 Introduction to Land Trusts What is a land trust organization? How do they protect native plant communities? Can I visit land trust preserves? Land Trusts in New York preserve land, protect watersheds and habitat, and practice forest conservation - very important for New York's future and often not visible to everyone. As the Joni Mitchell song goes, "We don't know what we've got till it's gone..." Patty Weisse, board member of The Finger Lakes Land Trust, and Meredith Perreault, Executive Director of the Central New York Land Trust, will fill us in on their organizations. These two land trusts do the same thing, but they have somewhat different geographies and use different tools to get the job done. We'll share information about preserves you can visit in Central New York and the Finger Lakes and highlight some of the key land trusts in New York State. WHEN: Sunday, Mar. 29 at 2:00 pm WHERE: Liverpool Public Library ( Directions) Free and open to the public, so bring a friend or two! Janet Allen, President
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Save the Date! Tallamy is coming to Syracuse!
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You've heard about Tallamy's book and ideas many times in this newsletter. He has also had a huge impact in the world beyond Central New York. We're honored that he's an Honorary Director of Wild Ones. Visit his Bringing Nature Home website. We've shown a DVD of one of his presentations at our meeting, but now you'll have a chance to hear him in person. (Note: I've heard his presentations at a number of conferences, and he's always informative and inspirational.) The event is sponsored by The Men's Garden Club of Syracuse and is co-sponsored by HGCNY. Tallamy's talk is entitled "Creating Living Landscapes." Watch for registration information in a week or so, but for now, SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, April 25 at 8:30 am to noon at Justin's Grill. Breakfast is included. |
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Advice to birds on surviving the winter
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Suet isn't a favorite food for robins, but when you're hungry...
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Advice to birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds blog:
1) Get some friends to hang out with. More eyes means there's less chance for a predator to sneak up and your friends can tip you off to food sources. 2) Eat. As much as possible. But not too much since it makes you slower and more likely to get eaten.
3) When you can't eat more, get puffy and rest. Feathers keep cold air from your skin and trap body heat. But tough luck if you're a woodpecker, since you don't have any down feathers.
4) Stay out of the wind. If the wind is blowing, go to the other side of the tree to avoid it.
5) Roost in a cavity. Old woodpecker cavities, crannies beneath the eaves of houses, even a tunnel in the snow are all warmer than spending the night out on a limb. Some birds such as chickadees and kinglets can drop their body temperature and go into controlled hypothermia to save energy.
BONUS: Put it all together From The Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds Blog Read the whole article (and there are links to interesting research) ...
And some advice to habitat gardeners
Bird feeders are fine, but birds need more than just bird feeders.
1) Plant native shrubs that provide food throughout the winter.
Here are just a few:
Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) berries are more than 50% fat, providing fuel for getting through the cold night.
Winterberries (Ilex verticillata) are cherished by many birds and they're beautiful to look at, too. As with all hollies, you'll need a male to pollinate the females, which produce the berries.
Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) not only provide berries but also some shelter.
2) Leave some snags. Where will those cozy cavities come from if we cut down all the dead trees? If you have a dead tree that's a safety hazard, try to cut it to the highest height that is safe (and how likely is it that a solitary trunk minus limbs will fall down)? And if it's not a safety hazard why cut it down at all? Enjoy it for the life it will bring to your yard.
3) Leave flower stalks and grasses. Instead of deadheading flower heads and removing all dead vegetation in the fall, leave them standing and enjoy watching birds eat the seeds (that you didn't have to buy at the store).
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Milkweeds (& citizen scientists) for monarchs
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Monarchs need milkweeds, so we're again offering local-ecotype milkweed plants at cost. Again this year The Plantsmen Nursery in Ithaca is growing these local ecotype plants and offering them to us at a very generous price. If you're interested in * swamp milkweed ( Asclepias incarnata) * common milkweed ( A. syriaca), or * butterfly weed ( A. tuberosa), email me with your request at hg.cny@verizon.net. See Our Habitat Garden milkweed webpage at www.ourhabitatgarden.org/creatures/milkweed-varieties.html for more info on the characteristics of these species. Tell me how many 6-packs (@$7) you want and of which variety. We'll do our best to provide all the milkweed people can plant. Monarchs need citizen scientists, too
We've arranged for a trainer to come for the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, an important citizen science project for monarch conservation efforts. The training will take place on April 19 at 2 pm. Please email me at hg.cny@verizon.net to reserve your spot in the training session and give you the skills to help the migration survive.
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Ithaca Native Landscape Symposium
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The 7th Annual Ithaca Native Landscaping Symposium takes place Friday March 6th and Saturday March 7th, and you can register for either day or for both. The theme is Process...and Progress?DISCOUNTS offered by the INLS:Anyone who receives this newsletter can get a flat $10 discount whether they apply it to Fri. only, Sat. only, or both days. On the registration page, there is a box labeled PROMO CODE. Enter HGCNYNEWS (all caps) to receive this discount.
And dues-paying WILD ONES members can receive a $20 discount using the promo code HGCNYMEMB (all caps).
(Note: These discounts offered by INLS cannot be combined with the INLS Early Bird offer.)
And now AN ADDITIONAL REBATE for dues-paying Wild Ones members!!In addition to the discount available as described above, HGCNY is offering an additional $25 rebate for dues-paying Wild Ones members attending one or both days of the conference. Dues-paying Wild Ones members can obtain this additional rebate from HGCNY after registering for the conference. Just email your symposium receipt to our Treasurer Randi Starmer at randi.starmer@gmail.com before March 12 (include your mailing address), and she will mail you a check for $25. Or, you may mail the rebate request to Randi Starmer, Treasurer, 8022 Bush Rd. Jamesville, NY 13089. If you would like to carpool or arrange to lunch together, send your email address to hg.cny@verizon.net and we'll put you in touch with the other HGCNY attendees to make these arrangements.
The Symposium is for landscape architects, designers, educators, Master Gardeners, government employees, homeowners, gardeners, naturalists and anyone else eager to learn more about this growing movement. Learn more and register for either or both days ...
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Onondaga County Soil and Water CD plants
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The annual Onondaga County Soil & Water Conservation District plant sale is underway, and these native plants are available: Balsam fir ( Abies balsamea) White cedar ( Thuja occidentalis) White pine ( Pinus strobus) Black cherry ( Prunus serotina) Native birch ( Betula papyrifera) Red osier dogwood ( Cornus stolonifera) Sugar maple ( Acer saccharum) White flowering dogwood ( Cornus florida) (We don't recommend the mixed pacs or the non-native species.) Information is on the OCSWCD website; deadline for ordering is March 9.
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Since HGCNY is a chapter of the national organization Wild Ones, when you become a member of Wild Ones, you're automatically a member of HGCNY, too. And since Wild Ones is an official not-for-profit, your membership is tax-deductible.
It's easy to become a member, receive the bimonthly Wild Ones Journal, and support our mission.
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As more of us participate on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hgcny, this will become a useful resource for asking (and answering!) local HGCNYers' questions about habitat gardening.
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 Visit Our Habitat Garden website for information on providing habitat, earth-friendly gardening practices, plants, and various creatures here in Central New York. |
Visit Our Edible Garden website to see an example of a local vegetable and fruit garden. An edible garden is a perfect complement to your habitat garden.
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