In the Summer season the Flower Field is in full bloom with rich shades of yellow and pinks. Look out for the Swamp Rose Mallow, Queen of the Prairie, Joe-Pye Weed, False Sunflowers, and Swam Milk Weed. Later in the summer season Monarch butterflies visit the Flower Field to drink the abundant nectar, and taking breaks from the sun by flying into the nearby shady trees.

In Springtime, migratory birds use the Flower Field as a safe nesting location. This native flower meadow was designed to be large – one of the largest fields of Swamp Milk Weed in New York City –  and uninterrupted to provide protective habitats for ground nesting birds and other species. Monarch Butterflies love Swamp Milk Weed and they can sense it from miles away, knowing that they can come to the Flower Field for a stop over on their long journey. In Spring, the Horticulture team is careful to cutback plants that are not habitats for these birds, leaving the stems for nesting birds and stem nesting bees – much of this cutback work is actually done in the Fall to best serve our wildlife visitors.

The Flower Field is amazing at each season, and in Fall there are still incredible flowers to see! Look for Asters, Golden Rod, and Prairied Dock. Keep your eye out for migrating warblers and kinglets.

During the colder winter months, visit the Flower Field to admire the dried stems of the previous years growth, some of them many feet tall! Enjoy the many shapes that grew and formed in the earlier season and watch the snow fall on the stems and browned seed heads.

The Flower Field is a large meadow of native plants, and ones that the butterflies and other pollinators love! Special visitors to this field include Monarchs, Pearl Crescents, Sachem Skippers, Common Buckeyes, and Red Admirals.