Raquel Mennella,  Invasive Species and Plant Conservation Coordinator, Central Region, NYS OPRHP

 Saturday, May 16 | 10 am – 4 pm

Walk in Botanist Mildred Faust’s footsteps at Clark Reservation State Park and experience the beauty of central New York in Spring. Often described as a botanist’s paradise, it is a sight to behold in May with carpets of spring ephemerals, rare plants, and ferns galore. Even the mossy crevices in the calcareous woodland have secrets to share about geological history and uniquely adapted plants. 

On this four-mile round-trip hike, we’ll make our way through several significant natural communities. There will be one stairway descent and a short portion on uneven, rocky terrain. Hand lenses are encouraged! There will be plenty of flowers, mosses, and even fossils, to study closely. 

If you have any questions feel free to contact us at clarkreservation@nyflora.org.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Emily DeBolt, NYFA Board Member and Brian Hoven, Assistant Professor of Biology, SUNY Geneseo

Sunday, May 17th | 10 am – 11:30 am

Join us for an easy walk to enjoy spring wildflowers along the trail. This will be a level walk along an ADA loop trail with an overlook – offering stunning views of Bristol Valley to the south and downtown Rochester to the north on a clear day. Enjoy spring wildflowers along the path such as fringed polygola (Polygaloides paucifolia), white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), and more. The loop trail is short – 0.3 miles.  There are miles more of trails in the park – you can stay and extend your hike on your own if you like.  This is a joint trip with the Canandaigua Botanical Society.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, contact gannetthill@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Mike Corey, Naturalist

Saturday, May 23rd | 10 am – 3 pm

The full length of the trail from John Brannon Road to Hewitt Pond is just about 8 miles, but we’ll only be hiking around 2 miles or so along this well-marked trail. The first ½ mile crosses private land, then continues on NYS land. The trail slopes gently up throughout. It passes through mostly hardwood forest, crossing Falls Brook at one point, either on an old bridge or by hopping rocks over the brook. We’ll bushwhack at around the two-mile mark to find the site of an old exploratory iron mine, where there are tailings piles of magnetite.

The soils in the area support both conifers and hardwoods; underlying bedrock includes both granitic gneiss and marble. The diversity of calciphilic wildflowers and shrubs is impressive.

Bring a lunch, water, and snacks – we’ll look to have a return to the trailhead by around 3pm. Don’t forget good footwear (sturdy sneakers are fine) and a poncho, just in case there’s a little rain.  

We will meet at a location that will be communicated to those who register.  

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, contact magnetite@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Kierin Bell, Naturalist

Saturday, May 23rd | 10 am – 3 pm

This trip takes us to the geologically, botanically, and culturally interesting locale of Little Falls, aptly and variously known to the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk people) as Otstenhró:ken (‘the split rock’). We will begin the day at Russell Family Mine, a working Herkimer diamond mine situated on a limy hill abutting the Mohawk River. Expect limestone spring wildflowers like trilliums and Dicentra. 

Terrain will be steep in places. In the afternoon, some may wish to visit nearby Moss Island, where igneous substrate and large potholes create habitat for a flora that strongly contrasts with that seen on the neighboring hills.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering,  please email Otstenhroken@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Steven Daniel, NYFA Board member, Botanist and Naturalist

Friday, May 29 | 1 pm – 4:30 pm.

NYFA is offering this field trip In partnership with the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage. There is no preregistration for this field trip but all participants must register online for the Pilgrimage at the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage website. https://www.alleganynaturepilgrimage.com/

A moderate hike, but we’ll take 3-4 hours to cover the 3 mile distance. This trail, in Allegany State Park, includes some exceptional areas for some special Allegany plants–including forested seeps that are incredibly lush with wildflowers, ferns and overall great plant diversity. Although the focus will be on the plants, we won’t overlook whatever else happens to come our way–birds, butterflies, dragonflies, fungi. Bring water, binoculars and camera. A hiking stick could be helpful.

