by Connie Oswald Stofko We will experience only a partial solar eclipse here in Western New York, but it should still be impressive. “If it’s a nice sunny day, you’ll definitely notice it,” said Gene Timothy of the Buffalo Astronomical Association. He is co-director of their observatory at Beaver Meadows in North Java. The eclipse will occur here on Monday, Aug. 21. It will happen gradually over a period of 2 hours and 39 minutes. The moon will begin to…...
Aphids can cause problems in your garden because they feed on so many different plants. Not only that, aphids can breed quickly. Aphids can reproduce asexually– no males are necessary, according to an article on aphids in this month’s issue of WNY Gardening Matters, produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. Spring and summer aphids are all females and so are their offspring. Find out more about aphids and what you can do if they…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko All of Western New York is at risk for late blight, said Emily Reynolds, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua County. Late blight was confirmed on tomato plants in Chautauqua County this weekend, she said, and the genotype is still being determined. The first report in the state came from Erie County on July 10, according to a blog post on late blight published by the New York State IPM Program. (IPM is integrated…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Some gardeners know exactly what plant they want and can ask for it by its Latin name. Then there are others, like me, who just have a vague idea of the plant they want. Something that deer don’t like, or something that hummingbirds or butterflies do like. Or maybe native plants because they’re usually easy to maintain. If you’re not sure where to go from there, Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses can help. “We take the complexity…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “Compared to 10 years ago, calls and questions about ticks have more than doubled,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. The geographic range of ticks has been increasing, he said, and ticks can transmit Lyme disease as well as other diseases. Are you at risk in your garden? Your garden probably isn’t a high-risk place, but the areas near your garden might be. If your yard has well tended beds…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko How would you like a wall of hydrangeas? This display intrigued me at the annual conference of GWA: The Association of Garden Communicators held right here in Buffalo from Friday to yesterday. At the trade show, this wall of blooms was used by Bailey Nurseries, a grower, to show off its brand of reblooming hydrangeas called Endless Summer hydrangeas. You could create a blooming wall like this for a special occasion. The hydrangea plants are in…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Does sprinkling coffee grounds around roses really help the plants grow? Yes, it’s true that roses like coffee grounds, but they also like banana peels and egg shells, said C.L. Fornari, author of the book Coffee for Roses: …and 70 Other Misleading Myths About Backyard Gardening. In fact, roses like any kind of organic matter. “People have been throwing their breakfast leavings around roses for years,” she said, but if you don’t want your roses to…...
Tips on how to keep your lawn healthy without pesticides are being distributed through the Erie County Environmental Management Council, an advisory board to Erie County Department of Environment & Planning. They’ve printed it as something you can hang on your door. Get a full-size pdf of the doorhanger: Here’s the front and here’s the back. Here are the tips you will find on the doorhanger: Don’t cut the grass too short! Taller 3-inch grass outcompetes weeds, better withstands drought…...
Check your pool filter during August for the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), an invasive beetle that could cause serious damage to New York State’s street trees and forests. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is holding its annual Swimming Pool Survey. People without pools can help by learning how to recognize the beetle, as well as the signs it leaves behind. See more below. The DEC and partners will also be hanging tags on host trees to…...
When it comes to invasive species, it’s great to hear some good news for a change. The Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) is nearing the finish line in eradicating the European water chestnut that first appeared in 2013. It took hundreds of volunteers over five summers to get to this point, with a major pull by volunteers on June 24. Soon after that, staff from Western New York PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management) dressed in waders and moved…...