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Spring is always an exciting month, but we have especially exciting events happening this April. 1) Richard Louv, author of
Vitamin N: The Essential Guide
to a Nature-Rich Life We're pleased to present a live video internet appearance with Richard Louv. In his New York Times bestseller Last Child in the Woods, Louv brought attention to the alienation of children from the natural world, coining the term "nature-deficit disorder" and outlining the benefits of a strong nature connection -- from boosting mental acuity and creativity to reducing obesity and depression, from promoting health and wellness to simply having fun. His next book, The Nature Principle, addressed the needs of adults. His brand-new book Vitamin N (published just this month) is a complete prescription for connecting with the power and joy of the natural world right now, with activities for children and adults, inspiring and thought-provoking essays, and other resources. He offers down-to-earth advice for how parents, teachers, grandparents, and friends can get today's wired generation, and themselves, outside.
AND we'll have his three books for sale at a great discount!
(Bring cash or checks.) WHEN: Sunday, April 24, 2016 at 2:00 pm WHERE: Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip St., Liverpool, NY 13088. ( Directions) Our meetings are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Seating is limited, so come early to be sure to get a seat!
2) Thomas Rainer, author of Planting in a Post-Wild World
HGCNY is again a co-sponsor of The Syracuse Men's Garden Club's spring seminar entitled Designing Your World. For more information and to register, download the seminar brochure. The event takes place Sat. April 30 9am - noon at Justin's Tuscan Grill.
3) FREE presentations on habitat gardening
I'll be giving a number of free presentation during the next few months. Here are the April presentations:
Tues. April 12 - Designing an Earth-friendly Landscape Marcellus Public Library at 2:00 pm 32 Maple Street, Marcellus
Mon. April 18 - On the Wings of PollinatorsLiverpool Public Library at 7:00 pm ( Directions)
Sat. April 23 - Habitat Gardening for Life Part of the "Art and the Land" series ( For more information) Stone Quarry Hill Art Park at 2:00 pm 3883 Stone Quarry Road, Cazenovia ( Directions)
Mon. April 25 - Creating a Bird-friendly Yard
Liverpool Public Library at 7:00 pm (Directions)
4) Community Events
There's also a wealth of community events happening. Don't miss the Community Events section of the newsletter (after the articles below).
5) 2016 Native Plant Shopping Guide
Our fifth annual Native Plant Shopping Guide is available as a free download on our website homepage www.hgcny.org or download the entire Guide here.
~ Janet Allen, President, HGCNY Wild Ones Chapter
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HGCNYers on tour
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Nature makes us more caring
From the Univ. of Rochester News:
"Paying attention to the natural world not only makes you feel better, it makes you behave better, finds a new study... While the salubrious effects of nature are well documented, from increasing happiness and physical health to lowering stress, this study shows that the benefits extend to a person's values and actions. Exposure to natural as opposed to man-made environments leads people to value community and close relationships and to be more generous with money, find Ryan and his team of researchers at the University of Rochester. On a personal level, Weinstein says the take home message from the research is clear: 'We are influenced by our environment in ways that we are not aware of,' she says. Because of the hidden benefits of connecting with nature, people should take advantage of opportunities to get away from built environments and, when inside, they should surround themselves with plants, natural objects, and images of the natural world. "The more you appreciate nature, the more you can benefit," she says." Read the whole article and see a video interview with one of the researchers
I guess that explains why HGCNYers are such nice people!!
We connect with nature right in our own yards every day!
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Can you spot a bloodroot flower on your spring walks?
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Two CNY citizen science projects
National and international citizen science projects, such as the Great Backyard Bird Count, are important. (And here are this year's GBBC results.) But we especially want to know all we can about our CNY environment, too, in order to best preserve its health and beauty. Here are two ways to participate. New York Wildflower Monitoring Project
We enjoyed having a tour of Guppy Falls (near Skaneateles) last year, led by Geoff Griffiths and Greg McGee of SUNY-ESF. We learned that they're studying this area since it's one of many forests growing on abandoned farms. But these forests lack the diversity of wildflowers growing in the pre-agricultural forests that existed previously.
The New York Wildflower Monitoring Project will increase understanding of the woodland wildflower ecology to inform wildflower restoration in these post-agricultural forests.
It's easy to participate! Sign up for an account with iNaturalist.org and then join the New York Wildflower Monitoring Project. Then simply take pictures of the plants from the woodland wildflower list and upload them to iNaturalist. Include the date and location you observed the flowers. If you observe an unusual wildflower or plant that needs identification, upload that too.
These observations will be incorporated with more rigorous scientific data collection to inform restoration efforts being conducted as part of Geoff's dissertation research at SUNY-ESF.
Coming soon: Skaneateles BioBlitz!
In the next newsletter, watch for information about the BioBlitz taking place in late April. This is part of a SUNY-ESF project that is developing a management plan for the Skaneateles Conservation Area.
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| | | Monarchs need milkweed_ | |
Monarchs: Good news ...
and bad news
Last year, HGCNY sponsored training for volunteers to take part in the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP). Its founder, Karen Oberhauser, was honored for this science work at the White House last year.
Here's an update from the MLMP newsletter:
"An uptick in monarch overwintering numbers as released this February was great news for everyone working to support monarchs! Good weather conditions throughout the breeding range last season led to a population increase of about three times the year 2014-2015 winter.
However, only a few weeks later, a freak winter storm struck the overwintering colonies. Preliminary reports suggest that this storm resulted in high mortality for the monarchs remaining in Mexico, and perhaps even those that had already begun their northward migration, since the storm covered a wide swatch of Mexico.
