 Make Sure Your Landscape is Well-Grounded
We often think about the importance of native canopy trees, understory trees, shrubs, and wildflowers and other herbaceous plants. But what about the ground layer and healthy soil? It's particularly appropriate to talk about the importance of soil in 2015, which is the International Year of Soil.Learn how we can create a healthy landscape right from the ground up. Presented by Janet Allen, President of HGCNY. WHEN: Sunday, Apr. 26 at 2:00 pm WHERE: Liverpool Public Library ( Directions) Free and open to the public, so bring a friend or two! Note: Fire regulations require a limit of 80 people. Come early to be sure you get a seat! Janet Allen, President
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State of the Plants Report
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The New England Wildflower Society releases most comprehensive native plant report ever assembled
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| | Wild ginger (Asarum canadensis), one of the common or indicator species |
Some of the highlights: * 22% of native plant species are considered rare or possibly extinct, and many plants range over a much smaller geographical area than in the past. * After a century of reforestation, New England's forest cover is declining, along with plant diversity. * Insect-pollinated plants--the majority of native plants--are in particular trouble and are declining along with the insects that pollinate and rely on them. * 31% of current plant species aren't native to the region. The report cites climate change, land development, and pesticides as some of the many risk factors.
"Native plants are the backbone of habitat, for us and for insects, birds, mammals, and other organisms. Plants supply the oxygen we breathe, regulate the climate, and clean the water. They are the base of the food chain that leads to our own dinner table, and the loss of a single plant species can disrupt an intricate web supporting myriad plants and animals. When native plants are imperiled, the entire ecosystem is at risk."
What we can do in our own landscapes* Grow native plants! * Minimize fertilizers and pesticides * Identify and control non-native invasive plants * (Many more suggestions are in the report) Learn more and download the Report at
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The monarchs have left Mexico!
Sign up be a citizen scientist for monarchs.
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The monarchs have finally left Mexico - at least two weeks later than ever recorded previously! Read more ...
This change highlights the importance of learning all we can about the migration. Many talented scientists are working on this problem, but they can't be everywhere, collecting the large amount of data needed to answer critical conservation questions.
We, as citizen scientists, can make this important contribution.
Many Wild Ones chapters will be focusing on citizen science as part of our Wild Ones' commitment to the Monarch Joint Venture.
Sign up to learn how to participateHGCNY has arranged for a MLMP expert to come to train people interested in participating in the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP). This monarch conservation citizen science project at the University of Minnesota is directed by Dr. Karen Oberholser, the recipient of last year's White House Champion of Change award. From the MLMP website: The overarching goal of the project is to better understand how and why monarch populations vary in time and space, with a focus on monarch distribution and abundance during the breeding season in North America.
As an MLMP volunteer, your contributions will aid in conserving monarchs and their threatened migratory phenomenon, and advance our understanding of butterfly ecology in general. MLMP encourages people to monitor your milkweed site (which can be your own yard) weekly during the time that milkweed is present, but if you can't monitor regularly, you can submit anecdotal observations.
SIGN UP now to attend the trainingThe training will take place on Sunday April 19 at 2 pm at our home in Westvale. Please email me at hg.cny@verizon.net to reserve your spot in the training session and get further details. Help the migration survive by becoming a citizen scientist! |
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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, and we're honored that he's an Honorary Director of Wild Ones. Hear him in person on April 25, 8:30 to noon at Justin's Grill. 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." This is sure to be a sell-out, so send in your registration as soon as possible!
Print out the event brochure (a .pdf file) and mail it to the address indicated in the brochure.
(Note: This file has a long name generated by Constant Contact. You can download the same file from the HGCNY homepage.)
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Nesting materials for birds
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Providing nesting materials
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| | Oriole gathering fibers from last year's milkweed stalks |
Besides food, water, and cover, providing a place to raise young is an essential part of creating a bird-friendly habitat. Snags, hedges, trees, are natural places for birds to raise young, and nest boxes are an important substitute for cavity-nesting birds if there aren't enough natural cavities. But nesting places aren't enough. They need nesting materials, too! By not overneatening your landscape, you're making available the best nesting materials: bark strips, pine needles, moss, plant fluff, and more. NO dryer lint! It's so tempting to offer soft dryer lint (and it's often mentioned in articles). BUT dryer lint and many other materials people offer may not be good for the baby birds. Dryer lint, for example, becomes crumbly and may contain harmful chemicals. You CAN offer theseBesides the natural materials in your yard (if you don't overneaten) Cornell Lab of Ornithology suggests: * human (untreated) hair no more than 4-6 inches long * horse hair or sheep's wool * pet fur (BUT NEVER from pets who have received flea or tick treatments) * feathers (perhaps you have an old feather pillow) Read more at All About Birds or Journey North ...
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Every plant tells a story about changing climates
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| | Why bother looking at a withered trillium? It's a phenophase! |
One of the best ways to determine the rate of climate change is to keep track of the life phases of plants from leaf buds bursting in the spring through flowering, fruiting, and leaves falling, to name a few of these phenophases. Many people have a feeling that these cycles are changing, but the only way to know for sure is to keep track of when plants move through these phases. Join Project BudBurst, the national network of citizen scientists monitoring plants as the seasons change. This is easy to do at home, but there are also resources available for teachers of students from kindergarten through college undergrads. NOW is an important time to start watching for buds bursting as spring arrives! Learn more about Project Budburst at www.budburst.org.
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April 10 9 am - 11 am
High Vista Preserve
Join Cooperative Extension staff for a fun, interactive hike in search of hemlock trees and the invasive wooly adelgid. FREE, but you must register by sending an email to rlw294@cornell.edu Read more ...
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Wildlife Returning: Images of a Recovering Onondaga Lake 
Sun. April 26 1pm-4pm
Audubon New York is hosting this exhibit, which features colorful songbirds, eagles, and other wildlife that show why Onondaga Lake achieved designation as an Important Bird Area. This free exhibit will take place at the Onondaga Lake Visitor's Center. For directions and to read more ...
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Starts April 9 at Cornell Plantations
This spring, the focus will be on creating a rain garden, a water conservation strategy that cleans storm water before it enters our waterways. The management practices learned and re-enforced through hands-on workshops and directed stewardships are transferable to land management at multiple scales, including your yard. The program culminates in participants constructing a beautiful rain garden at Plantations. To read more and to register ...
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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. Email me if you want to receive a vegetable gardening e-newsletter.
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