By Cecille Jones, Monroe Master Gardener Volunteer
This article appeared in the March 2021 Issue of Gardening in Orange County.
The advice to plant the right tree in the right place couldn’t apply more to our tree of the month – the silver maple.
If you have space in your property and you want a fast-growing shade tree, the silver maple (Acer saccharinum) might be for you. The name Acer comes from the Celtic, ac, meaning hard, denoting the dense wood of the maple genus. The species name, saccharinum, means sugar because of the tree’s sap-producing quality (although this is not the best species for making our favored breakfast syrup.)
A species native to eastern North America, the silver maple features 3 – 6” leaves with 5 lobes separated by notably deep, narrow sinuses. Its common name was derived from the fact that its leaves are dark green on top but silvery-white on the underside. Most people delight in seeing the silver underbellies of its leaves shimmer in the sun at the slightest puff of wind during spring and summer.
In the fall, the leaves turn pale yellow. Come springtime, they produce red, yellow and silver clusters of small flowers. At over 3” long, the winged seeds of silver maples are the largest of all native maples.
These trees have wildlife value. Think of beavers finding them delicious, squirrels feasting on their buds, and ducks and other birds using them as nesting sites.
The silver maple holds the distinction of being the twentieth most commonly planted shade tree in American gardens. It grows fast, provides shade quickly, and can adapt to a wide variety of soil conditions.
Silver maples can grow anywhere in Zones 3 to 7. It can survive seasonal inundation and poor soil. As a wetland tree (it’s also called swamp maple), it prefers deep, moist acidic soil. Once established however, it can tolerate drought.
Full sun to partial shade are best for this tree. It prefers a minimum of four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. Silver maples can reach between 50’ to 80’ in height and spread from 35’ to 50’ at maturity. Its growth rate could be as much as two feet annually.
Silver maples are not orderly trees with symmetrical form. Their trunks can become massive, and they have a wide spreading but shallow root system. Don’t expect plants to thrive beneath them.
More importantly, remember to plant this tree well away from your house, foundation, sidewalk and sewer lines where its dense roots can wreak havoc. Also, beware that silver maples have a reputation for having branches that break easily during ice and wind storms.
Just like other trees, silver maples have their good and bad points. That’s why planting this native tree in the right place is key to your success.
This article appeared in the March 2021 Issue of Gardening in Orange County.
Are your tired of mowing and weeding your lawn? Are you suffering from suburban guilt because your yard isn’t as lush a fairway as your neighbor’s? It’s time to let go of that nagging sense of failure.
This has nothing to do with laziness and everything to do with loving – and taking care of – yourself and the environment. With a little knowledge and common sense, you can have a beautiful yard without applying harmful and expensive herbicides and pesticides that could seep into our ground water, without using gas- or electric-powered lawn mowers that pollute our atmosphere, and without spending precious weekend hours toiling under the sun when you could be relaxing and enjoying your surroundings.
Forget the wide variety of grasses readily available at big box stores. Think perennial evergreen groundcovers instead. These plants serve more useful purposes than you can count.
If you have a large plot of grass, don’t fret. Start with a problem patch that’s about 10 ft X 12 ft and keep expanding your grid over the years. Beautiful gardens don’t grow overnight. Besides, what would you rather have? A garden you don’t enjoy – and maybe even resent – because you’re too busy mowing, weeding and watering or a practically maintenance-free yard that’s rich in color, form, and texture?
Pachysandra, English ivy and perwinkle
But wait. Don’t rush off and default to planting pachysandra, English ivy or myrtle/periwinkle to replace your grass. Let’s think this through.
Did you know that this trio of groundcovers is old hat – and worse, invasive? They out-compete many plants, threaten biodiversity and are destructive to the ecosystem. Plus, these plants blanket almost every other yard in suburban communities so much so that they deserve to be called the vinyl siding of groundcover plants. (If I knew the name of the clever mind that coined this phrase, I’d give full attribution.) Wouldn’t you rather have gorgeous evergreen groundcovers that aren’t invasive, aren’t common and are almost completely self-sustaining?
There are other reasons why perennial groundcovers are a good choice for your landscape.
