Park update: From 7am – 4pm on June 30, July 1, & July 2, the section of the High Line between 23rd Street and 30th Street will be temporarily closed. Visitors may exit at those streets and walk along 10th Avenue to re-enter the park. Stairs and an elevator are available at 23rd Street and 30th Street.
From July 7 to late August, the 10th Avenue Square section of the High Line will be closed due to construction. Please note the following changes to access. You can also learn more on our blog >
Elevator access: Visitors traveling north will need to exit at 14th Street, walk along the street, and reenter at 23rd Street. Visitors traveling south will need to exit at 23rd Street, walk along the street, and reenter at 14th Street.
Stair access: Visitors traveling north will need to exit at 16th Street, walk along the street, and reenter at 17th Street. Visitors traveling south will need to exit at 17th Street, walk along the street, and reenter at 16th Street.
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A lifeline for New York
Why have a purely ornamental garden when you can cultivate one that also strategically supports wildlife, people, and the environment at large? With more than 500 species of plants—half of which are native to the US and 160+ of which are native to New York’s five boroughs—the High Line is the West Side’s lifeline to nature and wildlife. As a green corridor of important habitats, it sustains a thriving ecosystem of people, plants, and animals, including 33 species of bees and many of the 400 birds that visit or call the city home. Beyond its impact on wildlife, the High Line’s gardens help mitigate climate change-related issues, like the urban heat island effect, excessive stormwater, and poor air quality. To top it all off, green spaces like the High Line are critical for human health and well-being, especially for people who live in urban spaces.
The Ecosystems of the Park
Walk on the wild side: the ecosystems of the park
The High Line transports visitors through 1.5 miles of distinct garden zones that echo the native ecosystems of Manhattan Island—vast grasslands, coastal wetlands, thickets of woody shrubs, and shady woodland forests. These vibrant communities of plants, insects, birds and pollinators thrive in authentic environments and support each other by being linked together on the High Line.
Grassland
Grasslands are wide, open spaces of undulating prairie grasses and herbaceous plants like wildflowers, devoid of trees and woody shrubs. Here, you will be dazzled by the stunning variety of grasses and flowering shrubs and perennials—like our iconic coneflowers and rattlesnake master. Not only do they provide the High Line with four seasons of vibrant color, they serve up a year-round supply of nourishing seeds and nectar to buzzing populations of hummingbirds, native bees, and other pollinators. In an urban area like New York, the five grassland zones of the High Line are efficient engines of climate resiliency, absorbing copious amounts of carbon, heat, and stormwater.
Grassland
Grasslands are wide, open spaces of undulating prairie grasses and herbaceous plants like wildflowers, devoid of trees and woody shrubs. Here, you will be dazzled by the stunning variety of grasses and flowering shrubs and perennials—like our iconic coneflowers and rattlesnake master. Not only do they provide the High Line with four seasons of vibrant color, they serve up a year-round supply of nourishing seeds and nectar to buzzing populations of hummingbirds, native bees, and other pollinators. In an urban area like New York, the five grassland zones of the High Line are efficient engines of climate resiliency, absorbing copious amounts of carbon, heat, and stormwater.
Wetland
A manmade water feature on the High Line’s Sundeck provides a friendly watering hole for thirsty insects and a splash pad for humans looking to cool their heels (and toes) on a summer day. It also creates wetland conditions where moisture-loving plants like swamp milkweed, blue flag iris, and swamp rose mallow flourish. During the hot and dry summer months, bees, butterflies, and other insects seeking a water source on New York’s urban heat island are drawn to this wetland. The buttonbush—hugely popular with pollinators and almost all varieties of butterflies—is also the host plant for North America’s largest moths.
Wetland
A manmade water feature on the High Line’s Sundeck provides a friendly watering hole for thirsty insects and a splash pad for humans looking to cool their heels (and toes) on a summer day. It also creates wetland conditions where moisture-loving plants like swamp milkweed, blue flag iris, and swamp rose mallow flourish. During the hot and dry summer months, bees, butterflies, and other insects seeking a water source on New York’s urban heat island are drawn to this wetland. The buttonbush—hugely popular with pollinators and almost all varieties of butterflies—is also the host plant for North America’s largest moths.
Woodland edge
As denser forest gives way to more open spaces, many species of wildlife make their home in the thickets of woody shrubs and shade-tolerant grasses at the woodland’s edge. The High Line emulates these fascinating ecosystems throughout the park. In the Chelsea Thicket, the tasty red berries of the dogwood trees attract robins, blue jays, and other avian visitors in summer and fall, while low-grow aromatic sumac hosts moth and butterfly larvae—which feed on the shrub’s citrusy fruit. Shrub thickets present ideal nesting locations for a variety of birds. We’ve spotted robins, mockingbirds, and mourning doves nurturing their next generations here. The Woodland Edge features early blooming witch hazel and native chokecherry, which attracts bees, beetles, butterflies, and the lunate zale moth.
Woodland edge
As denser forest gives way to more open spaces, many species of wildlife make their home in the thickets of woody shrubs and shade-tolerant grasses at the woodland’s edge. The High Line emulates these fascinating ecosystems throughout the park. In the Chelsea Thicket, the tasty red berries of the dogwood trees attract robins, blue jays, and other avian visitors in summer and fall, while low-grow aromatic sumac hosts moth and butterfly larvae—which feed on the shrub’s citrusy fruit. Shrub thickets present ideal nesting locations for a variety of birds. We’ve spotted robins, mockingbirds, and mourning doves nurturing their next generations here. The Woodland Edge features early blooming witch hazel and native chokecherry, which attracts bees, beetles, butterflies, and the lunate zale moth.
