by Connie Oswald Stofko Nearly 100 people attended the first meeting on Saturday of the 30 x 30 Campaign for Western New York, which aims to have biodiversity on 30 percent of Western New York land and waters by 2030. (See our previous article here.) You can view the video of the meeting here. (Meetings will be in person only, not online, but meetings will be recorded. I’ll share the recordings here on Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com.) Even if you couldn’t attend the meeting,…...
FeederWatch is a November-April survey of birds—and now mammals!—that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas and other locales in the United States and Canada. Despite the name, you don’t need a feeder. All you need is an area with plantings, habitat, water or food that attracts birds. You can participate from inside looking out a window. The schedule is completely flexible. Count your birds for as long as you like on days of your choosing, then enter your counts online. The…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Is one-third of your yard biodiverse? Does it have native plants and bees and other animals? If not, could you take steps toward more biodiversity? That small idea is just one part of the 30 x 30 Campaign for Western New York, which aims to have biodiversity on 30 percent of Western New York land and waters by 2030. You could help by changing a bit of your yard, or parks in your town, or forests…...
See award-winning exhibits at the Orchid Show to be held by the Niagara Frontier Orchid Society and the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. The Orchid Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12. It will take place at the Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. Note: The show will be located in the Administration Building. Entrance to the Orchid Show is included with the…...
Celebrate the beauty of New York State’s trees by participating in the 2024 Arbor Day Poster Contest held annually by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Contest guidelines are: Read the full guidelines of the contest and how to submit your artwork here. DEC prints thousands of posters for distribution to schools, the New York State Fair, libraries and other venues. It is a long-time tradition and the posters have become collector’s items for many…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko Where do our pollinators go in the winter? A lot of them stay right here in Western New York. You may have created a welcoming habitat for them in spring, summer and autumn with native plants. Now it’s time for us to create a welcoming habitat for them during winter. It’s easy, too! Just leave the leaves. Why leave the leaves? We need pollinators, and pollinators need those fallen leaves in order to survive over the…...
The Urban Farms and Community Gardens Competitive Grant Program has a total of $1 million available for grants through the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The grants are to support the development and expansion of community gardens, school gardens and urban farms. The state will cover up to 90 percent of the total project costs, with the total state contribution not to exceed $50,000. The minimum grant amount is $20,000. An informational webinar about the program was…...
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy has created a new Invasive Species Eradication Taskforce. The taskforce aims to make people aware of invasive plant and insect species. The group is looking for volunteers to help the conservancy contain invasive species, and, when possible, eradicate them. Some of the invasive species the taskforce is looking at are phragmites, bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus, also called round leaf, Asian or Oriental bittersweet), buckthorn and spotted lanternfly. “It’s imperative that we make a concentrated effort to manage…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Paul and Paula Moloney have lived in their house on Tuscarora Road in South Buffalo for less than three years, but they have transformed their landscaping by taking one thing out. Grass. There’s no grass in the front yard. No grass in the back, either. “We both hate lawns,” Paul said, “and I don’t like mowing lawns. I never have luck with lawns; they always looked like crap.” The couple started with the garden area nearest…...
Want to extend your growing season by constructing a cold frame? Check out the article by Laura A. Marsala, apprentice Master Gardener volunteer, in the newest edition of The Optimistic Gardener. That is just one of the many helpful articles you’ll find in the publication produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. Other topics in this edition include a discussion of whether tulips are perennials and a look at a gardener who turned…...