First, unlike lawns, they don’t have to be mowed. This fact alone is a strong selling point.
Second, many of them won’t die during the cold winter months. That means they won’t leave the ground exposed and open to weed seeds germinating. When other plants are completely dormant during the cold months, it’s always refreshing and hopeful to see the green foliage of perennial groundcovers.
Third, many evergreen groundcovers have fibrous roots that help limit soil erosion.
Fourth, they act as living mulch because they cover the soil and are exceptional in out-competing many weeds.
Finally, there are enough hard-working and beautiful varieties to choose from that unlike a monotonous expanse of sod, evergreen perennial groundcovers add texture, color, and interest to your yard.
An added bonus is that some of these groundcovers produce flowers that are delightful to humans and beneficial to many species of pollinators.
Depending on your needs, there are three main categories of perennial evergreen groundcovers: flowering, sun-loving and shade-loving.
Flowering Evergreen Groundcovers
Lilyturf(Liriope muscari): This tough, relatively fast-growing plant has a grass-like appearance, grows from 6 – 12” tall and spreads 12 – 18” wide. It is hardy down to -30 degrees F and prefers partial or full shade, but will grow in a sunny location. It’s great for sloped sides of the garden or areas under large trees with extensive root systems. Varieties with solid green or variegated leaves produce violet-blue flower spires in the spring. As long as it’s planted in moist, well-drained soil, it will endure heat, drought and salt spray.
Candytuft(Iberis sempervirens): If you want a ground-hugging flowering perennial as pathway edging where there’s full sun or partial shade, look for candytuft. Best planted in the early fall, candytuft will brighten your garden in April and May with masses of white flowers against dark green foliage. It’s great for drawing bees and butterflies to your landscape while keeping deer and rabbits away. Not everyone likes its floral scent, but it’s a good groundcover suitable in Zones 4 to 8. These plants crave well-drained soil.
Creeping phlox(Phlox subulata): Considered one of the most colorful of groundcovers, these plants bloom profusely with magenta, purple-blue or white flowers in mid to late spring. They have dark green, needle-like foliage which are covered when in bloom for 3 – 4 weeks. This eastern North America native is deer resistant, trouble-free and extremely tolerant of the cold down to -40°F. You’ll love the hummingbirds and butterflies it draws to your yard. It thrives in full sun but tolerates dappled shade. It grows well in sandy or gravely soils and is drought tolerant once established. This plant is commonly used in rock gardens and sloped areas.
Here are other flowering groundcovers to consider. Thick, succulent, drought- and deer-resistant, sedums(Sedum spp.) are among the best-known evergreen groundcovers. Look for Dragon’s Blood, Blue Spruce and Lime Twister because of their interesting foliage and flower colors. If you need a plant with height, there’s wall germander(Teucrium chamaedrys), a shrubby perennial that’s hardy, drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly and deer resistant. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s flowering thyme(Thymus spp.) which grows only between 1 – 3” tall depending on the variety. If you want this plant to serve a dual purpose, you can choose the culinary variety of fragrant thyme to flavor your dishes.
Sun-loving Evergreen Groundcovers
Bugleweed(Ajuga reptans): From green-leaved to bronze, purple or even variegated, there are literally dozens of varieties of bugleweed. There are also cultivars with crinkled leaves. With their spikes of purple-blue flowers, this groundcover is showy and colorful even when it’s not in bloom. Loved by bees when in flower, these hardy creepers survive -40°F weather. Of course, no mowing is required for this stalwart perennial that can spread to form a satisfyingly thick mat.
Mini mondo grass(Ophipogon japonicus ‘Nana’): If you can’t quite forego the look of turf and patience is not one of your virtues, try this petite evergreen groundcover that’s the smallest of the small. It’s only hardy down to -10°F, but the green tufts of mini mondo could look spectacular in any garden. It grows to only 4” tall and creates quick cover under full sun. It’s also recommended for use between stepping stones and around the base of trees. When used in this way, the mini mondo grass is a more lasting, less expensive alternative to gravel, shredded bark or other mulches. Just know that this is a clumping evergreen, meaning it won’t form a continuous, undifferentiated carpet of leaves like the bugleweed.
