New York Natural Heritage Program

We have a newly described orchid species in New York, Spiranthes bightensis. It grows on the coastal plain from the Delmarva Peninsula to Long Island but it is considered extirpated in New York unless we find more! The last sighting was in 1992 in Suffolk County but the roadside where it grew has been altered since then and other records are very old. There is a free pdf to download of the original description if you want more information. http://novataxa.blogspot.com//05/spiranthes-bightensis.html

A new discovery of pine drops, Pterospora andromedea, was found in a forest along Lake Champlain yesterday by Dan Spada. This is only the third existing population in New York State. There is another along Lake Champlain and one in Western New York. This species has 30 historical occurrences in New York dating back to 1853 and they all seem to be near large lakes or rivers. Why so few exist today is a mystery but it may have to do with fate of the mycorrhizal fungi that pine drops relies on to survive. Nice find Dan!

Julie Lundgren, Natural Heritage state parks ecologist, shows you the blooms in store for spring. https://nystateparks.blog//more-early-spring-bloomers-flo/

With spring in the air, we're happy to report a new program website! For the first time, all of our current and recent work is housed on a single site, and we will be continually adding to and updating its content. We're excited to share this with you. www.nynhp.org

Happy World Wetlands Day! Did you know 40% of the world’s species live and breed in wetlands?! Wetlands hold and provide most of the useable fresh water on Earth. They naturally filter pollutants, leaving water people and wildlife can safely drink. Last summer our wetland ecologist Laura Shappell snapped this photo during her wetland survey along Schoharie Creek in Greene County, NY. https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/