Native plants Archives - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Floating Fen Preserve in Brocton in Chautauqua County NY

Take a scenic hike at Floating Fen Preserve

Enjoy scenic vistas on a two-mile hiking trail at the Floating Fen Preserve, the newest preserve of Western New York Land Conservancy. The trail takes you around the a bog-like area called the “floating fen,” which gives the new preserve its name. The Floating Fen Preserve, situated in Brocton in Chautauqua County, is home to beautiful sundews—carnivorous plants that sparkle in the sunlight—and awe-inspiring colonies of blue flag iris, highbush blueberry and mountain holly. Small blackgum trees dot the fen, and beautiful…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Oct 21, 2025

Grants available; connect kids with nature

Wild Ones National is accepting applications for native plant grants to schools, nature centers and youth programs across the country through the Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education (SFE) Program. Grant applications are open through November 15. These small grants, ranging from $100 to $500, help create pollinator gardens, rain gardens, prairies, monarch waystations and more. Any project that engages youth with native plants and natural landscapes qualifies. The funds are designated for acquiring native plants and seeds for outdoor learning…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Sep 30, 2025

goldenrod with grass-carrying wasp, ground yellowjackets and sweat bee in Amherst NY

Beyond milkweed: aim for native plants throughout our growing season

by Connie Oswald Stofko You may already have some milkweed and other native plants in your summer garden. Can you try for a loftier goal? Here’s a suggestion from Kim Eierman, an environmental horticulturist and ecological landscape designer: Have three native plants blooming in your garden at any time throughout our entire growing season. “Pollinators don’t all wake up on the same day,” Eierman said. “What if all you had in your garden was milkweed?” In early spring, when we…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Feb 25, 2025

goldenrod soldier beetle on goldenrod in Amherst NY

Pretty beetle helps gardeners, but can turn into a zombie

by Connie Oswald Stofko The goldenrod soldier beetle is a native insect that eats aphids and pollinates plants, which is good for our gardens. Yay! But if it comes into contact with a certain fungus, the unlucky beetle can die, become a zombie and help spread the fungus to other goldenrod soldier beetles. That’s sad for the individual beetles, but it’s not something gardeners need to worry about. Our garden helper The larvae of the beetle feed on soft-bodied insects…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Aug 27, 2024

30 x 30: Help conserve land & water by 2030 in New York State

by Connie Oswald Stofko Do you want to help conserve 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030? Learn more and offer your comments on a proposed strategy for New York State. A virtual meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 15 where you can offer your input. Here are the details: See the draft New York State 30×30 Methodology and Strategies document. You can offer your comments until Aug. 30. See more here. 30 x 30…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Jul 30, 2024

Garden Talks begin in Batavia & on line

The Genesee County Master Gardeners will hold monthly Garden Talks starting in February. Garden Talk programs start at noon and can be 30 to 60 minutes long, depending on the topic. They will be held on Thursdays. This free series is open to all, but registration is required. You can attend in person at the Cornell Cooperative Extension office, 420 East Main St., Batavia, or online via Zoom. To attend in person, contact Mandy at 585-343-3040, ext. 101 or amm532@cornell.edu. For a Zoom…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Jan 24, 2023

common ninebark courtesy Dow Gardens, Bugwood

Free native plants, nationally known author & more at Plant for Nature!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Get a free native plant, hear the author of The Humane Gardener, and find out more about how you can create a wonderful garden that works with nature rather than against it. It’s all part of the event Plant for Nature! to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 4 at the WNY Welcome Center, 1999 Alvin Rd., Grand Island. It is hosted by the Citizen Coalition for Wildlife and Environment, which received a…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

May 31, 2022

No Mow May: It’s a starting point in Buffalo & Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko No Mow May is gaining popularity locally and across the country. The idea is to help bees. When you take a break from mowing your lawn, you’re allowing plants in your lawn, such as dandelions, white clover, violets, trefoil and self-heal, to flower. Those flowers provide food for bees and other pollinators. The idea started in Britain. Following Britain’s success, Bee City USA, an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, partnered in 2020 with…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Apr 26, 2022

Native wintergreen, plus more from WNY Gardening Matters

American wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), a native plant, is an appealing evergreen groundcover, according to this article in the most recent edition of WNY Gardening Matters. Its glossy leaves emit a pleasant teaberry scent when crushed. Its white flowers are tinged with pink in summer and develop attractive red berries. There’s another evergreen groundcover with the common name of wintergreen, but it’s in an entirely different family. Learn more about spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) in this article, too. Also in this…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Feb 1, 2022

bee and hose and compost represent sustainable gardening

NEW: ‘Sustainable Gardening’ course starts Saturday at Botanical Gardens

by Connie Oswald Stofko “Sustainable gardening works with nature so you don’t have to do as much work trying to control pests, diseases and soil issues,” said David Clark, CNLP. Clark, a nationally known horticulture educator, will teach the new series of horticulture classes on sustainability. Classes will be taught from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays starting this Saturday, Jan. 22 in the Administration Building at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. These classes are…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Jan 18, 2022