Hens and Chicks(Sempervivum tectorum): We don’t normally think of succulents as being cold hardy, but most hens and chicks are hardy down to -30°F. If you hate watering plants, you’ll appreciate these drought-tolerant perennials. They’re not normally grown for their flowers, but they do occasionally produce spires of colorful blooms in summer. There are many cultivars that come in a wide variety of colors and forms. If you want color, lean toward the eye-catching red or blue hens and chicks. If you want form, there are cobweb- and green wheel-shaped hens and chicks. None grows taller than 8 – 10” in height. You can readily spread them by digging up the offsets and planting them elsewhere in your garden.
Other sun-loving evergreen groundcovers include the rock cotoneaster(Cotoneaster horizontalis) which have soft sprays of green leaves. All cultivars of this plant reach 2 – 3’ in height, so if you have a sloped area, consider it covered. Just know that If the weather dips below -20°F, this plant may only be semi-evergreen. For a shorter groundcover that’s only about 6 -12” tall, you can plant bearberry(Arctostaphylos uva-rusi). It has dark, glossy green leaves. Fully hardy down to -40°F, this plant spreads out its low, arching branches and attracts birds and other wild creatures when it produces dark, red cherries.
Evergreen Groundcovers for Shade
Few gardens are without shady areas, but that doesn’t mean your only options are gravel or mulch. There are enough perennial evergreen plants that thrive in full to part shade to get you covered.
Allegheny spurge(Pachysandra procumbens): I know what you’re thinking. Earlier I cautioned you against the pachysandra. But even though the Allegheny spurge is in the genus Pachysandra, it is far different from the traditional one that blankets many suburban yards. This Allegheny spurge is a native of the U.S. It thrives in heavy to partial shade. In fact, if you plant it in a sunny location, you’ll bleach its dense carpet of matte blue-green leaves and you’ll miss the fragrant white and frothy blooms. Being a native plant, it’s drought tolerant. It’s also hardy down to -20°F. Plant your starters 6 – 12” apart, then enjoy watching this herbaceous perennial spread. Just plan to trim dead leaves in the spring to make way for new growth.
European ginger(Asarum europaeum): Yes, you can have thick, glossy, rounded heart-shaped leaves in the shadiest spot in your garden. Thanks to the European ginger, even the shadiest of spots can feature luscious, low-growing foliage. Their blooms are nothing to brag about, but European ginger has several other attributes. It’s shade- and drought-tolerant. It’s also deer resistant. European ginger reaches 6” tall and is hardy down to -30°F.
Christmas fern(Polystichum acrostichoides): Christmas fern got its name because it stays green through the holiday season. Like most ferns, this one is easy to establish and grow, provided you plant it in the right conditions. Christmas ferns require full or part shade and cool, moist, well-drained soil. It will not tolerate clay soils. When you plant Christmas fern in acidic, humus-rich soil, this robust fern will reward you with glossy-green fronds that grow up to 24” tall. Super healthy ones can grow as high as 36”. Silvery fiddleheads emerge in early spring. In the right place, Christmas ferns are a good border or accent plant that grow in clusters, rather creep in a continuous carpet. They also make a visual impact when planted in a thick mass. If you can envision evergreen fronds dusted with white snow, you’ll be hard pressed to write off this perennial evergreen.
When it comes to gardening, it pays to keep an open mind and think beyond the norm. Green lawns aren’t the most environmentally friendly way to beautify your property. Gardens don’t have to adhere to rigid standards where sod plays the dominant role while perennials and annuals are supporting cast members. By using a variety of perennial evergreen groundcovers, you can achieve a beautiful landscape that you and your family can enjoy for years.
This article appeared in the March 2021 Issue of Gardening in Orange County.
Rose milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) with monarch
Many native seeds require 60, 90 or 120 days of cold, moist conditions (stratification) to break dormancy and germinate. These seeds should be planted in the fall and will germinate when the conditions are right for them. If you didn’t plant native seeds last fall, do not be discouraged, there are a number of native species that only require 30 days of cold, moist stratification. If you plant these seeds by mid-March they will still germinate. In addition, there are native seeds that do not require any special conditioning at all to germinate.
