Gabrielle Bennett-Meany, NJSEA Manager of Parks, Trails and Open Space, and BCAS President Don Torino led walks at Native Plant Day on Sunday, May 31. Credit – Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com

Thank you to everyone who joined the NJSEA and Bergen County Audubon Society at DeKorte Park this past Sunday for a wonderful Native Plant Day! We were pleased to spotlight the many species of native plants and pollinator gardens around the park and raise awareness of their critical importance to pollinators, butterflies and the overall environment.

The Record sent a photographer to the event and a photo gallery can be found here. Some of the photos will run in the Sunday, June 28, print edition.

All photos below courtesy NJSEA unless otherwise noted.

Credit James Falletti

Credit James Falletti

Credit James Falletti

Credit James Falletti

Credit James Falletti

Credit James Falletti

Join the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and the Bergen County Audubon Society for Native Plant Day this Sunday (May 31) at DeKorte Park! The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

NJSEA and BCAS experts will lead walks throughout the park’s plant-lined trails and gardens, informing visitors of the importance of native plants for birds, pollinators, other wildlife and the environment. They will also talk about how people can create their own native plant gardens in their backyards and communities. There will be information tables from local plant and environmental organizations.

Native Plant Day is rain or shine – activities will be moved inside in case of inclement weather. We look forward to seeing everyone at this great event!

DeKorte Park and the Meadowlands Environmental Center are located at 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.

Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or 201-230-4983.

Join the Bergen County Audubon Society as they lead a walk through Losen Slote Creek Park in Little Ferry on May 27 from 10 a.m. to noon. They’ll be on the lookout for warblers, Wood thrush and Waterthrush while traversing one of the last remaining low-lying forested areas in the Meadowlands.

Trails may be muddy; boots are highly recommended. Park in the lot adjacent to the soccer field on Mehrhof Road.

Contact:  Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or (201) 230-4983

The Nature Connection airs the fourth Sunday of each month from 6:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. on WFDU 89.1 FM, and is archived on the station’s website for the following two weeks.

James Falletti and Don Torino (with book)

James Falletti is a Bergen Audubon member and an ace nature and bird photographer who has produced a plethora of amazing Meadowlands photos.

The public is invited to join Don for an evening of storytelling and conversation at the book’s launch this Thursday, May 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Hackensack Financial Center, 120 River Street, Hackensack.

The Bergen County Audubon Society leads an Endangered Species Walk at Harrier Meadow, a wonderful nature preserve that is usually closed to the public. Endangered and threatened species that can be seen at Harrier Meadow include Northern Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, American Kestrels and Savannah Sparrows. The walk takes place from 10 a.m. to noon.

Click here for lists of New Jersey Endangered, Threatened and Species of Special Concern.

Harrier Meadow is located off Disposal Road in North Arlington

Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or (201) 230-4983

Danny O’Connor finds artistic inspiration – literally – in the marshes of the Meadowlands. Discarded sardine tins, half-and-half dispensers, wire and cardboard at the water’s edge are among the muses that have informed Danny’s imagination, creativity and found artwork. 

Some of Danny’s work is currently on display through the end of May in the entrance to the Secaucus Library. They include a built-to-scale model Titanic meeting its demise in a mythic Kraken’s unyielding grip, a houseboat that O’Connor envisions having floated down the Hackensack River decades ago and an old wharf at Laurel Hill County Park in Secaucus. There are two views of the New York City skyline, steely grey by day and adorned with painted white lights at night.

“I see the cityscape constantly where I live and the contrast between this massive concrete village across the river and these beautiful marshes over here that are the jewel of the Meadowlands and the jewel of Hudson County,” said Danny, a Secaucus resident. “The houseboat is a scene of what could have floated down the Hackensack River in my imagination, like a vagabond floating down the river collecting things.”

Danny found the wooden Titanic models tossed curbside. The boats are 3 ½ feet long by 10 inches tall and were painted shiny red when he discovered them. “I like things that are rusty and weathered, that look like they have a story behind them,” the artist said.

“Pristine and clean is nice but I like things weathered and worn. I wanted to add to the story with the sea monster and paint the ship as if it had things happen to it on the ocean. At least for me, you have to build these little stories in your head.”

He said his favorite path is the Secaucus High School Marsh walkway. “I enjoy going out on the Secaucus High School boardwalk for serenity,” he said. “There’s a certain calmness near any body of water. The grasses in the meadows move with the wind in a pattern. It’s like a dance, seeing the wind 200 yards away and then coming and see-sawing through the grass.”

Danny said he doesn’t set out along the marshes with preconceived ideas for his next work of art. “It’s the randomness I enjoy,” he said. “I don’t go looking for anything specific or have anything in mind. I see patterns in things, just like a kid looking at the clouds and making little images. I just happen to do it with bottle caps and other things.”

Some of Danny’s additional work that is not on display:

In addition to found art, Danny is prolific in watercolors. His works are featured on his Instagram account, art_4_the_ether.

Past exhibit of Danny O’Connor’s watercolors at the Secaucus Library

The Bergen County Audubon Society leads an Endangered Species Walk at Harrier Meadow, a wonderful nature preserve that is usually closed to the public. Endangered and threatened species that can be seen at Harrier Meadow include Northern Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, American Kestrels and Savannah Sparrows. The walk takes place from 10 a.m. to noon.

