Group Shot of the Team on the NYBG Grounds

Jim, Tom, Jessica, Kendrick, Edgardo

A good time was had by all. Don't forget to take a look at the Cricket Crawl Results page!

Last Stop on the NYBG Cricket Counting Expedition

Well, we've gone all the way around the Garden and through the center, and down by the river, and out to the Rose Garden. Right now we're near the museum building (our main building) and are hearing a goodbye song from our friends:

• Greater Anglewing
• Jumping Bush Cricket
• Field Cricket

We are in an open area right now with a few speciman trees. And, being closer to the building, there is a lot more light. Another unique set of conditions that we have been encountering all evening.

As Jessica and Jim pack up, we say a big thank you in advance to Kendrick for his video coverage and Tom for his eagerly anticipated photos.

Goodnight from the blogger! Even though I am sitting in my garage in Maryland typing away, I feel like I just went on a field trip to the New York Botanical Garden! The great descriptions from the field and some time spent poking around on the NYBG website in between posts has me making a mental note to visit in person the next time I'm in NYC (actually, it will be the first time - I'm such a bumpkin).

On the Road Again

We are standing on Azalea way, the main road to the Garden. It is in between our new Azalea Garden and the Forest. It is very much a wooded area with a tall canopy of our native hardwood trees. There is a lot of katydid and cricket activity to be heard:

• Common True Katydid (lots of them up in the trees)
• Oblong-winged Katydid
• Field Cricket
• Jumping Bush Cricket

Beautiful Benenson

We are now in the Benenson Ornamental Conifer collection. Here we have lots of field or turf areas separated by trees.

• Field Cricket
• Greater Anglewing
• Jumping Bush Cricket

It is very open here which leads to lots of bats flying around.

Photo of the Benenson Ornamental Conifers in the Fall from the NYBG website

Rose Garden at Last!

We are at the entrance to the Rose Garden surrounded by grass and the Lilac collection and Tree Peony collection (if the blogger heard right - is there such a thing as a tree peony?) just up the hill. We can hear:

• Field Cricket
• Greater Anglewing
• Jumping Bush Cricket

And, we have a brown bat sighting! We'll probably head to the Azalea Garden next

Where did our Friend, Owl, Go?

We are back to the center of the Forest up along the Bronx River on a ridge.

• Jumping Bush Cricket
• Common True Katydid
• Field Cricket
• Greater Anglewing

We are pretty close the spot where we heard the owl before, but, no owls to be heard at the moment.

Photo downloaded from mybulldog on Flickr

Our owl might look like this picture!

From the Family Garden

I know, you thought we were going to the Rose Garden, it is easy to get sidetracked when you are on the lookout for some cricket action. We are now in front of our Family Garden, a wonderful program garden where we grow lots of vegetable with children and families throughout the year. It is a bit of a switch from the Forest scenario we just left. Here we are in the middle of:

• Greater Anglewing
• Jumping Bush Cricket
• Field Cricket
• Common True Katydid (up in a tree close by)

All is good in the Family Garden - lots of cricket activity. The blogger could even hear them in the background of Jessica's call!

Jessica and Edgardo phoning in results

Dangerously Close to Civilization

The Expedition has moved on to the other side of the Garden. We are either standing in our Oat collection or our Oak collection (the blogger's hearing isn't what it should be - but she is guessing it is an Oak collection (who collects oats?)) which is right up against the Bronx River Parkway. It is noisier here, but we can detect:

• Jumping Bush Cricket
• Greater Anglewing
• Common True Katydid

Heading to the Rose Garden next . . .

From the Banks of the Bronx River

We continue to roam the northern part of the forest and are standing in front of a huge 264 year old oak. (The blogger hopes they didn't chop it down to count the rings in order to figure that out). There are three types of katydids calling:

• Common True Katydid
• Greater Anglewing
• Oblong-winged Katydid

In Video Mode

We hooked up with Kendrick and his trusty video equipment and have returned to the forest - at its northern end where we can identify:

• Common True Katydid
• Oblong-winged Katydid
• Jumping Bush Cricket
• Greater Anglewing

Now that we are able to record, our bird friend is being quiet. Probably munching on some katydids.

Forest Central

We are now in the center of the forest and can hear:

• Oblong-winged Katydid
• Common True Katydid
• Jumping Bush Cricket
• Greater Anglewing

We are also hearing a bird calling - we think it could be one of our great horned owls but are not sure. Kendrick is going to meet us with some recording equipment, so that we can get some assistance with identification.