Outdoor / Garden planting: Outdoor planting is the easiest, let Mother Nature do the work!
1) Whether you are planting seed in the ground in March or later, be sure to have an area that is prepared and weed free, weeds will out-compete your native seedlings. Planting seeds in pots or trays and leaving them in a protected area outside also works very well.
2) Plant native seeds only as deep as the width of the seed. Very tiny seeds should be sown on the soil surface with only a light dusting of soil over them. Most of the tiny seeds require exposure to sunlight to germinate.
3) Cover the ground or pots you planted with a piece of window screen or an old cotton sheet. Covering helps to keep the seeds moist, prevents them from being blown away by the wind and protects them from being eaten by birds. Remove the cover once you see the seeds have germinated.
4) Do not let seeds and seedlings dry out. You will need to water if the weather is dry.
5) Always label where your seeds are planted – it is amazing how fast you can forget.
Indoor Cold / Moist stratification:
Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) with hummingbird moth
1) Another way to provide 30 days of cold/moist stratification is to sprinkle the seeds on a damp paper towel or coffee filter, fold in half and seal them in a plastic bag. Place bag in the refrigerator for 30 days. If seeds germinate before the 30 days, remove them from the paper towel and carefully plant in pots.
2) You could also place the seeds in pots or trays of moist potting mix, seal them in a plastic bag and refrigerate. After 30 days, remove pots from their bag and place outside in a protected area.
Check out these links that have helpful directions on native seed germination. They also sell native seeds and provide plant descriptions. Have fun!
By Sharon Lunden, Goshen Master Gardener Volunteer
This article appeared in the February 2021 Issue of Gardening in Orange County.
Most references to the shrew are Shakespearean, a nod to this tiny, often unnoticed creature with its sharp snout, unafraid to fight. Shrews do not damage enough to technically be listed as pests. However, they may tangle with your pets, dine on your birdseed, or enter your home, particularly at this chilly time of year.
At first glance, you might confuse a shrew with a mouse or a mole. Shrews are cousins to moles and both have very small eyes, but moles are bigger and have larger forefeet for digging tunnels.
New York State shrews belong to the family Soricidae, in the subfamily Soricinae (known as “red-toothed shrews,” so named for their pigmented teeth). Shrews are the tiniest mammals in the world, native to most of the planet, and they generally subsist on a diet of insects and invertebrates.
Seven known species live in NYS, each preferring its own type of habitat: the Masked Shrew, Pygmy Shrew, Long-Tailed Shrew, Smoky Shrew, Least Shrew, American Water Shrew, and the Northern Short-Tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda), the one which you are most likely to encounter in your yard.
The Northern Short-Tailed Shrew is one of the larger shrews, growing up to 4 inches in length. They seek cover, so they make their nests in mole tunnels, under logs or rocks. They live in brushy areas, cultivated fields, or in your garden, and during the winter may enter sheds and barns. Though they usually burrow through plant debris or snow with their strong paws and sharp snouts, they can also climb trees to reach your bird feeder. Because they consume up to three times their weight in food each day, they are often active day and night. They have poor vision, so use echolocation to navigate (like bats), and they have very sensitive snouts which assist in locating prey. Their salivary glands produce a venom they chew into prey to immobilize them. This venom can cause short-term pain in a human, though you are unlikely to be bitten unless you try to handle a shrew. Northern Short-Tailed Shrews, particularly males, exude a musk in order to avoid becoming dinner for other predators. They also use it to attract a mate.
A snowstorm may be the best time to notice the small creatures living in your yard throughout the winter. You may see tiny footprints as evidence of rabbits and squirrels. In the case of the shrew there’s barely any imprint, but you can see its tiny paths along the surface of the snow.
A Northern Short-Tailed Shrew once snuck underneath our garage door during a snowstorm, then squeezed through our basement door to get warm, leaving a long, meandering pathway around our snowy yard up to the garage. A beautiful little thing, slightly stinky and unhappy to be caught, was released back into the yard—only to promptly return to the basement!
Fun Video
Watch a Short-tailed Shrew take on a garter snake!
