Outdoor Yoga with Gemma at Herrontown Woods, June 5, 1-2pm

Join us Saturday, June 5, 1-2pm, for a yoga class taught by Gemma of Gratitude Yoga. 

Outdoor Yoga with Gemma at Herrontown Woods -- This is a free event. Any class donations "will support Friends of Herrontown Woods' ongoing efforts to create a place of restoration and growth for the Princeton community." The class will take place next to Veblen House. Info about location and parking is on the registration page.

This is looking to be a unique experience, outdoor yoga while being serenaded by cicadas. 

Disadvantaged Woody Species Find a Home in the Barden

A post at the PrincetonNatureNotes blog tells the story of disadvantaged woody species that are finding a place to thrive in the botanical art garden (nicknamed the Barden) at Herrontown Woods. By disadvantaged, we mean species that once prospered but have in our era been laid low, whether by heavy shade, excessive deer browsing, or introduced disease. 

Active human intervention can compensate for these forces of suppression by giving these species the sunlight and deer protection they need to show their true natures. 

The native pinkster azalea in the photo, bearing more flowers than any azalea in the preserve has managed in decades, is one of the showier examples. Other native species finding a home in this forest clearing are hazelnut, hearts-a-bustin', pawpaw, shadbush, pagoda dogwood, persimmon, American chestnut, butternut, and, most recently, Kentucky coffee tree. The latter is disadvantaged because the megafauna that once spread its seeds went extinct about 15,000 years ago.