“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” –Helen Keller Do you go outside? Then the NY Natural Heritage Program is looking for you to help map invasive species! And they are providing free training throughout the state for your convenience. And it is easier than ever to contribute to this…Continue Reading iMapInvasives Training
The Monarchs Are Coming, Ready or Not.
Gorgeous in flight and gloriously colored, monarch butterflies are the glimmering icon of wild nature. As an endangered species, they’re also iconic of all we have to lose in a changing world. And now it’s begun — the remaining monarchs’ first leg of an epic, multigenerational voyage from overwintering sites in Mexico. But are they…Continue Reading The Monarchs Are Coming, Ready or Not.
Earth Day: What It Means to Me — and the IPM Connection
“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together … all things connect.” — attributed to Chief Seattle I’m an environmental educator. Have been one all my life. Among my goals? To erase the…Continue Reading Earth Day: What It Means to Me — and the IPM Connection
Earth Day. It’s Every Day. Especially for Farmers.
For farmers everywhere, but perhaps most of all for organic farmers, every day has to be Earth Day. And since what matters for farmers matters for us all, every day is Earth Day for you, me, everyone. Take farmer Lou Lego. He earned an Excellence in IPM award earlier this year for his inspired, inventive…Continue Reading Earth Day. It’s Every Day. Especially for Farmers.
Every Day is Earth Day — and the IPM Connection
Consider our forests and farms. Our rivers and lakes. And yes, our homes and workplaces. Wherever we live, work or play — when we care for our surroundings, we’re celebrating Earth Day. Belong to a community garden? Got a garden by the house? You can welcome Earth Day by welcoming the critters that make any…Continue Reading Every Day is Earth Day — and the IPM Connection
Earth Day IPM for birds and bees — and native plants that nourish them
We’re starting this post with a detour. But we have little choice. Before you go shopping around for landscape plants, you need to know the backstory. Invasive plants, trees, shrubs, vines and flowers, many of them brought from afar because yes, they’re lovely in the landscape, have become a bit too much of a good…Continue Reading Earth Day IPM for birds and bees — and native plants that nourish them
Invasive species New York: save the date for IPM conference
We’re planning a statewide conference covering the A to Z of invasive plants, pathogens and pests that plague our farms, our forests, our homes — us. We’ve got a superb lineup of speakers — along with a wide array of take-home IPM messages from educators at tables in the lobby and two adjacent classrooms. Join…Continue Reading Invasive species New York: save the date for IPM conference
Lawn IPM – the February Edition
I love any excuse to come to New York — when it’s not February. — K. A. Applegate Ahh, February. The Monday of months. Yet even with a foot of snow on the ground over most of New York, you can take steps now for a healthy lawn. First, be grateful for the snow —…Continue Reading Lawn IPM – the February Edition
Nature’s Herbicides and Lessons from Black Walnut Trees
You’re prepping your garden for winter, muttering about the sapling black walnut trees the squirrels planted on your behalf mere inches away — and the mother tree is in your neighbor’s yard. You know you can’t put off removing them: this might be the last year your loppers can manage the task. Black walnuts get…Continue Reading Nature’s Herbicides and Lessons from Black Walnut Trees
How to Winterize Your Compost Pile
Let’s make compost. It’s an earthy topic. Does it matter? Oh, yes. Bagging up organic matter and setting it out for trash is a pity — the moment it’s dumped in the landfill, it turns quickly to methane, a greenhouse gas 20-plus times more potent than CO2. And trash trucks bring tons of it to…Continue Reading How to Winterize Your Compost Pile