By Mary Presutti, New Windsor Master Gardener Volunteer, Brooke Moore, New Windsor Senior Master Gardener Volunteer, and Cecille Jones, Monroe Master Gardener Volunteer
This article appeared in the December 2020 / January 2021 Issue of Gardening in Orange County.
Garden information is in full bloom on the web. There is so much information that many of us get caught up in the same few sites that we trust over and over. It isn’t easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. So we decided to get out our laptops, put on our reading glasses, make a pot of tea or hot chocolate, put our slippers on, dig deep into the internet and see what we could harvest for your enjoyment.
Click on a topic below to see our recommendations.
Podcasts come in so many different topics that it is hard to decide what to suggest. The lovely thing about them is that they can be a private, quiet experience or shared with others. For best experience I suggest investing in a good quality set of earbuds or over the ear headphones with Bluetooth. A podcast can be your company for weeding, planting, strolling or just enjoying your garden from a comfy seat. We have traveling in the car favorites and others that we choose for dinner time company. Once you start looking and listening you will be hooked on this great way to learn and discover. Podcasts can be subscribed to, downloaded from Host Web Sites and searched for in any web browser. The easiest way to find them on your phone or tablet is to go into your Podcast App and search by topic or use the ones below as a start and more will be recommended to you. Here are a few to begin with.
A Way to Garden. Join Margaret Roach and guests for weekly episodes about local topics.
BBC Radio 4 Gardener’s Question Time. With the tag line “You will be back in the garden in 45 minutes” this delightful fan favorite has down home garden dilemmas joined with science and history.
Cultivating Place. Jennifer Jewell combines philosophy and great gardening know how.
In Defense of Plants. A botany podcast dedicated to learning to see plants for their many attributes. Host Matt Candeias brings a wealth of knowledge and a great passion for plants to each episode.
In the dead of winter, what’s a gardener to do? Why not hunker down and let a film transport you to a visually inspiring slice of gardening heaven? There’s no shortage of gardening shows to stream on your device, but you might want to check out these three.
This captivating documentary is about the 20-acre Les Quatre-Vents, located in an estate in rural Quebec beside the St. Lawrence River. In interviews with the preservationist and philanthropist Frank Cabot, Sebastien Chabot’s film takes a “loving look at the visual, tactile, emotional and spiritual joys of gardening.” Even as winter marches on outside, you can feast your eyes on the garden’s wonderful plantings, pathways and vistas. From a Chinese moon bridge to a Japanese teahouse and more, it’s hard to argue that this is one of the most beautiful private gardens in the world. (Running time: 1 hour, 24 minutes)
No weeding? No watering? No kidding? In this documentary about Paul Gautschi’s sustainable organic gardening methods, Gautschi enthusiastically puts mulch as the star of his bountiful fruit and vegetable garden. What he does is essentially keep his soil under a layer of composted chips, shavings and sawdust – and he gets enviable harvests! That’s an oversimplification, of course, so even if you’re not a garden evangelist like him, you’ll want to watch this documentary to see how he creates his miracle garden. (Running time: 1 hour, 43 minutes)
Take a break from gardening and enjoy wildlife for a brief spell. Released in 2019, this documentary was produced to entertain, inform and delight the viewer. British narrator Stephen Fry gives a whimsical commentary on exotic birds and shows us that attracting a mate is serious business for members of the class Aves. Shot in dazzling color and set to fanciful music – from swing to jazz and classical, this film is a welcome antidote on a cold winter day. (Running time: 51 minutes)
Even though most of the trees are still bare and must of us awoke to snow on the ground this weekend, spring has arrived and with it are some of the most beautiful blooms of the year.
Spring Flowering Bulbs
Hyacinthus orientalisDaffodils (Narcissus spp.)
The crocuses have all but faded, but the daffodils continue to bloom, brightening up the drab landscape with their cheery yellows and oranges. They have recently been joined by the hyacinths. With their overpowering fragrance, these flowers add to springs color palette with their cool colors of pink and purple.
You may have noticed some small purple flowers known as grape hyacinths. Not a true hyacinth, the inflorescence of this flower is a cone of small purple flowers that almost looks like a miniature clump of grapes.
