A perfect time for outdoor events

Wildflowers galore and Earth Day

Outdoor spots in Queens offer opportunities to learn, explore and give back

by Deirdre Bardolf

Associate Editor

Every day is Earth Day at parks, gardens, farms and outdoor spaces across Queens but with the designated week upon us, events and programs across the borough offer additional opportunities to learn, volunteer, compost and more.

With Covid restrictions rolling back and an increased urgency to care about the planet, communities across Queens are stepping up.

“I think this spring is probably our busiest in a long time,” said Anne Tan-Detchkov, marketing manager at the Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing.

The garden has not had a festival in over two years due to the pandemic and is finally able to bring the event, which often draws two to three thousand visitors, back on April 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For the first time, the event will now be the Climate Arts Festival instead of the Arbor Fest.

“We see it as not just a festival, but really a call to action,” said Tan-Detchkov.

“It’s so easy to feel helpless, like it’s an international climate crisis so it’s easy to feel like you can’t do much but what we offer at the garden really does combat these things on a local level.”

There will be educational and actionable events all season long and the Climate Arts Festival, in partnership with the Southeast Queens Arts Alliance, is loaded with workshops, exhibits, performances, tours and demonstrations for all.

Composting, which helps keep food waste out of landfills, will be a big focus of the day, with sifting activities and an opportunity to build a worm bin to bring home and use for composting. Free red wiggler worms will be given out!

There will also be a sustainable vendor fair, a tree giveaway with the New York Restoration Project, crafts, opportunities to visit the bee garden, tours of sustainable landscapes and the farm and story time.

For adults age 21 and older, the beer and wine garden will be open from noon to 5 p.m.

Live performances will include Nate & Hila, a hip-hop duo that raps about ecoscience.

One of the many festival activities that Tan-Detchkov is looking forward to is the wildflower seed ball sling. Attendees can launch a wildflower seed ball into the meadow to bring flowers and pollinators to the gardens.

“The festival is on Earth Day weekend, but we’re hoping that people walk away with things that they can do forever,” said Tan-Detchkov. Other events at the garden this season include Horticulture Community Volunteer Days and a Spring Break week filled with activities for kids home from school.

The Flower Patch at the QBG farm is also back for three weekends in a row, starting on April 30.

Visit queensbotanical.org for more information on all programming and to register for events.

Another place where visitors can see wildflowers already blooming but not sown by seed ball is at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Wildflower Wednesdays are back every week through summer, rain or shine, starting at 3 p.m. and running for an hour and a half.

Explorers will see if naturalist Aldo Leopold’s words, “During every week from April to September there are, on the average, ten wild plants coming into first bloom,” ring true.

On May 1 at 2 p.m., a walk entitled An Introduction to Climate Change will explore the past, present and future of climate change in national parks and will visit the repaired West Pond breach that was caused by Hurricane Sandy.

A park trivia event will take place on Sunday, May 8.

More events are coming soon to the greater Gateway National Recreation Area, said spokesperson Daphne Yun, and celebratory programs over the summer will honor Gateway’s 50th birthday.

Visit nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/ for more information.

The Queens County Farm also has a schedule packed with springtime fun including the Apple Blossom Carnival, the Bee-A-Pollinator Earth Day Service Day and the Sheep Shearing Festival.

A Barnyard Egg Hunt will take place on Saturday, April 16, and there will be photo ops with Whiskers the Bunny and more.

Visitors can buzz over to the farm for Earth Day on Friday, April 22 from noon to 4 p.m. for the service day. The free program includes an afternoon of hands-on farm projects for all ages, highlighting ways to support the Queens Farm and Mother Earth.

Activities include sifting compost, a trash flash mob, spring garden prep and mulching apple trees. There will also be apiary talks with the resident beekeeper, a farm-wide scavenger hunt and free giveaways.

For an additional fee, visitors can enjoy hayrides and feed the farm’s goats and sheep.

The farm also hosts weekly service days every Tuesday and Sunday through November for those 18 and older.

The farm’s annual Apple Blossom Carnival will run for two consecutive weekends, the last one in April and the first in May.

Daily admission includes unlimited carnival rides and recycling crafts for kids at the Con Edison Ecology booth. Visitors can enjoy hayrides, midway games and classic carnival fare from local food vendors.

The Sheep Shearing Festival on Saturday, May 14, will prepare the sheep for warm weather with their annual spring haircuts. This special event will highlight the cycle of fiber production with artisan wool spinning, natural dyeing and weaving demonstrations and feature live music and more.

The Alley Pond Environmental Center is honoring Earth Week too and a four-day workshop for kids during spring break will teach them about the park’s habitats and species and they will produce recycled artworks. It costs $208 per child and runs from April 19 to 22 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Another kid-friendly event will be on Wednesday, April 20, called Critter Clues, at which attendees will learn from what animals leave behind.

A relaxing Earth Day StrollerFriendly Stroll on Friday, April 22, will teach about flora and fauna in the park. On Earth Day there will also be a trail challenge for adults. Spot trail markers and maybe earn an APEC water bottle!

An Earth Day Story Hike and Scavenger Hunt is a drop-off event for kindergarteners through second graders.

Spots are limited for events. Visit alleypond.org to register.

The Queens Botanical Garden features rose, bee, herb, wedding and perennial gardens, an arboretum, an art gallery and more throughout its 39-acre site. PHOTO COURTESY QUEENS BOTANICAL GARDEN