Nutz4Nature

Riverside park is a spectacular water front park along the Hudson River on NYC’s Upper West side, lined with malls and winding walkways and car-free bike paths.

Much of this park consists of rolling hills and massive rocks carved by glaciers around which there are playgrounds, recreational areas dog parks and plenty of room to lay or play. Urban green spaces like these allow people to be around nature while still being in the city. They promote physical activity and relief of stress by providing spaces for relaxation and a tranquil escape from New York’s bustling streets.

Mediums or islands of mowed turf grass throughout the length of the concrete mall in the center of the paved walkways help connect the two green spaces. This makes it more likely for organisms to travel between them, increasing their habitat, and helps to maximize services the parks provide. The more green the better!

Turf in urban green spaces offers regulating services of absorbing rainfall and reducing water runoff, stabilizing soil and nutrients, purifying air and water, and even temperature control and lowering noise pollution.

As you walk the length of the mall you will come across enclosed gardens like these filled with a variety of ornamental plants and flowers that encourage pollination and beautify the walkway during warmer months

More islands of green! The scenic waterfront walkway. A beautiful spot to jog, bike, take a stroll or watch the sunset over New Jersey across the Hudson River.

Marine Park Nature Center Building

One might have thought that Prospect park would hold the title of Brooklyn’s largest park. However, Marine Park is surprisingly Brooklyn’s largest park as it features 530 acres of salt marsh precious grassland, home to a multitude of birds and native flora and fauna.

Salt marshes play a critical role in the support of human life, acting as natural filtration systems by trapping pollutants that would otherwise contaminate our bays and oceans. Salt marshes have the ability to absorb fertilizers, improve water quality, and reduce erosion. They are also among the richest wildlife habitats.

One Goose can be seen bathing in the left, far away from it’s flock, which can be seen in the distance of the same photo. Another flock of geese can be seen in the bottom right photo.

“The role of the salt marsh is even more crucial because more than 75 percent of the original salt marsh in Jamaica Bay has been destroyed. Most of that destruction was due to filling of marshes to create more land area for homes and industry. Marine Park’s salt marsh, formerly a wasteland filled with trash and abandoned cars, has been restored to its natural condition — proof that a rare and fragile ecosystem can safely exist even when it borders a heavily urban area like Brooklyn.”

Above, Algae can be seen growing on the edge of the lake. Healthy lakes need algae. Algae are important to the productivity of a lake or water body. Algae are primary producers. They use sunlight (through photosynthesis) to produce carbohydrates and are eaten by grazers such as protozoa and zooplankton (little animals like water fleas and rotifers). The zooplankton are, in turn, grazed upon by fish, which are eaten by bigger fish, and on up the food chain.

The Marine Park Nature Center is also home to a wide array of flowers, trees and bush. These paths and walking areas can beneficial to humans for it’s beauty and health benefits, while they also are home to insects, and small creatures.

The Nature Center Labels its plants for easy identification of its species!

Parks provides us with a simple way to improve emotional health – flowers. “The presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a positive manner.” – aboutflowers.com

As you may know, flowers are essential for the survival of bees and other insects who find home within the flowers and shrubs which otherwise wouldn’t be available without the parks in NYC! The pictures above portray species of flowers and shrubs such as “Black Chokeberry”, “Witch Alder” and “Blue Star”.

Sources: 

http://www.saltmarshalliance.org/smnc.html

http://www.aboutflowers.com/health-benefits-a-research.html