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The promise of future serviceberries
(Amelanchier canadense) for birds
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We're fortunate to have a variety of knowledgeable speakers in CNY, and we've learned a lot from our indoor programs this past year. But now that spring is here, it's time to move outside! We have a number of field trips and Show Me Help Me tours planned. A few are open only to Wild Ones / HGCNY members, but it's not too late to join Wild Ones if you'd like to attend. Other programs are open to anyone. See the details about our field trips below. I hope you can join us! Other habitat gardening talks
I'll be speaking at some events that are open to the public:
Our Future Flies on the Wings of Pollinators: WHEN: Wed. May 13 at 7:00 pm
WHERE: Manlius Library, 1 Arkie Albanese Ave, Manlius; Library Phone #: (315) 682-6400
WHAT: An Onondaga Audubon meeting
Creating a Bird-friendly Yard:
WHEN: Tues. May 26 at 7:00 pm
WHERE: Marcellus Public Library, 32 Maple St, Marcellus
PHONE: (315) 673-3221
Janet Allen, President
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Be watching for monarchs! Here's an animated map showing the sightings so far. You can add your sightings at Journey North. And while you're waiting for monarchs to appear in CNY, enjoy this Moving for Monarchs TEDx talk.The dancer and production company worked with our own Wild for Monarchs program as well as with MonarchWatch. A portion of the footage was filmed at our own Wild Center, the Wild Ones headquarters!
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Is your yard an ECO-TRAP?
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An ecological trap is one way of thinking about the quality of a habitat. A SOURCE habitat is one where more animals are born than die in a given year. A SINK habitat is one where more animals die than are born. From YardMap:
Sometimes the effect is subtle: parent birds that have to work harder to find enough nutritious food for their young face opportunity costs if they miss out on future breeding opportunities.
Sometimes the effect is dramatic: newly fledged birds taking their first tentative steps out of the nest might be caught by the neighborhood cats.Some of the ecological traps YardMap lists are: * You have an outdoor cat * You feed feral cats in your yard * You spray pesticides Read other characteristics of an ecological trap from YardMap.  Non-native plants can be ecological traps, tooMany of us notice birds, for example, eating the berries of non-native plants, such as Japanese honeysuckle, for example. So how can that be bad? As Doug Tallamy says in a Nat'l Wildlife Federation article, "... concluding that 'honeysuckle is good for birds is like going to a highway rest stop, seeing starlings at a dumpster and saying that rest stops are good for birds.' "
Generalists--species that thrive when there's more food of almost any type--will do well regardless, but the specialists suffer. Nest predation is another problem when non-native plants predominate even for generalists like cardinals. Since honeysuckle (as well as many other non-native species) leafs out sooner in spring than most plants, "...the fittest cardinals rush to mate and nest in the shrubs' dense foliage. But instead of a gain in reproductive success, ... rear 20 percent fewer young than those that nest in native plants. The reason? Predation... Perhaps because the first nests in honeysuckle are just about the only nests in a forest, locating them is easier for predators such as raccoons, hawks and crows." Feather color and fitness is a third issue. Research found that " in urban and suburban areas with a lot of honeysuckle, the normal relationship between fitness and color breaks down. She suspects honeysuckle berries, unlike the berries of native plants, contain abundant pigments but are poor in the protein and fat birds need for energy and fitness." The researcher also noted that "(t)he availability of birdseed in urban areas-which contains plenty of nutrients but fewer carotenoid pigments-also may contribute to the disconnect between feather color and fitness."Read the whole article from the National Wildlife Fed'n magazine.
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Two of our field trips are open only to Wild Ones members. There's still time to become an "official" Wild Ones member (and thereby an official member of HGNCY). See the sidebar at the right for details on joining.