 If you have any questions feel free to contact us at anp@nyflora.org.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Steven Daniel and Wayne Gall, long-time naturalists

Saturday, May 30th | 9 am – 4 pm

NYFA is offering this field trip In partnership with the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage. There is no preregistration for this field trip but all participants must register online for the Pilgrimage at the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage website. https://www.alleganynaturepilgrimage.com/

Experience the unique flora and fauna of a spectacular northern peat bog that features a quaking mat surrounding a bog pool. Many plants that are uncommon or rare in this part of New York can be found here.

We’ll also pay special attention to dragonflies and damselflies, as some unusual ones often are flying here at this time.

Participants should be in good health and have good mobility for walking on unstable substrates. Expect wet and mucky conditions and occasional light bushwhacking. Bring bug repellent as some years (not all) mosquitoes can be annoying. Recommended attire: long pants, long sleeves, hat, closed-toe footwear that can get wet such as old sneakers.

Bring lunch & water.

This program extends from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, including 45-minute drive outside the park. Departs from Camp Allegany, at the site of the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage.

 If you have any questions feel free to contact us at anp@nyflora.org.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Dr. Andy Cortese and Chris Graham, New York Natural Heritage Program Ecologists

Saturday, May 30th | 9 am – 5:00 pm

Join us to check out a large example of the newly described mountain bench hardwood forest community on Hemlock and Winnisook Lake mountains, and meander through an old-growth northern hardwood forest on the way! This forest exists near the upper elevational limit for the dominant Black cherry, Prunus serotina, Yellow birch, Betula alleganiensis, and American beech, Fagus grandifolia trees, in which they exhibit a humble stature compared to those at lower elevation. We will also encounter montane species including Balsam fir, Abies balsamea, native Mountain ash, Sorbus sp., Mountain holly, Ilex montana, and Mountain wood fern, Dryopteris campyloptera. Our understanding of the plant species associated with mountain bench hardwood forests is far from complete, so your participation will directly help to enhance our understanding of this unique community by helping us develop a plant list. We will also bring increment borers and core some suspected old trees. 

This hike will be an off-trail bushwack with about 700’ of elevation gain and light scrambling over steep and rocky terrain. Participants will be rewarded with experiencing and learning about a community comprising expanses of gnarled, stunted hardwood trees that has only been reported from the Catskills, as well as having views of Slide Mountain and other high peaks. Trip duration will be approximately 8 hours, so come prepared with plenty of water, lunch, snacks, sturdy footwear, rain gear, and sunscreen if desired for this pre-leaf-out walk. We’ll meet on the early side because the trailhead parking area can fill up fast on weekend days. 

Additional details will be sent to registrants in advance of the trip.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering,  please email mountainhardwoods@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Ken Adams, Professor Emeritus, SUNY Plattsburgh 

Saturday, June 6th | 10 am – 3 pm

Sandstone pavement barrens are an open canopy woodland that occurs on very shallow soils over sandstone bedrock. New York’s best examples are found on Potsdam Sandstone in Clinton County, including the Gadway barren. This barren includes an inland poor fen. 

Inventories of rushes and sedges are needed for the Gadway barrens.
The dominant tree is jack pine (Pinus banksiana), one of the best examples of a fire-dependent species in New York. Other associated pines include pitch pine (Pinus rigida), white pine (P. strobus), and red pine (P. resinosa). The shrub layer is dominated by black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) and blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium). Other important shrubs are black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), and sweet-fern (Comptonia peregrina). The ground cover includes many lichens and mosses, which may form a continuous cover in some areas. Typical mosses include Polytrichum juniperinum and Pleurozium schreberi. Herbs grow throughout this ground cover and include bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum), wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), cow-wheat (Melampyrum lineare), poverty-grass (Danthonia spicata), and common hairgrass (Deschampsia flexuosa).