Click here for lists of New Jersey Endangered, Threatened and Species of Special Concern.

Harrier Meadow is located off Disposal Road in North Arlington

Contact: Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com or (201) 230-4983

The peace and tranquility of the Meadowlands helped inform artist Kay Fialkoff’s exhibit, Prayers for the Earth, Wetlands, Meadowlands, and Woodlands Suites 1990-2018, on display at the Waldwick Public Library through June 30.

Kay’s series of embroidery masterworks took inspiration from New Jersey’s wetlands, woodlands and meadows habitats, including Richard W. DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, the home of the NJSEA; the Ramapo Valley County Reservation in Mahwah; the Celery Farm Nature Preserve in Allendale; the Glen Rock Duck Pond; the Saddle River County Park Glen Rock and Paramus (Dunkerhook); and Cape May.

Prayers for the Earth: Meadowlands Suite, No. 1
The Joy of the Meadow
Copyright Kay Fialkoff

Prayers for the Earth, Wetlands, Meadowlands, and Woodlands Suites celebrate Earth from the time granite formed over a half a billion years ago through our current era, the Cenozoic Era, a time of great diversification of flowering plants and birds. Kay’s practice invokes the art of Zen, portraying nature over time and space.

The Hebrew phrase arching over each motif means “Full of Joy.” Kay said that she enjoys the sense of place and belonging that she feels while walking through DeKorte Park on Bergen County Audubon Society nature walks.

Prayers for the Earth: Meadowlands Suite, No. 2
A Glorious Morning in the Meadow
Copyright Kay Fialkoff

“I especially enjoy the Marsh Wrens trilling among the tall reeds along the boardwalk loop,” she said. “Not only do I enjoy the flora and fauna of the trails, but I also experience the joy of being fully present and grounded in nature with nature lovers of all ages.”

Prayers for the Earth: Meadowlands Suite, No. 3
Late Summer in the Meadow
Copyright Kay Fialkoff

Prayers for the Earth: Meadowlands Suite, No. 4
Seasons of Beauty in the Meadow
Copyright Kay Fialkoff

Kay is a member of the Fyke Nature Association, the Bergen County Audubon Society and the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, Bergen Chapter, among others. The Fair Lawn resident’s embroideries have been exhibited at the Paterson Museum in Paterson, New Jersey; the Belskie Museum of Art and Science in Closter, New Jersey; many other libraries in New Jersey; and most recently at Temple Sharey Tefilo Israel Galleries in South Orange, New Jersey. 

Needle Arts magazine, a publication of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, published all of the works from 1996 to 2022.

The Waldwick Public Library is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The library is closed on Sundays.

The library is located at 19 E. Prospect Street, Waldwick, NJ 07463.  Phone: 201-652-5104. Website: https://www.waldwicklibrary.org/

Residents from Spectrum for Living locations visited DeKorte Park on Tuesday, May, 5, to show off their fantastic, homemade bird boxes, continuing a 15-plus year tradition. The groups had the opportunity to see the NJSEA’s Gabrielle Bennett-Meany install a Tree Swallow Nesting Box and enjoyed a walk through the park.

Each group’s themed bird box was honored for an element of its creation. The NJSEA send its thanks to the Spectrum for Living residents for their great work!

Best Overall – The Ice Cream House – Teaneck ATC

Most Natural- The Bird Oasis – North Haledon ATC

Most Creative – Beach House – Carver ATC (Westwood)

Best Theme – Yoga Retreat – Ringwood ATC

Photos left to right: Purple Coneflower, Bee Balm, Milkweed

Celebrate the abundance of flora at Richard W. DeKorte Park on Native Plant Day, Sunday, May 31! The event, sponsored by the NJSEA and the Bergen County Audubon Society (BCAS), runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Native Plant Day includes guided walks, talks and information tables focused on the many native species found throughout DeKorte Park. Native plants play a significant role in helping to sustain a healthy ecosystem. They provide food and habitat for birds and pollinators, maintain healthy soil, and contribute to biodiversity.

Some species depend on specific native plants for their survival. Milkweed, found in great numbers in the park, is the only plant on which a Monarch Butterfly will lay its eggs, while Purple Coneflower provides food for Goldfinches.

NJSEA and BCAS experts will explain differences between native and non-native species and the positive environmental impact of choosing native plants. Bergen Audubon President Don Torino will give a talk on how to create a BCAS Certified Wildlife Garden in your own backyard and community.

“Native Plant Day is a great opportunity to enjoy, appreciate, and better understand how native plants are critical to the success of the Meadowlands’ sensitive urban ecosystem,” said Jill Hirsch, President and CEO of the NJSEA. “We are pleased to host public programs with the Bergen County Audubon Society that foster environmental stewardship in the community.”

Native Plant Day is free to the public. DeKorte Park is located at 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.

Contacts:

NJSEA -Brian Aberback – baberback@njsea.com – 201-460-4619

BCAS – Don Torino – greatauk4@gmail.com – 201-230-4983