Turtle Island refers to the continent of North America and comes from indigenous oral histories that tell the story of a Turtle that holds the world on its back. 

The flower species included in the fiber mural are all native to North America. Echinacea, Coneflowers, Cypripedium (Lady Slipper Orchid), Aster, Goldenrod Solidago, Sanguinaria Bloodroot, Black-Eyed Susan, Blue Violets, and Cow Parsnip all grew wild on Turtle Island. Some were used by the Lenape and other indigenous inhabitants of North America for medicinal purposes.

Flowers that we see regularly planted in our neighborhoods and parks are often mistaken as native to New York and New England but were actually brought here by European settlers.