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, please email gadway@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Rich Ring, Chief Botanist, New York State Natural Heritage

Sunday, June 7th | 10 am – 2 pm

Join us to  explore Goose Egg (and possibly  Battenkill) State Forests along the NY/VT border.  It’s an area of complicated geology, rocky terrain, old growth-ish Chestnut Oak summits and pockets of rich limestone valleys.

Bring lunch, water, and snacks.  Good footwear for rocky, steep terrain.

Information on parking/meeting spots will be provided closer to the date.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering,  please email gooseegg@nyflora.org.   All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Aaron Heminway | NYS Parks Biologist

Kyle J. Webster | Botanist, NY Natural Heritage Program

Friday, June 12th | 10 am – 3 pm

Join us as we explore Trout Pond in Letchworth State Park. This is a rich graminoid fen with many of the usual characters. You can expect to see various fen plants such as common grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia glauca), common fringed gentian (Gentianopsis crinita), a diversity of sedges, grasses, rushes, and more! 

Muck boots or old sneakers suggested. We will take lunch in the field. Other options for nearby exploration abound, if there is time and interest.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, please email troutpond@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Steven Daniel, Botanist/Naturalist and

Anne Johnson, author of Plants of St. Lawrence County

Saturday, June 13th | 10 am – 4 pm

We’ll explore this privately owned Jefferson County property that includes a large area of globally rare alvar plant communities.  Habitats include a mix of large open barren areas of shallow soil over limestone, patches of shrubs, and occasional limestone woodlands.  NYFA visited this site in 2017 and found a great variety of interesting plants including rock elm (Ulmus thomasii), wood lily (Lilium philadelphicum),  rough pennyroyal (Hedeoma hispida), false dragonhead (Dracocephalum parviflorum), and many interesting sedge (Carex) species.

For a complete list of what was seen in 2017, see the Summer 2017 NYFA Newsletter.  

Register early to assure space.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, please email alvar@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Steve Young, former chief botanist for the NY Natural Heritage Program who continues to study the state’s flora.

Sunday,  June 14 | 10 am – 4 pm

Explore the spring wildflowers, ferns, and big trees of a woodland along the upper Hudson River in the morning and the rare plants of a riverside ice meadow in the afternoon. We will meet and start the trips at the fish hatchery near Warrensburg and have a lunch in the pavilion between walks. We should be able to make a nice long plant list and maybe even see some remnant ice in protected spots. The walking is level with some larger cobbles along the river.

This is a joint trip with the Adirondack Botanical Society.

Additional trip details will be sent to registrants in advance of the trip.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, contact icemeadows@nyflora.org.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Christian Liriano

Saturday, June 20th | 9 am – 4 pm

Black Rock Forest in Cornwall, New York is one of the most thoroughly studied and botanically diverse research forests in the Hudson Highlands. This 3,750-acre preserve contains a remarkable range of habitats, including oak-dominated uplands, cool hemlock ravines, rocky ridgetops, reservoirs, and remnant wetlands. Over 700 species of vascular plants have been documented from the Forest, making it an ideal living laboratory for floristic research. On this trip we will conduct a modern update of the vascular flora of Black Rock Forest by attempting to relocate historical records, documenting new occurrences, and searching for rare or overlooked species. 

We will visit as many habitat types as possible to capture the full ecological diversity of the site, from dry hilltops to shaded coves and pond margins. Participants will also apply and test the shade tolerance index for understory plants developed for northeastern North America, evaluating how current field observations compare with published tolerance rankings. 

Expect moderate hiking, occasional off-trail botanizing through shrubs and dense vegetation, and the possibility of encountering ticks. Be sure to bring a lunch, water, and sturdy footwear.  And don’t forget your favorite plant identification book.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, please email blackrock@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Jade Martin, ESF botany student and likely another co-leader from the Leopold lab.

