May is MUST FIND MUSTARDS month.

Since 1819, fifty-eight species of Mustard have been found growing wild in New York City. Most are introduced species from Europe and some like Garlic Mustard are highly invasive. Sixteen species are indigenous to the City and many are rare or have not been seen in the City for 30, 50 or 100 years. Learn to recognize Mustard plants and document them in your neighborhood. See the guide to Mustards of New York City here.

What’s the point of EcoQuests?

So far, the MUST FIND MUSTARDS EcoQuest Challenge has produced......

— Enhanced Mustard awareness, including family, genus and species recognition.
— First report of Thlaspi alliaceum for New York State.
— First report of Sisymbrium loeselii as “naturalized” in New York State and first report for New York City.
— First report in over 100 years of Descurainia sophia in NYC.
— First report of Turritis glabra for the Bronx.

Could this be something new? https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/25693749

There are five days left in June and plenty more to learn about Mustards in NYC, especially the genera Sisymbrium, Cardamine and Lepidium.