Daffodil ‘Ice Follies‘
If you want to bring some spring cheer inside (highly recommended), it is best to give daffodils their own vase as their stems secrete a substance that is harmful to other flowers.
A mixture of the white spring ephemeral bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and the purple spring bulb green anemone (Anemone blanda).Hepatica nobilis
One of the great joys of spring is the appearance of spring ephemerals. These native plants grow in wooded areas and only have a short time to flower before the trees above them leaf out and block their sunlight. When you are walking through wooded areas in the spring, make sure you watch your feet or might step on the delicate flowers of the bloodroot or the hepatica.
Many spring flowering plants are considered weeds. You may think that dandelion in your lawn is unsightly, but the bees beg to differ. Dandelions are an important source of pollen and nectar for bees in the early spring as are other spring flowering ‘weeds’ like purple deadnettle and henbit.
What about Fungus?
Cedar-Apple Rust Gall (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae)
Now fungi aren’t plants, so they don’t have flowers, but they can add color to the landscape. In the spring cedar-apple rust galls that overwintered on juniper become more noticeable as they produce gelatinous tendrils that release spores into the air. Some of these spores will find their way to apple trees where they can cause problems by infecting the leaves and the fruit of the tree.
Happy Spring!
Thanks to all of the Master Gardener Volunteers who provided their thoughts and photos for this post!
by Keith Riddick, Middletown Master Gardener Volunteer
With all the uncertainty in the world right now, many people have turned to gardening as a way of growing their own food as well as a way to cope with stress and anxiety. This isn’t the first time that people have turned to gardening during a time of societal upheaval. Most of us weren’t around, but many families started their own gardens during World War II. Back then, they were called Victory Gardens. Food and money were short during the war years, and fresh fruits and vegetables were sometimes hard to come by. Victory gardens gave people more control over their access to fresh produce and allowed more food to be sent to the troops that were keeping our country free.
Wait! Isn’t gardening a lot of work? It can be, but doesn’t have to be. If you are starting a garden from scratch, it will involve work to prepare the soil (removing sod, large rocks and testing the soil for fertility). However, if you want a garden bed already prepared for you, consider renting a garden bed at a local community garden. There are several community gardens located throughout the Orange County with raised beds full of soil and ready for planting. Chances are there is one not too far from where you live! There is a short list of community gardens at the end of this article, but there are many more located throughout the county.
During this time, community gardens are taking precautions that allow members to safely grow food. Although community gardens usually have communal garden tools, at the moment, you should bring your own tools. Other considerations include limiting the number of people in the garden at one time and finding safe ways to water your garden plot with the communal water source. When you join a community garden, make sure you are aware of and follow all the rules set in place to keep you and your fellow gardeners safe.
Another perk of community gardens are community plots, like an herb garden, for all to share. Many also have compost bins for recycling organic material like vines, stems and leaves leftover after you have harvested the edible part of a plant. This debris decomposes and is then returned to the garden beds as a type of fertilizer.
Maybe a community garden isn’t right for you at this time and you don’t have any space in your yard either. In that case, you can grow vegetables in containers. Whether you put them on your patio, your deck, or even your balcony, as long as the plants get enough sun and water you should have a bountiful harvest. You just can’t beat the terrific taste of fresh produce picked straight from the garden, so grow a garden this summer!
Location: Warwick Valley Community Center
11 Hamilton Avenue
Warwick, NY 10990
Cost:$35 per year (includes garden and orchard)
There are no individual plots. All members work together to plant, maintain, and harvest the entire garden.
Contact: Kelly Collins
(845) 978-8845
colli642@gmail.com
Scientists are limited in the amount of data they can collect by both time and money. With help from members of the general public, known as citizen scientists, researchers are able to crowd source data collection collecting more data from more places helping them find answers to real-world questions.
So if you want to do something fun and educational that contributes to the advancement of scientific knowledge, consider becoming a citizen scientist.
