“It’s March! There’s hope in this month’s calendar,” said Peggy Koppmann, Master Gardener. “Hope for sunshine, warming temperatures, a hint of green and growing things, and the official start of spring. Pour your beverage of choice at 10:45 a.m. on March 20 and toast the beginning of the season.” Here are some things you can do in March: You can find more uplifting and useful ideas from Koppmann in the article “This Month in the Garden.” Also see the article…...
Whether you are in your own backyard, a local park, your nearest beach or a trip elsewhere in New York State, you can enjoy the I BIRD NY Challenge, initiated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). To take the challenge, identify any 10 bird species of your choosing anywhere in New York State. Participants who successfully complete the challenge will be awarded a commemorative patch and a completion certificate, and be entered into a drawing for…...
Snapshot NY is a statewide network of trail cameras powered by volunteers throughout the state. By sharing wildlife photos, you contribute to research that helps us learn more about mammals in our area. It helps wildlife professionals better manage and conserve wildlife in the state. By setting up a trail camera on your land and using the Snapshot NY app, the data collected by Snapshot NY allows researchers to monitor trends in the abundance and distribution of mammals such as…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko We have to start rebuilding nature in as many places as we possibly can, said Doug Tallamy, and you can help right in your own backyard. The conservationist spoke recently on “Nature’s Best Hope” in the Department of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo. If you weren’t able to attend the lecture, you can–and should!–listen to his talk here. He is a great speaker, easy to understand, and full of information that gardeners need…....
Here is the newest edition of Diggin In, the newsletter published by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County. Articles for November Clean Up in the Toolroom by Nancy Walker, Master Gardener Volunteer November Garden Checklist: A Little More Time to Plant, by Lydia Fernandez, Master Gardener Volunteer You can have a mission, too by Lydia Fernandez, Master Gardener Volunteer When Julia Bender decided to join the Master Gardener Program in 2024, she came with the specific…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko What happens when you rake leaves in fall? That’s what Max Ferlauto, a Maryland State entomologist, wanted to find out. In particular, he wanted to explore what happens to insects in the soil, according to this article from the College of Computer, Mathematical & Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland. Ferlauto was one of the researchers who wanted to answer this question: If you remove the leaves from a lawn in autumn, would that reduce…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Take a moment to click on the video below. Relax for seven seconds and enjoy the fountain, the water, the plants and the birds at Urban Roots Collaborative Garden Market. a Wasn’t that soothing? Those fountains and others are available at Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market, 428 Rhode Island St., Buffalo. Add a bench for a seating area to create a comfortable outdoor space in your landscape, said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager of Urban Roots. Enjoy the…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Does part of your yard turn into a pond in spring? Get some tips from the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden Organization. The organization has been working for about five years to rehabilitate a long-neglected park located at 1825 Sweeney St., North Tonawanda, along the Tonawanda Creek portion of the Erie Canal. The group aims to revitalize the native habitat as well as create a scenic destination. The volunteers also help with educational programs and community activities…....
Experience hundreds of live butterflies fluttering around you during the new Butterfly Experience at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. It will be open this summer on June 7 and go through August 3. Tickets are expected to sell quickly; you may want to purchase tickets now. See details below. The exhibit will be housed inside the new Tropical Orchard greenhouse, which has dozens of fruit-producing and nectar-rich plants for the butterflies to feed on. You will see butterflies that are…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you want to start raising chickens for eggs, don’t be scared off by avian flu (bird flu), said Amy Barkley, the subject matter expert on avian influenza at Cornell University. However, you may face a different problem: finding chicks and pullets to start your flock. (Pullets are females raised by a farmer until the bird is about ready to lay eggs.) “I think it’s going to be more challenging to find chicks and pullets this…...
© 2026 Buffalo-Niagara Gardening. All rights reserved.