Bronx Lot Wardian Case, 2005 (From Castle Hill to Wave Hill) cast iron lawn table, galvanized hip ridge & turret skylight, clear wire glass, Bronx lot soil & flora

Ant Eye View Inside Wardian Case from southeast corner looking north

Bronx Lot Florilegium is a multi-part project that focuses on the diverse, yet overlooked, plant life flourishing in ecosystems in the east Bronx. During the Fall of 2004, artists Bob Braine and Leslie Reed identified 57 plant species from a 15’ square foot plot in an overgrown, vacant lot in the Castle Hill neighborhood. Over the next seven months they continued to visit the site while drawing the plants. In the tradition of 18th and 19th century naturalists they have created a collection of botanical illustrations accompanied by text about the plants’ uses, places of origin, and associations that people have with each plant. In addition to this installation, the Wardian Case, housing a variety of specimens from the lot, is located on the main lawn. The exhibition travels to the Bronx River Art Center where it will be on view from September 16 – October 21, 2005.

A special essay by Michael Crewdson, author of Wild New York, appears in the exhibition catalogue. Stewards of the Vacant Lot, by Michael Crewdson

Bob Braine has explored New York City extensively via kayak, including his first trips up the Bronx River in 1995. His expeditions have taken him to Central and South America, often in collaboration with other artists. This is the first time that Bob will be formally collaborating with Leslie Reed. Her work was included in the Emerging Artist Fellowship exhibition at Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens, NY. She is studying for a Certificate in Urban Horticulture from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Bronx Lot Florilegium

Installation in Glyndor Gallery Sunrooms, Wave Hill, 2005

Mullein Verbascum thapsus L. Scrophulariaceae Introduced biennial Mullein was brought to North America by European settlers who used the plant medicinally, for yellow, brown and green dye. When smoked, mullein soothes irritated lungs and is a remedy for coughs. It contains rotenone and the seeds can be used to stun fish. Mullein has also been used to kill mosquito larvae.  Mullein is a rubefacient. Another common name for it is ‘Quaker’s rouge’ because it was rubbed on the cheeks to give them color.

Catchweed bedstraw Galium aparine L. Rubiaceae Native annual Catchweed bedstraw is a native plant. Among other medicinal uses, it was used by the Native Americans as a relief for skin irritants such as poison-ivy and stinging nettle. It is an exceptionally tasty plant – the young shoots can be steamed with butter and the dried seeds used as a good coffee substitute. The root was also used as a red dye. It is a good forage plant and is especially enjoyed by geese giving rise to one of its common names ‘goosegrass’. ‘Bedstraw’ refers to its use as a mattress stuffing, and when dried it has a pleasant sweet smell. The genus and species name are from the Greek meaning ‘milk’ and ‘seize’ respectively. Both words refer to the use of catchweed bedstraws as a curdling agent for cheese making and a sieve for straining milk.

Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata (Bieb) Cavara & Grande Brassicaceae Introduced annual/biennial Garlic mustard is a native of Northern Europe. It was introduced to North America in 1868 on Long Island, New York, where it was probably brought by colonists as a food and medicinal crop. The leaves were used as flavoring and are high in vitamins A and C. It is highly invasive and listed by four states (including New Hampshire and Vermont) on their noxious weed lists. Garlic mustard spreads through its prodigious seed production. It is most invasive in areas with high deer populations, as deer prefer most other plants and leave garlic mustard alone. The plant is toxic to some species of butterflies and any eggs deposited on its leaves will die. Both the common name ‘garlic’ and the genus name ‘Alliaria’ – meaning garlic- or onion-like – refer to its garlicky smell when leaves are crushed. The species name ‘petiolata’ means stalked leaves.

Virginia pepperweed

Lepidium virginicum L.

Brassicaceae

Native annual

Virginia pepperweed is native to North America. Its common name ‘pepperweed’ or ‘peppergrass’ refers to the hot peppery taste of both the seeds and leaves. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked on sandwiches, hors d’oeuvres and in salads and have a taste similar to cress. The seeds and seed pods are used as flavorings for soups and other dishes. The plant is high in vitamin C and sulphur. The dried seed stems make attractive and long-lasting additions to flower arrangements. Virginia pepperweed is unusual in that it flourishes in disturbed sites where most native species are crowded out by introduced invasives. The plant is sometimes overlooked by botanists surveying native plant populations which usually cannot be found in the places Virginia pepperweed thrives. In some places this has caused the plant to be mistaken as somewhat rare.

Bronx Lot aerial infrared photograph

Southwest corner infrared of Bronx Lot

View catalogue

Public Programs

July 17, 2:00pm, Drawing Plants, Adult Art Workshop, Document the overlooked plants around you through drawing. Generated@wavehill artist Leslie Reed introduces Bronx Lot Florilegium, an installation created with Bob Braine, and leads a plant drawing workshop.

July 31, 2:00pm, Neighborhood Florilegium, Adult Art Workshop, Create a Solander case to archive your documentation of the plant life around you—whether at your front stoop or in your garden. Led by generated@wavehill artist, Leslie Reed.

To register for all Adult Art Workshops call x305, materials fee $15/$10 members.

Wondrous Weeds Weekend

July 23, 24, 12-4:00pm, Eco-Friendly Weeding, Learn the best tips to remove woody and herbaceous invasives, including poison ivy, mugwort, garlic mustard, onion grass, and goutweed. Check out a grub axe, spade, come-along, weeder, and weed wrench—all tools necessary for removal of these pesky plants. Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Curator of Native Flora, Uli Lorimer offers great techniques and advice.

July 23, 24, 1–4:00pm, A Tiny Wild World, Family Art Project, Make, plant, and decorate a tabletop terrarium. Mingle everyday weeds and exotic ornamentals with pebbles and other natural materials to create a unique miniature environment.

July 23, 2:00pm, Edible Weeds, Garden Demonstration, Don’t curse your weeds—eat them! Join Natural Cookery School graduate Alyson Crispi to sample tasty summer dishes featuring dandelions (Taraxum officinale), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and other pesky garden greens.

July 24, 2:00pm, Bronx Botanical Panel, Artists Bob Braine and Leslie Reed, creators of Bronx Lot Florilegium, will be joined by author of Wild New York, Michael Crewdson, and CUNY Biology Professor Emeritus Dr. Andrew Greller, to examine the importance of studying overlooked plant life in marginalized urban areas. Visual Arts Curator Jennifer McGregor moderates the panel.

Bronx Lot Florilegium was developed with the assistance of the Bronx River Art Center and will open there on September 16, 2005. It is supported by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bronx Council on the Arts through the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Hudson River Foundation through the New York City Environmental Fund, and with a grant from the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation.

Principal funding for the Visual Arts Program is provided by the Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Charitable Trust. Additional support is provided by the Greenwall Foundation. Sustaining support for Wave Hill is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Thank you to the artists for creating this work, as well as to Michael Crewdson for his insightful essay and for participating on the panel discussion along with Dr. Andrew Greller.

.

The Arts at Wave Hill are sponsored by