Saturday, June 20th | 10 am – 4 pm

The White Lake Swamp Complex has been known for decades for its unique ecological and geological features, many rare plants, and rich bird fauna. About 40 ferns and fern allies have been recorded here, as well as 15 terrestrial orchid species. It is just a few miles southeast of Syracuse. Our field trip will be on the 500 acre parcel now owned by The Wetland Trust including the historical site for Isotria medeoloides which was found on a botany field trip in 1955 but hasn’t been seen in decades.  

This property is not open to the public but The Wetland Trust has given us permission to visit. A list of vascular plants ever recorded here will be sent to participants in advance. What remains after decades of neglect, deer herbivory, and invasive plant species might be discovered on this field trip.

More details about the trip and the meeting place will be sent after registration. If you have any questions feel free to contact us at whitelake@nyflora.org.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Chris Graham, New York Natural Heritage Program Ecologist

Saturday, June 20th | 10 am – 5 pm

We’ll rove around an expansive, calcareous peatland ecosystem underlain by marble next to the upper Hudson River. The large complex includes rich graminoid and shrub fens, medium fen, poor fen, and a respectable northern white-cedar swamp. We’ll see how many sedge species we can tally, as they are a dominant and diverse component of these fens. We’ll also expect to see carnivorous plants, acidic pools, and plenty of mosses (for those so inclined). The cedar swamp is less species-rich but just as interesting, a cool dark haunt for a summer’s day. Orchids are a distinct possibility in fen and swamp, including a rare twayblade known historically from this area. We’ll aim to have lunch on the river’s bank.

Bring lunch, water, boots or footwear that can get wet, and sunscreen for this all-day roam, which will be on wet, uneven ground with minimal elevation change.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering,  please email newcomb@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Robert Wesley, Botanist

Sunday, June 21st | 10 am – 3 pm

Nelson Swamp is a very special place. It is quite extensive and very much limestone influenced. White cedar (Thuja occidentalis) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea) are abundant and dominant over large portions of the swamp. It has many rare species and remarkably high species richness – people at SUNY ESF have documented over 400 species of vascular plants. It is also remarkably intact; many parts have probably never been logged. It has a number of orchids, and some things like twinflower (Linnaea borealis) that are not easy to find in central New York. Much of the swamp has been acquired by New York State and incorporated into a State Unique Area. 

Bring a lunch, water, and snacks – we’ll look to have a return to the trailhead by around 3pm. Don’t forget good footwear (sturdy sneakers are fine) and a poncho, just in case there’s a little rain. Be prepared to repel ticks and biting insects.

We will meet at 10:00am at a location that will be communicated to those who register. 

If you have any questions about the trip before registering,  please email nelson@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Clara Holmes, Plant Ecologist with NYC Parks

Saturday, June 27:  9 am – noon.

Join  the New York Flora Association and the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative  for a summer Petal Pedal — a botanizing bike ride along the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. 

Led by Clara Holmes, this ride begins at Pier 6 in DUMBO and ends at Bushwick Inlet, with stops at Naval Cemetery Landscape and other spots where plants catch our eye. The route is approximately 5 miles with frequent stops. Open to bikers, greenway users, nature lovers, and aspiring botanists. Bring your own bike!

NYFA is offering this field trip in partnership with the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative. Please visit  this site  to Register.

 If you have any questions feel free to contact us at brooklynbiking@nyflora.org.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Skye van der Laan, Botanist and Tom Phillips, Bryologist

Sunday, July 5th | 10 am – 4 pm

Take a stroll back in time as we travel an old woods road into the old woods. This road had settlements in only three places in 1800 and most of the acreage and was considered “unimproved” land by 19th century standards. There are no signs of logging or human land use that are still visible today. We will meander through a mosaic of habitats into a little disturbed place; dark seepy swamps and gnarly old forest interlaced with cold clear brooks and dotted with ancient moss and lichen coated trees. We will follow the course of the East Canada Creek southwest from Piseco Road toward Brandy Brook. As we mosey, we will take a close look at the bryophytes and lichens adorning the trees as well as keeping a sharp eye out for Platanthera (bog orchids), Goodyera (rattlesnake plantain orchids), and any other interesting flora we encounter as we pass through rich areas where old sugar maples and basswood dominate. Once we reach Brandy Brook we will work our way upstream toward House Pond, a little explored corridor. Plan for a long day with uneven and often wet terrain, and possible heavy mosquito activity. Bring a lunch, snacks, and water, tick protection, and a hand lens.

