– International Oak Society
– International Dendrology Society

As an artist and educator my greatest pleasure comes from helping others rediscover the power of nature in their own lives. For my complete bio, please visit my about page.

A few tips for getting the most out of each walk

Meeting Location:  All walks meet at "Naturalists' Gate," which is the park entrance at W. 77th Street and Central Park West (across the street from the American Museum of Natural History).

Meeting Time:  Please arrive 10 minutes before your start time. Walks will begin promptly at 5 minutes after the hour and routes may vary, making it difficult to find the group after we set off.

Weather Policy:  Walks are rain or shine, unless lightening or high winds are present. Check the weather beforehand and please come prepared.

Come to Learn:  You're encouraged to bring a notebook, pen, and camera-phone. You'll receive far more information than you'll be able to recall later without them.

Please note:  All workshops are limited to 12 participants to ensure the highest quality experience and in order to be the least obtrusive to other visitors in the park's natural areas.

"The Dendro Lab 100"

This is a master list of the most common or noteworth trees within our local ecoregions of the North Atlantic Coastal Plain and Lower Hudson River Basin, which you'll be able to identify after completeing the series of Dendro Lab walks.

Oak & Beech Tour

northern red oak,  Quercus rubra
pin oak,  Quercus palustris
willow oak,  Quercus phellos
shingle oak,  Quercus imbricaria
black oak,  Quercus velutina
white oak,  Quercus alba
swamp white oak,  Quercus bicolor
bur oak,  Quercus macrocarpa
chestnut oak,  Quercus montana
American beech,  Fagus grandifolia
European beech,  Fagus sylvatica
Turkey oak,  Quercus cerris

The Maples vs. Sycamore

red maple,  Acer rubrum
sugar maple,  Acer saccharum
Norway maple,  Acer platanoides
sycamore maple,  Acer pseudoplatanus
Japanese maple,  Acer japonicum
striped maple,  Acer pensylvanicum
American sycamore,  Platanus occidentalis
hybrid planetree,  Platanus x acerifolia
sweetgum,  Liquidambar styraciflua
sassafras,  Sassafras albidum
mapleleaf viburnum,  Viburnum acerifolium
arrowwood viburnum,  Viburnum dentatum

Elms, Mulberries, & Lindens

American elm,  Ulmus americana
slippery elm,  Ulmus rubra
European field elm,  Ulmus minor
Siberian elm,  Ulmus pumila
Chinese elm,  Ulmus parvifolia
sugarberry,  Celtis occidentalis
Japanese zelkova,  Zelkova serrata
red mulberry,  Morus rubra
white mulberry,  Morus alba
American linden,  Tilia americana
silver linden,  Tilia tomentosa
American witch-hazel,  Hamamelis virginiana

Cherries, Apples, & Hawthorns

black cherry,  Prunus serotina
Yoshino cherry,  Prunus x yedoensis
Kwanzan cherry,  Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’
crabapple,  Malus spp.
hawthorn,  Crataegus spp.
serviceberry/shadbush,  Amelanchier spp.
Callery pear,  Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’
wild rose,  Rosa spp.
multiflora rose,  Rosa multiflora
blackberry,  Rubus spp.
wineberry,  Rubus phoenicolasius

Compound Leaves I:
Legumes, Elderberry, & Tree-of-Heaven

honey locust,  Gleditsia triacanthos
black locust,  Robinia pseudo-acacia
Japanese pagoda tree,  Styphnolobium japonicum
Kentucky-coffee tree,  Gymnocladus dioicus
American elderberry,  Sambucus canadensis
tree-of-heaven,  Ailanthus altissima
Amur corktree,  Phellodendron amurense
golden rain-tree,  Koelreuteria paniculata
poison ivy,  Toxicodendron radicans
Virginia creeper,  Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Compound Leaves II:
Hickory, Ash, Buckeye, & Sumac

bitternut hickory,  Carya cordiformis
shagbark hickory,  Carya ovata
black walnut,  Juglans nigra
green ash,  Fraxinus pennsylvanica
European horse-chestnut,  Aesculus hippocastanum
yellow buckeye,  Aesculus flava
bottlebrush buckeye,  Aesculus parviflora
smooth sumac,  Rhus glabra
staghorn sumac,  Rhus typhina
winged sumac,  R. copallinum

Simple Leaves with Entire Margins

eastern redbud,  Cercis canadensis
northern catalpa,  Catalpa speciosa
spicebush,  Lindera benzoin
tulip tree,  Liriodendron tulipifera
euonymous,  Euonymous spp.
cornelian dogwood,  Cornus mas
rhododendron,  Rhododendron spp.
azalea,  Rhododendron spp.
mountain-laurel,  Kalmia latifolia
cucumber magnolia,  Magnolia acuminata
saucer magnolia,  Magnolia x soulangeana
black tupelo,  Nyssa sylvatica
Japanese knotweed,  Reynoutria japonica

Birch, Holly, and Willow Families

river birch,  Betula nigra
black birch,  Betula lenta
grey birch,  Betula populifolia
yellow birch,  Betula allegheniensis
paper/white birch,  Betula papyrifera
American hornbeam,  Carpinus caroliniana
European hornbeam,  Carpinus betulus
eastern hophornbeam,  Ostrya virginiana
smooth alder,  Alnus serrulata
American holly,  Ilex opaca
winterberry holly,  Ilex verticillata
eastern cottonwood,  Populus deltoides
willow,  Salix spp.

Conifers I: The Pine Family

eastern white pine,  Pinus strobes
Himalayan pine,  Pinus wallichiana
Austrian pine,  Pinus nigra
pitch pine,  Pinus rigida
eastern-hemlock,  Tsuga canadensis
Norway spruce,  Picea abies
balsam fir,  Abies balsamea
true cedar,  Cedrus sp.
larch,  Larix sp.
Douglas-fir,  Pseudotsuga menziesii

Conifers II: The Cypress Family +

eastern juniper,  Juniperus virginiana
Chinese juniper,  Juniperus chinensis
dawn redwood,  Metasequoia glyptostroboides
bald cypress,  Taxodium distichum
American arborvitae,  Thuja occidentalis
Oriental arborvitae,  Platycladus orientalis
Japanese cryptomeria,  Cryptomeria japonica
Leyland cypress,  Cupresssus x leylandii
+  yew,  Taxus sp.
+  ginkgo,  Ginkgo biloba