This storm highlighted the need for continued efforts to expand milkweed and nectar plant habitat throughout the monarch breeding and migratory range. By providing additional and higher quality habitat, we can help monarch population numbers continue to grow. A larger population will be more capable of rebounding from these extreme events.
You can learn more about population targets and extinction risk for the eastern monarch migration in a recent publication that used MLMP data, described here."
Central New Yorkers can make a difference
The final population figures aren't yet in, but it's clear there's still work to be done, and citizen scientists are critically important! There's just no other way the necessary data can be gathered without the dedication of legions of citizen scientists in this project and in others.
Let's keep monitoring monarchs and milkweeds this summer!
Keep up with the latest weekly news on monarchs at Journey North.
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| | | Downy getting insects | |
Why don't woodpeckers get headaches?
Mike O'Connor asked the question long ago in the title of his humorous (and informative) book Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Headaches?: And Other Bird Questions You Know You Want to Ask.
From Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Bird Academy:
"When you hear that distinctive knocking in the woods, you know a woodpecker is nearby. Woodpeckers peck at trees with impressive force. This behavior helps woodpeckers chisel away at tree trunks to unearth tasty insects or sap. Some woodpeckers even use their pecking skills to jam acorns into tree trunks for safekeeping. Rhythmic pecking also helps many woodpeckers keep in touch and coordinate with mates. But how do they avoid brain injury? Join Professor Lorna Gibson of MIT on her mission to find out." Cornell's Bird Academy answers this question in a series of eight short videos with beautiful videos and animations. Learn why woodpeckers can do what humans can't! NOTE that DEAD TREES (known as "snags") are as essential in our habitat gardens as live ones both for food (insects, sap, and for storing food) and for raising young! |
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You can help make
"Hometown Habitat" a reality
Video documentaries have power to change people's ideas. That's why Catherine Zimmerman's Hometown Habitat, Stories of Bringing Nature Home project is so important.
This 90-minute documentary focuses on showing how and why native plants are critical to the survival and vitality of local ecosystems.
Award-winning director Catherine Zimmerman and film crew have been on a two-year journey, traveling the country to visit Hometown Habitat Heroes, people who are reversing detrimental impacts on the land and in the water of major U.S. watersheds, one garden at a time. This documentary features Doug Tallamy and Wild Ones! Learn more about the project and how you can help fund it.(NOTE: HGCNY and other Wild Ones chapters have contributed to the project.)
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Storybook Adventures
April Break Camp at Baltimore Woods
WHEN: April 25-29 from 9am-4pm
Spend a day, or five, exploring the wonders of Baltimore Woods. Each day enter fabulous worlds of classic storybooks, playing games and finding adventure at every turn. $45/child/day. Before and after care are available.
To register and for more information...
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The Endangered Migration of Monarch Butterflies
Lecture and book signing with
Dr. Ernest Williams
When: Sat. April 9 at 2:00 pm
Where: Great Swamp Conservancy
8375 N. Main St. in Canastota, NY
Ernest Williams is the William R. Kenan Professor of Biology Emeritus at Hamilton College and co-author of Stokes Butterfly Book : The Complete Guide to Butterfly Gardening, Identification, and Behavior and author of The Nature Handbook: A Guide to Observing the Great Outdoors.
Professor Williams will describe the current status of monarchs, the factors that threaten their continued migration and the conservation efforts underway to try to counter these losses.
Suggested donation $3. Space is limited. Register by April 8.
Call 315-697-2950 or email greatswampconservancy@gmail.com.
Limited copies of Stokes Butterfly Book and The Nature Handbook will be available for purchase.
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Junior Birders Program
When: April through November Where: Great Swamp Conservancy Funded by the Madison County Youth Bureau, this after school program invites Madison County kids in grades K-3 to join us for educational and fun meetings to learn about bird-watching, meet new friends, help birds and have a great time. They meet almost every Wednesday in April, May, June, September, October and November. Space is limited and registration is required. Contact Julie Tuesdays through Fridays at Great Swamp Conservancy: 315-697-2950 or greatswampconservancy@gmail.com for more info. GSC is located at 8375 N. Main St in Canastota NY 13032.
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American Lady butterfly
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Spring Break Nature Academy
for children in grades K-4
When: April 26-29 10am - 4pm Where: Great Swamp Conservancy Discover the 4Bs that live at the Great Swamp: birds, bats, beavers and butterflies through exploration, games and crafts. GSC is located at 8375 North Main Street in Canastota NY. For registration information, contact Julie at 315-697-2950 or email greatswampconservancy@gmail.com
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Join Wild Ones
We welcome everyone to our meetings, but we encourage you to become an official member. 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 organization, your membership is tax-deductible. It's easy to become a member, receive the bimonthly Wild Ones Journal, and support our mission. Just go to the Wild Ones website or call toll-free (877) 394-9453. |
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Join us on Facebook
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.
Join the NATIONAL Wild Ones Facebook group
Wild Ones has created a Facebook group for dues-paying members to share information about articles, photographs, videos, and so forth.
Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/wildonesnativeplants/ and once you there, click "Join Group" in the upper-right corner. |
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Learn more: Habitat gardening
This is an example of a local habitat garden. It also includes links to more information and inspiration to get started on your own habitat garden. |
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Learn more: Edible gardening
This is an example of a local edible garden. It also includes links to more information and inspiration to get started on your own edible garden. |
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