Bring good hiking footwear, raingear, plenty of water, lunch and snacks for the hike.  Assume ticks will be present and be prepared to repel them.

We will meet at a location that will be communicated to those who register.  

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, contact ferris@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Steve Young and Laura Lehtonen, Botanists

9:00 am – 2:00 pm | Sunday, July 12th

Inflate your tires and get ready to pedal for petals. We will start our bicycle trip in Tupper Lake and petal north to Floodwood passing a beautiful black spruce-tamarack bog as well as mixed woods with some shade plants. We will make a species list to help the ADK Rail Trail organization know what is along the trail. It will be 16 miles round trip on mostly flat terrain. 

This is a joint trip with the Adirondack Botanical Society.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering,  please email petalpedal@nyflora.org.

All NYFA Trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

David Werier, Botanist

Saturday, July 18th | 9 am – 4 pm

Come explore the pine barrens of eastern Long Island. We will traverse a right-of-way through pine barrens, which is a great way to see pine barrens plants that prefer open and/or occasionally disturbed environments that are afforded by this now permanently kept open habitat. There is also a small peaty wetland present that adds to the diversity of plants at this site. Come prepared (or at least excited) to see and learn about the numerous graminoids that occur in this environment. 

Some species we may see at this site include Aristida geniculata, Asclepias amplexicaulis, Carex striata, Coleataenia longifolia, Cyperus grayi, Dichanthelium mattamuskeetense, D. meridionale, Ilex glabra, Juncus dichotomus, J. greenei, Hexasepalum teres, Paspalum setaceum var. psammophilum, P. setaceum var. setaceum, Polygala nuttallii, and Utricularia geminiscapa. Ticks can be abundant so please take appropriate precautions.

More details about the trip and the meeting place will be sent after registration. If you have any questions feel free to contact us at riverhead@nyflora.org.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

James Lendemer, Curator of Botany at the NY State Museum

Kyle J. Webster, Botanist at the NY Natural Heritage Program

Day 1: Friday, July 31, 2026 | 10am – 5pm

Day 2: Friday,  August 7, 2026 | 10am – 1pm

What: Preserved specimens in herbaria are used for a wide range of purposes and serve a primary basis for our understanding of plant diversity and distribution. Collecting and preserving specimens is an important aspect of many fields including natural history, conservation, taxonomy, and more. In this workshop you will learn techniques for collecting various types of vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens in the field, how to prepare and preserve the specimens, and how to mount them for use in an herbarium.
(Day 1) The workshop will begin with a morning and early afternoon in the field where participants will collect plant, lichen, and bryophyte specimens (and do a little botanzing!).Participants will learn different techniques for maintaining viable specimens while doing field work, considerations when collecting specimens, and for recording collection data.
(Day 2) We will reconvene at the NY State Museum after the specimens have dried and are ready to be mounted or put in packets. Participants will learn mounting techniques, how to prepare lichen and bryophyte packets, create labels, and have the opportunity to repair and remount specimens.
Who: Dr. James Lendemer is Curator of Botany at the NY State Museum. His research focuses on the botanical diversity of land-based ecosystems in eastern North America, both in nature and in museum collections. Kyle J. Webster is a botanist at the NY Natural heritage program where he conducts botanical inventories to assess and map rare plant populations, document the flora of NY, and promote and advise on plant conservation.