This project focuses on migration and seasonal changes. People all over the United States, Canada, and Mexico, report sightings of birds, monarchs, frogs, and other organism. Watch as reported sightings are mapped in real-time as waves of migrations that move across the continent.
iNaturalist lets you photograph, identify, and document what’s around you. Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. By sharing your observations with scientists, you will help build our understanding of the natural world.
In studying life, scientists have overlooked many regions. Some regions have not been studied because they are so remote. Others because they are so diverse that it is hard to know where to even begin. Then there is the great indoors, which we believe has been understudied in part because it is so immediate. This project aims to document the species that live indoors with humans.
Hundreds of thousands of people around the world contribute bird observations to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology each year, gathering data on a scale once unimaginable. Scientists use these data to reveal how birds are affected by habitat loss, pollution, disease, climate, and other environmental changes. Your participation will help trace bird migration, nesting success, and changes in bird numbers through time.
Celebrate Urban Birds is a citizen science project focused on better understanding the value of green spaces for birds. This project connects people of all ages and backgrounds to birds and the natural world through the arts and fun neighborhood activities.
The goal of this project is to gather this information on bird sightings, archive it, and freely share it to power new data-driven approaches to science, conservation and education. e-Bird also develops tools that make birding more rewarding. It provides the most current and useful information to the birding community from photos and audio recordings, to seeing real-time maps of species distribution and alerts that let you know when species have been seen.
NestWatch is a nationwide monitoring program designed to track status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds, including when nesting occurs, number of eggs laid, how many eggs hatch, and how many hatchlings survive. Their database is intended to be used to study the current condition of breeding bird populations and how they may be changing over time as a result of climate change, habitat degradation and loss, expansion of urban areas, and the introduction of non-native plants and animals.
The Tick App allows people living in high-risk areas for Lyme disease, like Orange County New York, to participate in a tick behavioral study. Participants complete daily logs and report ticks. The app provides information on how to remove ticks, prevent tick bites, and general information about ticks. When enough people are involved, it can also provides information about blacklegged and deer tick activity in our area.
This citizen science project’s mission is to better understand the distribution and abundance of breeding monarchs and to use that knowledge to inform and inspire monarch conservation. People from across the United States and Canada participate in this monarch research. Their observations aid in conserving monarchs and their threatened migratory phenomenon, and advance the understanding of butterfly ecology in general.
Monarch Watch strives to provide the public with information about the biology of monarch butterflies, their spectacular migration, and how to use monarchs to further science education in primary and secondary schools. They engage in research on monarch migration biology and monarch population dynamics to better understand how to conserve the monarch migration.
In the spring and fall volunteers collect observations of adult monarchs. This information is used to assemble quantitative data on monarch numbers at critical times during the breeding season.
Each fall Monarch Watch distributes more than a quarter of a million tags to thousands of volunteers across North America who tag monarchs as they migrate through their area. These citizen scientists capture monarchs throughout the migration season, record the tag code, tag date, gender of the butterfly, and geographic location then tag and release them. At the end of the tagging season, these data are submitted to Monarch Watch and added to their database to be used in research.
In the past twenty years, native ladybugs that were once very common have become extremely rare. During this same time, ladybugs from other parts of the world have greatly increased in both numbers and range. This is happening very quickly and no one knows how, why, or what impact it will have on ladybug diversity. Citizen scientists involved in this project help scientists answer these questions by photographing ladybugs and submitting the photos along with information about when and where the ladybugs were found.
A project of Cornell University’s Garden Based Learning, this web forum provides an avenue for gardeners to share knowledge. Gardeners report what vegetable varieties perform well – and not so well – in their gardens. Other gardeners can view ratings and read the reviews to decide which might work well for them. Researchers use the information gain new insight into the performance of vegetable varieties under a wide range of conditions and practices. The information gathered is also used to make a Selected List of Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners in New York State.
Native pollinators play an essential role in the pollination of flowering plants, including native plants and wildflowers, garden plants, as well as cultivated crops. Some native pollinator species have suffered population declines over the last few decades. Participants in this study submit photographs and/or specimens to help determine the conservation status of a wide array of native insect pollinators in non-agricultural habitats.
iMapInvasives is an on-line, GIS-based data management system used to assist citizen scientists and natural resource professionals working to protect our natural resources from the threat of invasive species. Citizen scientists are provided with resources to help them identify invasive species. Their invasive species findings are aggregated with data from a wide variety of sources contributing to early detection of invasive species as well as analysis of management strategies.