Field Trip to Geddes Brook with Joe McMullen
WHEN: Sun. June 7: Open only to the first 35 Wild Ones members. RSVP to Carol at
Skaneateles Conservation Area
Show Me Help Me Field Trip
Sat. June 13 and Sat. June 20 |
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Non-native invasive Japanese honeysuckle
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This area is an abandoned USDA Soil Research Station (and briefly an Army helicopter training site). Much of it now consists of highly-degraded fields of buckthorn, honeysuckle, privet, and multiflora rose. Volunteers have been removing some of the invasives within the last few years, but they could use some ideas about good replacements. See http://skaak.org/the-areas/federal-farm/ for historic aerial images of the site, and http://skaak.org/the-areas/federal-farm/federal-farm-clippings/ for some history. Randy will "SHOW" us what they've been doing to remove the invasives and what the result has been over the last few years, and he's interested in our "HELP" as part of this Show Me Help Me Field Trip. Because this is public land, only licensed applicators are allowed to apply herbicides, so many of the invasives re-sprout and need to be recut over and over. It has made room for some natives to pop up on their own, but those need to be protected from herbivores, and it's only a limited number of species. Dr. McGee (at June 13 trip only) will help answer the more difficult questions and provide suggestions of his own. His Wildflower Restoration project is being done on a site (the Guppy Farm, on the other side of Gully Road) that was reforested earlier and has less of an invasive species problem, but native woodland wildflowers are absent. See more about that project at http://skaak.org/flora-2/wildflower-restoration/. In addition to Dr. McGee, Geoff Griffiths, a Ph.D. Ecology student at SUNY-ESF, will also be our guide at both the June 13 and the June 20 programs. RSVPs
Sat. June 13 at 10 am. Open to Wild Ones members. RSVP to Carol at cbieseme@twcny.rr.com. Sat. June 20 at 10 am. Open to all. RSVP to Randy Nonenmacher at ranonenmacher@twcny.rr.com. Details will be sent to registrants.
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2015 Native Plant Shopping Guide
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 The most common question people have asked over the years is "Where can we get native plants?" Central New York does seem to be behind other areas of the country in making native plants available, but each year there are more plants available, and our Native Plant Shopping Guide will tell you where to find them. Download it for free on our websiteThe Guide is in three parts:
Or you can download the complete Guide (Introduction, List by scientific name, and List by common name). Please read the introduction! In addition to information about the vendors, it suggests guidelines for choosing plants. For example, it's beneficial to choose species rather than cultivars. The Introduction provides additional information. New this year is a link (the asterisk in the left hand column) to a map of each plant's distribution county by county as part of the Biota of North America Program at http://bonap.net/NAPA/Genus/Traditional/County. If you're looking for a particular plant, be sure to call ahead to be sure the vendor has them in stock on any particular day. Thank you to our vendors for taking the time and effort to provide a list of their native plant offerings. Special thanks to Randy Nonenmacher, Carol Biesemeyer, and Randi Starmer for their assistance. And THANKS to all of you who choose native plants! |
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NOTE: None of these sales has only native plants, so take some plant guides with you to help with your selections.
Spring Garden Fair and Plant Sale
WHEN: Sat. May 16 9 am-2 pm at ITHACA HIGH SCHOOL, 1401 North Cayuga Street, Ithaca For more info
Master Gardeners of Onondaga County
Native plants & others
WHEN: Sat. May 23
10 am - 2 pm
WHERE: Beaver Lake Nature Center 8477 East Mud Lake Rd Baldwinsville
Call 424-9485 x236 for more info
Baltimore Woods Nature Center
Plantasia Plant Sale and Garden Festival
WHEN: May 29-31
* Friday 4-7pm (Baltimore Woods Members only on Fri.)
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Onondaga Audubon's 2015 Bird Festival
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Fun for the
whole family
Live hawks and owls, bird and nature walks, kids' activities, arts and crafts, photography, food. WHEN: Sat. May 9 10 am to 5 pm WHERE: Derby HIll, Mexico, NY ( Directions) Free admission and free parking. For more information...
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MOST Exhibit:
Losing a Legacy
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Climbing a glacier in Glacier Nat'l Park in 1977 - disappearing in my lifetime
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The Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) has a photography exhibit, "Losing a Legacy: A Photographic Story of Disappearing Glaciers," chronicling the disappearance of glaciers from Glacier National Park in Montana due to climate change. WHEN: Ends June 30 WHERE: MOST, 500 South Franklin St. Syracuse (315) 425-9068 Directions and parkingFor more info about the exhibit...
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A Celebration of
50 Years in the Garden
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Bluebells
(Mertensia virginiana)
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Join Bill and Jane Plummeras they celebrate a half-century of gardening with flowering trees, rhododendrons, and a host of spring ephemerals, such as bluebells and trillium. The garden has received awards from the VIIth District Fed't Garen Clubs of NY and the Finger Lakes Native Plant Society. WHEN: Sat. May 23 or Sun. May 24; Time: 10 am - 4 pm WHERE: 10 Fox Lane East, Painted Post, NY
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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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