When and Where:
Day 1 (July, 31) | 10am – 5pm: Field location TBD. After fieldwork we will caravan to the Kelly Adirondack Center in Schenectady, NY.
Day 2 (August, 7) |10am – 1pm: NYSM Museum, Albany NY.
The workshop fee is $100 for NYFA members and students; $130 for non-members. Participants are encouraged to become NYFA members. The cost for the workshop includes both instructional days, lab space, and plant, collecting, pressing, and mounting materials for use in the workshop. Other meals, housing, and parking fees are not included.

Inquiries: Any questions please email plantcollection@nyflora.org.

NYFA Cancellation Policy: The workshop fee, minus a $20 processing fee, is refundable up to four weeks prior to the start of the workshop. No refunds for cancellations within two weeks of the start of the workshop. Alternatively, the registrant may opt to apply 50% of the fee to a future NYFA workshop to be offered in the same or following year. There will be a full refund if NYFA needs to cancel the workshop.

To Pay By Check: Begin the registration process by clicking the “register” button below, then choose your registration type,  and add it to your cart.  Then choose “view cart”, make sure it is correct.  Next “proceed to checkout”, then fill out the form, and choose the “pay by check” option.  Checks must be received within 7 days of registration to confirm your place.

Limited Scholarships Are Available: To apply please complete the Scholarship Application and email it to events@nyflora.org. Then register for the workshop below by adding the member price to your cart and choosing the scholarship option during checkout. You will not be charged. Registration will hold your spot while we review the application but does not guarantee a scholarship award.

Steve Young, former chief botanist for the NY Natural Heritage Program who continues to study the state’s flora.

Saturday, August 1 | 10 am – 1 pm

We will take a walk from the parking lot of Whiteface Mountain, up the stairs to the top and then down the Wilmington Trail to the parking lot.  We will look at the wide diversity of rare and common alpine and krummholz plants and see if we can add to the extensive checklist of plants for the summit. This is a moderate hike and will involve a climb up the long (sometimes crowded) stairway from the castle to the top and a walk down a rocky, sometimes bouldery trail to the road. 

This is a joint trip with the Adirondack Botanical Society.

There is a limit of 10 people for the trip so please register early.

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, please email whiteface@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Kyle J. Webster, NY Natural Heritage Program Botanist

Ed McGowan, State Parks Biologist

Saturday August 1st, 2026 | 10 am – 3 pm

Join us as we explore Iona Island along the Hudson River. The last NYFA trip led to this unique island was on July 31st, 1993 where the group noted 85 species, including many sedges, grasses, interesting wildflowers, and some emerging non-native species at the time. On our return trip 33 years later we will retrace the foot steps of that trip, exploring the tidal marsh edges, rocky summits, and weedy areas around the old Navy building to see how many of the same species we can find, and how many news ones we can document on the island.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Kyle J. Webster, NY Natural Heritage Program Botanist

Saturday, August 15th |10 am – 3 pm

Join us as well explore Island Pond, one of the few naturally occurring lakes in Harriman State Park. We will paddle the lake, perusing the aquatic plant diversity and occasionally stopping to disembark and explore the associated floating peat mats and dwarf shrub bog by foot. Highlights will include a stunning display of yellow-eyed grasses (Xyris spp.), sundews (Drosera spp.), Virginia meadow beauty (Rhexia virginica), St. Johnsworts (Hypericum spp.), dodders (Cuscuta spp.), white beak sedge (Rhynchospora alba), purple bladderwort (Utricularia purpurea), among many others!
Participants will need to bring their own boat, paddles, and PFDs. Lunch will be on the water. Parking is very limited, so we will need to caravan from adjacent parking lots.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Erik Danielsen, Botanist studying old-growth forests with the Tree Ring Lab at Harvard Forest in MA

Friday, August 21st | 10 am – 3 pm

The skirt of talus at the base of the Cascade Slide developed over the course of multiple slides, most recently Hurricane Irene in 2011. An unusual and globally rare “dirty marble” outcrop higher up on the mountain provides a lot of the parent material for this talus, creating a calcium-rich environment that’s also unusually cool and moist due to the sheltering terrain. Abundant Braun’s Holly Fern is one of the first signs that this is a special environment. Participants will explore the lower elevation zone potentially up to the base of the falls. The area to be explored is off trail on bouldery, uneven terrain, but generally within a half mile of the parking area. The shorelines of the Cascade Lakes and their aquatic communities may also prove to be interesting, and if we’re very lucky, we may relocate historic collections of the globally rare Waterfan Lichen or state-endangered Large-Leaved Avens. 