Natural history museums across the world share a common goal – to conserve and make available knowledge about natural and cultural heritage. The Notes from Nature project gives you the opportunity to make a scientifically important contribution towards that goal by transcribing museum records. Every transcription that is completed brings us closer to filling gaps in our knowledge of global biodiversity and natural heritage.
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If you happen to have a garden or have decided that this is the year to start one there are lots of things to keep you busy at this time of year!
Perennial Beds
Mantis ootheca on forsythia
Hopefully you waited until spring to clean up your garden to allow beneficial insects and other arthropods such as bees and butterflies to overwinter. Now that spring has sprung you should leave debris as long as you can to give these creatures a chance to emerge from their winter hiding places. You should start carefully removing debris from around blossoming plants. If you must cut back hollow stems, bundle them so any pollinators overwintering inside have a chance to emerge. As you are cleaning up be on the look out for praying mantis egg cases know as ootheca. This is one time when you should leave things till tomorrow!
Freshly mulched garden beds
Mulching is another spring time activity. There are many different types of organic mulch that will not only suppress weeds, but also add organic material to the soil as they break down. You don’t have to mulch everything, in fact many ground nesting bees such as bumble bees need a bit of bare earth to make their nests. And if you are mulching your trees make sure to keep the mulch at least 3 inches away from the base of the tree so that it is not touching the bark.
It is not to late to seed one more round of cool season crop such as cabbage, kale, and lettuce, but it is also time to start seeding warm season crops such as eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes.
To start seeds you will need:
seeds
Flats of seedlings
There are lots of places online where you can purchase seeds. If you still have seeds left over from last year and don’t know if they are still good, don’t throw them out, try this simple home germination test.
sterile potting mix
It is important to use sterile potting mix to avoid disease issues like damping off. Do not reuse potting mix and do not use garden compost.
container
Rainbow chard seedlings in a supermarket salad container
You don’t need to buy a fancy container to start seeds. Just make sure the container has been sterilized and has drainage holes.
water
You want to keep the soil moist, but be careful not to over water or you may have a problem with damping off.
light source
Bookcase converted into a grow frame
Some seeds need light to germinate, but all seeds need light after they germinate. Once your seeds sprout a light source will help prevent them from becoming leggy. You can purchase grow lights or just use a soft white fluorescent bulb. Here are directions on how to build a Low-Cost Grow-Light Frame.
heat
Mini greenhouse
Most seeds will germinate between the temperatures of 55°F and 75°F, but the optimal temperature for each type of seed varies. You can create a mini-green house to trap heat and moisture. You can also buy heating mats to warm the soil. Click here to see Soil Temperature Conditions for Vegetable Seed Germination.
Out in the Garden
Planting peas
Gardening is an activity for the whole family! Children love helping plant seeds! Right now you can be direct seeding cool season crops in your garden such as beets, carrots, lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, and turnips. If you want to have a continual harvest, consider succession planting or seeding several smaller plantings of the same crop at timed intervals, rather than all at once.
Chives
While most people are busy seeding, some perennial plants are already coming up or even ready to harvest! Chives are a great example of a perennial that allows you add something fresh and green to your meals in the early spring. If you planted chives in your garden last year, they are probably already making their way to your table. This perennial of the onion family begins growing in early March and is able to be snipped with scissors and eaten soon after and throughout the growing season right up until the fall frost.
Rhubarb
Another perennial making an appearance is rhubarb! Rhubarb is a great addition to any vegetable garden and as it is deer resistant and highly attractive it can also be used as part of your edible landscape. Although the leaves of rhubarb are considered poisonous, the stems of this spring crop that can be used to make the classic strawberry rhubarb pie as well as many other delicious snacks.
And as always, if you are having any issues in your garden, need help identifying the cause of a problem or figuring out a management strategy give us a call. Our Garden Helpline phones are staffed April – November, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. But you can always leave us a message or send us an e-mail.
i-Naturalist
