Community in focus

Wave Hill-O-Ween introduces children to the spooky side of nature

Posted Friday, November 6, 2026 10:02 am

Wave Hill gardeners Sandra Schaller, left, and Keiren Valentine, right, pose with Audrey II, a giant man-eating plant inspired by “Little Shop of Horrors.” Schaller handmade the colorful, carnivorous flora, which invited children to toss sweetgum seed pods into its enormous mouth.

Michelle Mullen photos

Coordinated family costumes were among the many creative outfits on display throughout the afternoon. Dressed as Cruella de Vil, Elissa Montas, back right, brought “101 Dalmatians” to Wave Hill alongside a large group of family members, not all pictured, but all dressed to match the theme. Seen posing with her were Leo Rubio as a dog catcher, back left, and her 15-year-old niece Ella Peralta as a Dalmatian pup, back center. The three pups in front are also her nieces, from left, Summer Rubio, 6, Dallas Dejesus, 8, and Isla Andricci, 3.

Children took part in Halloween-themed games and races on Wave Hill’s lawn, including an eyeball-and-spoon race that challenged participants to cross the grass without dropping their plastic eyeballs.

Fuzzy ‘mummy cacti’ were among the creepy plants featured in Wave Hill-O-Ween’s garden scavenger hunt, which encouraged visitors to explore unusual plant species with a spooky Halloween twist.

Bernadette Ward, 3, gets an up-close look at a Madagascar hissing cockroach during Wave Hill-O-Ween. The interactive exhibit introduced children to creepy crawlies that serve as decomposers, including millipedes, land snails and earthworms. Ward was particularly fond of the millipede, which she described as tickling her.

A young visitor adds a sparkling tiara to a skeleton during Wave Hill-O-Ween. Skeletons and other Halloween decorations transformed the public garden into a playful, spooky setting, offering families plenty of opportunities for photographs as they explored the grounds.

Katerina Arroyo, 10, shows off her prize basket after winning first place in Wave Hill-O-Ween’s costume contest. Arroyo dressed as a black cat inspired by a Minecraft book about a kitten destined to save its world.

Inside Wave Hill House, children embraced their inner witches and wizards by creating aromatic potions from dried herbs, including lavender, peppermint, lemon balm, rose and yarrow. Some herbs were associated with sleep and relaxation, while others inspired imaginary spells involving love or healing. Participants selected their ingredients, filled small bottles and took their personalized concoctions home as Halloween souvenirs.

by Michelle Mullen

With help from creepy crawlies, magical potions, ghosts and ghouls, Wave Hill, at 4900 Independence Ave., was transformed into a Halloween wonderland on Oct. 29

The garden welcomed visitors for its third Wave Hill-O-Ween celebration and an afternoon of fall festivities with a botanical twist, largely focusing on the natural world and inviting children to discover the spookier side of plants and wildlife.

The afternoon’s costume contest brought rounds of applause as children paraded before the audience in costumes ranging from familiar movie characters to imaginative homemade creations. But among the most popular attractions was Audrey II — a giant, brightly colored, man-eating plant inspired by the musical and film “Little Shop of Horrors.”

Wave Hill gardener Sandra Schaller constructed the oversized creature using papier-mâché and expandable foam, giving children an opportunity to interact with the monster stationed near the garden’s gift shop.

“I’m in a public garden, so what would be scarier than a man-eating plant?” she said, explaining the inspiration behind her creation.

The reactions to Audrey II varied, with some children eagerly feeding the monster sweetgum seed pods and others needing a little encouragement before approaching its toothy jaws.

Outside Wave Hill’s Glyndor Gallery, visitors encountered different kinds of spooks. Biologist and environmental educator Pam Golben introduced children to decomposers — earthworms and millipedes among them, squirming in bins of moist soil and leafy debris — explaining how the often-feared creatures help break down organic matter and contribute to healthy ecosystems.

“When you can have live things for people to see and connect with, they see that they’re not bad, they’re not icky,” Golben said, adding the experience makes a stronger impression than simply talking about them.

The free celebration reflected Wave Hill’s stated efforts to expand affordable and accessible community programming and introduce more residents to the garden through seasonal events.

Kathleen Gordon, Wave Hill’s marketing manager, said the event has evolved since its introduction in 2024, although last year’s Halloween jubilee was canceled due to severe weather. This year, the garden moved away from traditional candy stations toward activities that more closely reflect the garden’s focus on nature and environmental education.

Keywords

Wave Hill, Wave Hill-O-Ween, Halloween, Riverdale Halloween events, Bronx Halloween events, Wave Hill Halloween celebration, Wave Hill Glyndor Gallery, Audrey II, Little Shop of Horrors, Sandra Schaller, Pam Golben, creepy crawlies, decomposers, earthworms, millipedes, botanical garden, nature education, environmental education, children’s activities, costume contest, fall festival, family-friendly events, Bronx community events, Spuyten Duyvil