This is an extremely popular area due to the lakes and nearby trailheads. If you can, carpool from nearby and/or arrive early to avoid any parking issues. There’s plenty to see, and you can even take a bracing dip in the lake!

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, please email cascade@nyflora.org.

Participation is limited – please sign up early.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Maura Sullivan | Director of Muller Field Station/FLCC Professor

Bruce Gilman | Curator, Finger Lakes Herbarium

Kyle J. Webster | Botanist, NY Natural Heritage Program

Start: Friday, August 28th | 5 pm

End: Sunday, August 30th | 2 pm

Join us as we spend the weekend exploring the botanical treasures around Honeoye Lake. 

This will be a weekend long trip with camping on Friday and Saturday night at the Muller Field Station (more details below). Friday arrival is optional (but encouraged!). This will be a great opportunity to botanize and spend time with fellow botanical enthusiasts.

Friday evening we will gather at the Muller Field Station to settle in and do some botanizing nearby before gathering around for a fire.

Saturday morning we will canoe/kayak along the edge of the lake looking at diverse aquatic macrophyte communities, then paddle up the inlet into one of the largest silver maple-ash swamp communities (>765 acres) in New York. The swamp contains many emergent plants, wetland shrubs, parasitic vines, ferns, and other treasures. Be prepared to disembark for beaver dams and get your feet wet as we set out on foot to explore this difficult to access (and under-surveyed) wetland. Total round trip paddle length is about 3 miles, plus any on foot exploration we do in the swamp. We will “raft together” for lunch. Bring binoculars for birding, bug nets for chasing dragonflies, and an adventurous spirit!

Sunday morning we will explore a rich hemlock-hardwood peat swamp perched on the ridge east of the Honeoye Valley.

Boats, paddles, and PFDs are available for use. If planning to bring your own boat, please practice Clean-Drain-Dry. 

Lodging is available at the FLCC Field Station, we encourage everyone to stay if you are able. The rates for lodging are $25/night for a bed and $20/night for camping on the grounds. We will reach out to coordinate lodging as the trip draws near. 

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, please email honeoye@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Michael Kudish, Forest Historian

Sunday, September 6th | 10 am – 4 pm

This trip will explore two areas in the Catskill Mountains that have different forest histories.  Dr. Kudish will explain the concept of the “burn index” and its potential use as a descriptor of forest history especially in the context of indigenous people’s land management practices.  In addition to the vascular plants, we will also be focusing on bryophytes and explore the possibility of using them as part of the burn index. Some driving will be required because the study sites are approximately 20 miles away from each other.

More details about the trip and the meeting place will be sent after completing registration. If you have any questions feel free to contact us at burn@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

David DuBois, Director of Stewardship at Baltimore Woods Nature Center

Sunday, September 13th | 10 pm – 3 pm

Baltimore Woods is a 270 acre nature preserve in Marcellus NY. The preserve sits upon deep glacial gravel deposits and supports an diversity of high quality habitats. These habitats support more than 500 vascular plant species and include an occurrence of Rich Sloping Fen, an uncommon ecological community in New York State. We will spend some time in rich woods and rich sloping fens looking at the plants that grow in these communities including the State Threatened Ohio Goldenrod (Solidago ohioensis) as well as many other fen specialists. 

If you have any questions about the trip before registering,  please email baltimorewoods@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Steve Young and Laura Lehtonen, botanists studying the flora of the Capital District.

