Erika Harvey's blog

The compass plant is a member of the sunflower family that gets its name from its unique alignment to cardinal directions.

The High Line’s planting design is inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew up between rail tracks after the trains stopped running in the 1980s. Today, the High Line includes more than 300 species of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees — chosen for their hardiness, adaptability, diversity, and seasonal variation in color and texture. Some of the species that originally grew on the High Line’s rail bed are reflected in the park landscape today.

This week we share with you one of our gardeners’ current favorites.

Our gardeners are hard at work this time of year, making sure the park is at its most beautiful. Photo by Beverly Israely.

With more than 1,500 contributors, the High Line Flickr Pool gathers some of the best photographs of the park. The images are displayed in a rotating gallery on our Web site, giving High Line fans from afar, or those stuck in the office, a great way to keep track of park life. On the blog, we like to recognize the talented photographers who share their unique perspectives of the park.

Summer is an exciting season at the High Line. It marks the return of some of our favorite public programs for all ages, High Line food partners serving up a selection of sweet and savory options along the park, not to mention a diverse and ever-changing palette of flowers and foliage throughout the planting beds.

Join us after the jump for a photographic celebration of the summer season featuring our favorite images from past and present, including many from the High Line Flickr Pool.

Butterfly milkweed is a native of the eastern United States and Canada that’s a favorite among butterflies and other pollinators.

The High Line’s planting design is inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew up between rail tracks after the trains stopped running in the 1980s. Today, the High Line includes more than 300 species of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees — chosen for their hardiness, adaptability, diversity, and seasonal variation in color and texture. Some of the species that originally grew on the High Line’s rail bed are reflected in the park landscape today.

This week we share with you one of our gardeners’ current favorites.

Purple prairie clover’s blooms are popular with both visitors and pollinators. Photo by Beverly Israely.

The High Line’s planting design is inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew up between rail tracks after the trains stopped running in the 1980s. Today, the High Line includes more than 300 species of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees — chosen for their hardiness, adaptability, diversity, and seasonal variation in color and texture. Some of the species that originally grew on the High Line’s rail bed are reflected in the park landscape today.

This week we share with you one of our gardeners’ current favorites.

This season of High Line Food is in full-swing! Follow us after the jump to learn how you can enter to win a complimentary lunch from Terroir at The Porch.

Young Lady smokebush, Cotinus coggygria 'Young Lady, is a very distinctive plant named for its resemblance to billowing smoke.

The High Line’s planting design is inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew up between rail tracks after the trains stopped running in the 1980s. Today, the High Line includes more than 300 species of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees — chosen for their hardiness, adaptability, diversity, and seasonal variation in color and texture. Some of the species that originally grew on the High Line’s rail bed are reflected in the park landscape today.

This week we share with you one of our gardeners’ current favorites.

Two varieties of foxtail lilies are currently blooming at the High Line. Above Eremurus stenophyllus adds bright yellow color to the landscape on the High Line near West 18th Street. Photo by Patrick Cullina.

The High Line’s planting design is inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew up between rail tracks after the trains stopped running in the 1980s. Today, the High Line includes more than 300 species of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees — chosen for their hardiness, adaptability, diversity, and seasonal variation in color and texture. Some of the species that originally grew on the High Line’s rail bed are reflected in the park landscape today.

This week we share with you one of our gardeners’ current favorites.

Like other art on the High Line, Sarah Sze’s sculpture is a temporary installation. Photo by Sarah Sze.

This week we bid farewell to Sarah Sze’s Still Life with Path (Model for Habitat), the intricate sculpture flanking the High Line’s pathway at West 21st Street.

Stop by the High Line tomorrow at sunset to catch the Transit of Venus – an astronomical event in which the planet Venus will pass before the Sun, as seen here in an image from 2004. Photo by NASA.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that the rain and clouds will break for tomorrow’s stargazing session on the High Line. If the weather permits, you’ll be able to see a rare astronomical event called the Transit of Venus.

At approximately 6:00 PM, the planet Venus will begin to pass directly between the Sun and the Earth. The last Transit of Venus took place in June of 2004, and projections show it won’t be visible again until the year 2117!

Learn more after the jump.