An Orthoptera looking over the Cricket Crawl instructions.

Oblong-winged Katydid Sighting

From the edge of the forest in the Mitsubishi Wetlands:

• Oblong-winged Katydid
• Common True Katydid
• Greater Anglewing
• Jumping Bush Cricket

We are also seeing quite a few bats. Good thing we are wearing our chainmail turtleneck sweaters (ha ha that was just a little vampire joke from the blogger - I bet our cricket counters are not even scared of bats)

From the Grassy Knoll

We are still in Ross Arboretum, standing on the grassy knoll overlooking the Conservatory - one of the highest points in the Garden - and can hear:

• Field Cricket
• Greater Anglewing
• Jumping Bush Cricket

Photo of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory from the NYBG website

Moving on to the Ross Arboretum

We entered through our Ladies Border from the Perennial Garden and heard:

• Greater Anglewing
• Field Cricket
• Jumping Bush Cricket

From there we moved onto the Knoll and are standing among the big pine trees in the Arthur and Jennifer Ross Conifer Arboretum where we heard:

• Common True Katydid
• Greater Anglewing
• Jumping Bush Cricket

First Sightings (Hearings?)

In the Perennial Garden, right in front of the Conservatory, we heard:

• Greater Anglewing
• Jumping Bush Cricket
• Field Cricket
• Common True Katydid

and saw one bunny

Team NYBG arrives at the Gardens

Team NYBG is just arriving at the Garden, the makeup of the team has changed somewhat, our CCC (current cricket counters) are:

• Jessica Arcate
• Tom Andres
• Edgardo Rivera
• Jim Schuler
• Kendrick Simmons

Excitement is in the air!

The New York Botanical Garden Forest

is 50 acres of old-growth or first growth forest located at the heart of the Garden's 250 acre National Historic Landmark Landscape. Originally known as the Hemlock Grove for its most prevalent species, Tsuga canadensis (Canadian hemlock) at the turn of the 20th century, the Forest is the reason why the Garden was established on its current site in 1895. The Forest today is an oasis with an overstory canopy of oaks, hickories, maples, tuliptrees, and sweetgums; midstory layer of spicebush, viburnums, and witchhazels; understory layer of native wildflowers and spring ephemerals such as white wood aster, Solomon's seal, false Solomon's seal, trout lily, and Canada mayflower. The Forest is home to many living things including greathorned owls, fox, salamanders, and snakes. As for insects we are still learning more about their diversity within the Forest. What we do know is that the Common True Katydid is living here and is prevalent among the trees that are close to the Bronx River.

Tomorrow night we plan to explore all areas of the Garden including the Forest and 50 Gardens and Collections that make the 250 acre site. Stay tuned to learn more about the Forest, the Garden, the crickets and katydids that live here.

Thursday Night Test Run

Rob, Edgardo, and Tom made a scouting trip last night (Thursday) in anticipation of the scheduled Cricket Crawl. Despite the strong, nearly constant breeze and relatively cool temperatures on the grounds of NYBG, they heard:

• Common True Katydid
• Oblong-winged Katydid
• Greater Anglewing
• Northern Fall Field Cricket
• Jumping Bush Cricket

Their findings bode well for a successful evening of cricket and katydid tracking.

A beautiful picture from Thursday by Tom of a cricket on a Sicyos angulata.

NYBG Cricket Crawl Expedition Team

Our Welcome post alluded to our intrepid members, who are we? The answer follows . . . .

Cricket Identifiers from the Faculty and Staff of the New York Botanical Garden:

• Jessica Arcate - Manager of the Forest
• Tom Andres - Honorary Curator
• Rob Naczi - Curator of North American Botany
• Jim Miller - Dean and Vice President for Science
• Edgardo Rivera - Curatorial Assistant

Blogger from the University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources:

• Ann LaVigna - Information and Education Technology Staff

Welcome!

Welcome to the New York Botanical Garden Cricket Crawl Expedition blog. We will chronical the findings of our intrepid members as they scour their corner of New York City for crickets and katydids during the night of September 11 12, 2009. Note: the date was changed from Friday to Saturday due to the weather.

Find out more about the Cricket Crawl

Check back with us after sundown on Friday Saturday!