For a long time, New York City to me has always been just that: a city. All I ever saw (and loved) was an endless sea of automobiles, noises, and smells. I appreciated the chaos and unpredictable nature of city life. I discovered another side to the city when I went to Wave Hill for the first time (Since I was unable to attend the Bioblitz, I chose to discuss my experience at Wave Hill instead). Wave Hill is a huge public garden in the Bronx that overlooks the Hudson River. There are acres upon acres of grass, gardens, flowers, and the like. Despite the fact that Wave Hill offers an array of events for visitors, I found myself just wanting to roam the pathways.  It was hard to believe that I was in the middle of the Bronx in this seeming oasis of peace.  It was a completely different world. There was something about being surrounded by trees, the river, flowers, and the dirt roads that made me feel at ease. I normally enjoy nature but knowing that the hustle and bustle of city life was only five minutes away made my experience more meaningful.

As I walked through the gardens and past the ponds, I realized that the elements of nature I was seeing could also be seen all over the city. We just don’t usually take the time to notice them because they are harder to find. Though somewhat scarce, trees do exist in Manhattan. If we “stop and smell the roses”, it almost seems as though the little bush in Times Square was plucked from a place like Wave Hill or Central Park and inserted onto the pavement. While walking through the Village, I have seen some interesting species of insects here and there. I think that as we rush about our daily lives, we often don’t realize that there are hints of “Wave Hill” style nature all around us. A place like Wave Hill makes it easier for us to appreciate nature in a city environment.

One particular moment in Wave Hill highlighted to me the fact that nature is all around us in the city, in some form or another. I was walking around the pond, witnessing the lily pads float on the surface of the water, when I thought about similar looking lake across the street from my house. There is actually a natural environment closer to me than I tend to  realize. Because nature has a loose definition (anything natural), the tree in front of my house would constitute as nature. The bird flying over my house is nature. No matter where we are, some piece of nature is present with us and that is what Wave Hill really made me realize.

My experience at Wave Hill also emphasized the difference between nature in the countryside versus nature in the city. When I visit my grandparents’ rural town, I find the natural sights very pleasing and lovely but I don’t appreciate them as much as I appreciate nature in the city. My grandparents live in the country; nature is a given there. When a place like Wave Hill or an event like the BioBlitz comes along, I start to realize how special it is to have a different kind of nature in the city. It is so much more exciting to discover a bird, tree, or flower in the city than to discover “nature” in a rural area where natural sightings are more expected.  The excitement comes because since we really have to invest the time and look for these things, the discovery of them is all the more rewarding.

Sometimes, I don’t want to take my time and look for evidence of nature in the city. I am too busy getting to where I have to go. Wave Hill was a reminder that even though we might not take notice, nature is there somewhere around us. It is a comforting thought because cities are usually not viewed as peaceful places with hummingbirds and daisies abound. Although this is often true, nature is right in front of us in New York City. All we have to do is look.