Saturday, September 26 | 9 am – 1 pm

We will be examining the flora along the new 2.6-mile Alfred Z. Solomon Grassland Bird Trail. The trail winds through the grasslands and along the Dead Creek with spectacular views of the surrounding fields and mountains. We will see a wide variety of late-summer, upland and wetland grasses and forbs and one of the largest populations of glossy-leaved aster and Georgia bulrush in New York. Bring your binoculars for the flora and the birds!

If you have any questions about the trip before registering,  please email grasslands@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Victoria Bustamante

Saturday, September 26th | 10 am – 3 pm

Explore a botanical odyssey in some of Montauk’s lesser known and rare maritime communities—an otherworldly landscape of stunted, wind-shaped, salt-sprayed plants. We’ll be trekking off-trail through a richly woven mosaic of maritime heathlands, grasslands, shrublands, forests, and dunes.  These include the following ecological plant communities: Maritime heathland (S1), Maritime dunes (S3), Maritime shrubland (S4), Coastal oak-heath forest (S3). Some expected plant highlights are Schizachyrium littorale, Aristida tuberculosa, Mononeuria caroliniana, Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata, Dichanthelium commonsianum, Pityopsis falcata, Hudsonia tometosa, Carex tonsa, Viburnum dentatum var. venosum, Lechea maritima, Cyperus grayi, knitted through with reindeer lichen, Cladonia rangiferina. 

Bring water, lunch and/or snacks, and sunscreen. Ticks are a special concern, come prepared – boots, tick spray, tick clothing, gators. 

This is a joint trip with the Long Island Botanical Society. If you have any questions about the trip before registering, please email montauk@nyflora.org. 

All NYFA Field Trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Tomás Todisco, NHP Botanist

Sunday, September 27th | 10 am – 1 pm

Come and experience GRAMINOID MANIA on a visit to the coastal plain ponds of Sears Bellows County Park. Be sure to bring your hand lens because it’s Tubercle Time in the Cyperaceae Smackdown of the Century!  We will first visit Grass Pond, which will have taxa such as: Rhynchospora inundata, R. macrostachya, R. scirpoides, Carex striata, Scleria reticularis, and Fuirena pumila. Be sure to stick around for the Bladderwort Bludgeoning in the adjacent House Pond, where things are sure to get Hot AND Hydric!  

Bring water, lunch, sunscreen, and personal protective equipment against ticks. Wear footwear that you don’t mind getting wet and muddy, and please clean gear before arrival to stop the spread of invasive species. Together, we’ll be sure to tread lightly through this incredible ecosystem.

We will meet at 10:00am at a location that will be communicated to those who register. 

If you have any questions about the trip before registering,  please email searsbellows@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.

Jillian Harris | NYS Parks Biologist

Saturday, October 3rd | 10 am – 3 pm

Join us as we explore the late season plant diversity at Whirlpool State Park. We will explore a savanna type habitat around the rim of the Niagara River Gorge where we will see a diversity of asters including sky-blue aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense), New York aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii), and New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), among others. From there, we will stop at the overlook along the Rim Trail until we reach the stairs that lead down into the Niagara Gorge. There are 429 steps that will lead us into the talus slope and talus woodlands that make up the Gorge. 

We will aim to stop for lunch at the base of the stairs where there are some picnic tables in a wooded area with sarsaparilla (Aralia spp.), raspberries (Rubus spp.), dogwoods (Cornus spp.), and elderberry (Sambucus spp.), before continuing on towards the infamous Niagara River Whirlpool and the Whirlpool Flats. 

The hike will start at the Whirlpool State Park parking lot where bathrooms are available. The trail on the Gorge Rim is asphalt and relatively flat, but the terrain of the talus slopes and gorge will be uneven. Please come prepared. 

If you have any questions about the trip before registering, please email whirlpool@nyflora.org. 

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.