Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is a wonderful retreat on Staten Island that offers 23 historical buildings, including museums, cultural institutions, and nine botanical gardens on 83 acres just a short bus ride from the Staten Island ferry terminal at St. George.
I visited on a hot day in August and was overwhelmed by the beauty of the flowers and the woodlands and meadows. There is a resident great horned owl there, but my view was blocked by the leaves of its roosting tree. But my view of the flowers and bugs (butterflies, bees, and some I didn't recognize) was definitely great. These first photos show some of the bugs and butterflies.
I explored the gardens for flowers that had "personality," a little more life left in them, or a little less remaining. The blooms often have a landscape, which you can explore, like Georgia O'Keeffe, by looking deep inside.