Woodland
A woodland is a low-density forest populated by trees and woody shrubs and characterized by the wider spacing of trees. This allows sunlight to reach the earth and support a healthy understory—the shrubs and vines beneath a tree canopy that provide habitats for wildlife. The High Line features several of these important ecosystems, miniature forests thriving above New York’s West Side. Mockingbirds and sparrows flock to the Gansevoort Woodland’s serviceberry and gray birch trees, where bees, beetles, flower flies, and butterflies sip from the blooms of Amethyst Falls American wisteria. Beneath the Flyover’s canopy of big leaf magnolias, sassafras, and serviceberry trees, a thriving understory of flowering plants is abuzz with pollinators, including a wide variety of long-tongued bees.
Woodland
A woodland is a low-density forest populated by trees and woody shrubs and characterized by the wider spacing of trees. This allows sunlight to reach the earth and support a healthy understory—the shrubs and vines beneath a tree canopy that provide habitats for wildlife. The High Line features several of these important ecosystems, miniature forests thriving above New York’s West Side. Mockingbirds and sparrows flock to the Gansevoort Woodland’s serviceberry and gray birch trees, where bees, beetles, flower flies, and butterflies sip from the blooms of Amethyst Falls American wisteria. Beneath the Flyover’s canopy of big leaf magnolias, sassafras, and serviceberry trees, a thriving understory of flowering plants is abuzz with pollinators, including a wide variety of long-tongued bees.
Engaging Nature
Engaging Nature: Dialogues on Urban Ecology, is a four-part virtual public program series that will illuminate the practices and expertise driving the High Line’s contributions to the domains of ecological horticulture, urban biodiversity, and climate resilience. The series launches on Earth Day 2025, April 22, at 6pm with a conversation between ecological garden designer and Harvard Loeb Fellow Rebecca McMackin and Richard Hayden, High Line Senior Director of Horticulture, about ecological horticulture.
Through the Engaging Nature: Dialogues on Urban Ecology series, attendees will learn about the often-overlooked connections between plants, humans, wildlife, and the many elements that make up the natural world around us within the built environment of New York City. From best practices for fostering a holistically healthy garden and recent learnings on the vital partnerships between native pollinators and plants that allow them both to thrive, to insights on horticultural resilience in the face of a changing climate and the care and keeping of some of New York City’s most vibrant greenspaces, the Engaging Nature dialogues reveal the role we play within the complex and unseen system of networks that undergirds the urban environment.
Adventures in Ecological Horticulture
Virtual discussion
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
6 – 7pm
Ecologically focused horticulturist Rebecca McMackin, former Director of Horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park and current Lead Horticulturist for the American Horticultural Society, shares insights from her work in urban green spaces on how to cultivate beautiful and biodiverse gardens, followed by a Q&A with High Line Senior Director of Horticulture Richard Hayden.
See the recording:
Living Landscapes: Supporting Pollinators with Plants and Practices
Virtual discussion
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
6 – 7pm
Learn how gardens and urban green spaces support native pollinators with experts Sarah Kornbluth (American Museum of Natural History) and Sam Hoadley (Mt. Cuba Center). They’ll discuss native bee surveys, horticultural techniques, and plant trials, followed by a Q&A with the High Line Senior Director of Horticulture Richard Hayden.
RSVPFuture Nature: Rethinking Public Landscapes as Living Infrastructure
In-person and virtual event
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
6 – 7:30pm
With High Line Network Policy Lab
Landscape architect Thomas Rainer, author of Planting in a Post Wild World, will discuss the future of greenspace design for urban ecology and horticultural resilience in a changing climate. He’ll challenge conventional public space design, advocating for dynamic, self-sustaining plant systems that can adapt to environmental stress and thrive in an unpredictable future.
Stay tuned for registration information.
Celebrating City Nature: Insights from NYC Greenspaces
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
6– 7:30pm
Virtual panel discussion
Join New York Times garden columnist Margaret Roach, and a panel of NYC green space leaders—Yuki Kaneko (High Line), Rashid Poulson (Brooklyn Bridge Park), and Sara Evans (Green-Wood Cemetery)—as they discuss innovative strategies for urban park ecosystems and public engagement with nature.
Stay tuned for registration information.
Support the High Line
Nearly 100% of the park’s budget comes from friends like you. Please support our urban green space with a donation, ensuring our gardens continue to thrive and provide ecological benefits to New York City year after year.
Become a memberSupport
Lead support for Horticulture on the High Line is provided by Amanda M. Burden.
Major support of High Line Horticulture digital infrastructure is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Program support for Horticulture on the High Line is provided by Christine Knuth, Prakash and Anjali Melwani, Con Edison, and Greenacre Foundation.
Additional support is provided by the Farvue Foundation, and Dana Niblack and Paul Thompson.
Engaging Nature: Dialogues on Urban Ecology, is made possible, in part, with endowment funds from the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation.
Illustrations by Jiaqi Wang.