“Please watch for wandering turtles,” reads the sign on the door leading into Lamberton Conservatory.
Brimming with plant varieties from across the world and a horde of tortoises, turtles and quails, the conservatory in Highland Park welcomed nearly 70,000 visitors through that door last year, a 46% increase from 2021.
The Lamberton Conservatory was built in 1911 and was named for then-president of the parks board and park commissioner Alexander B. Lamberton. Originally focused primarily on unique flowers, it wasn’t until 1985 that the conservatory expanded to its current size, explained horticultural aide Nancy Mastin, with two new rooms added on each side of the building. With this newfound space came additional plants and the development of distinct ‘houses’: seasonal, epiphyte, tropical, desert and houseplant.
The seasonal house is the busiest, hosting five shows a year. The space is currently transformed with a colorful array of tulips and daffodils for the spring show, which runs through May 3. Any of the show plants that can be saved for future use are brought back to Monroe County’s approximately 9,000-square-foot greenhouse, which provides growth and storage space for plants across all the county’s parks.
The other houses remain relatively static throughout the year, many plants growing on display for decades. And with a $4 admission rate ($12 for an annual pass), the conservatory has a steady group of regular visitors.
“I see some of the same people here throughout the year, even in our slow season of the summer,” Mastin said. “They enjoy the quietness — you’ll often find people reading or journaling.”
The epiphyte house contains the oldest plant in the entire conservatory: a shaving brush tree believed to be over 100 years old. It’s also home to three of the five free-roaming tortoises (Rob, Frank and Diamond) in the conservatory, all slowly but steadily on their way to a similar age.
The tropical house is the center of the original structure, which was torn down and reconstructed in 2007 by Monroe County after decades of high temperatures and humidity inside caused structural issues. The scale of the plants dramatically increases upon stepping into the space, from towering palms to Mastin’s favorite plants, the Amstel King fig and the croton. Stepping toward the sound of running water reveals a bale of red-eared sliders, often perched haphazardly on top of each other to enjoy the heat lamp, while others take a dip in the pond or meander across the pathways.
Mastin keeps an eye on all the plants at risk of damaging the glass windows, trimming those that are pressing too hard. Some plants, like the Amstel King fig, can be continuously trimmed and grow back. Others, like the large palm fronds, will eventually need to be removed and brought to the Monroe County compost pile in Genesee Valley Park.
Shellville, at the entrance to the houseplant house, is home to over a dozen turtles and tortoises, with several enclosures to keep any aggressive town members apart. Animals weren’t always part of the conservatory — Mastin and Jen Stirpe, a front desk staffer, credit now-retired horticultural aide Noelle Nagel for her integration of donated pets into the ecosystem.
Stirpe and her coworkers are the main caretakers of the animals, setting out their food, taking care of young offspring and wrangling any rogue animals.
“We don’t intentionally breed (the animals),” Stirpe said. “Whatever happens, happens, and we’ll support them.”
The staff set up enclosures for new quail chicks, along with an aquarium at the front desk for some turtle hatchlings who will call it home for several years.
“By the time they’re out (in the main areas), they’ll be about 8 to 10 years old,” Stirpe said. “It’s for their own safety. They look big in the tank, but as soon as they’re out on a path, they look like pebbles.”
Mastin credits the efforts of the Highland Park Conservancy, a volunteer-led advocacy and stewardship group for the park, with sustaining and growing public interest in the Lamberton Conservatory and Highland Park through their promotion and event planning.
“They’re all so passionate,” she said. “I don’t know what we’d do without them.”
Sarah Woodams is a Rochester-based freelance writer, photographer and environmental communications specialist. You can find her at @swoodamsphoto.
