As far as we know, the Asian longhorned beetle has been found only in the New York City area, but never in Western New York. Still, we want to keep a lookout for this invasive insect that attacks and kills maples, birches, willows, and other hardwood trees. The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is active now through Labor Day, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Pool owners are asked to regularly check their pool filters and report…...
Check out these two publications from Master Gardeners in Western New York–they’re full of great information. Learn about soil blocks in the newest edition of The Optimistic Gardener, produced by the Master Gardeners in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. You don’t need containers for seedlings when you have soil blocks, according to Mark Messinger, Master Gardener apprentice. “You can see the roots fill out the blockscompletely, and instead of swirling around and tangling themselves, each root just stopswhen it hits the…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko I saw a post on social media today from a gardener at the West Seneca-South Buffalo border who said she saw two adult spotted lanternflies. However, at this time of year, Western New York probably has nymphs, an earlier stage of the spotted lanterfly, rather than adults, said Brian Eshenaur, Senior Extension Associate with Cornell University and the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program. We probably won’t see adults in Western New York until early August…....
WNY PRISM is marking New York Invasive Species Awareness Week with a series of events. Want a chance to win a prize? After attending an event, fill out the New York Invasive Species Awareness Week survey. To see the statewide webinar series, check out the 2023 NYISAW Statewide Website and Calendar. __________ Saturday, June 3 Walk and Talk 10 a.m. – 12p.m. Pfeiffer Nature Center’s Eshelman Property, 1420 Yubadam Rd., Portville WNY PRISM will be guiding folks on a leisurely…...
One way to keep mosquitoes from biting you is by keeping them out of your yard in the first place. The most common mosquito in New York State is Culex pipiens, which has a very small territory. It usually stays within 300 feet of its breeding site, according to this page on mosquitoes from New York State Integrated Pest Management (NYS IPM). If you and your Western New York neighbors make sure there are no breeding sites, everyone can have a…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko A month ago, I published Lesser celandine is back: What to do if it’s already out of control, but I still keep getting questions from readers. I also have gotten comments on that article and previous lesser celandine articles about how bad the situation has become on their property. Let’s address some of these issues. You can’t apply herbicide once the plant has flowered. Why? Here’s the answer from Andrea Locke, coordinator of WNY PRISM (Partnership for Regional…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko I have been writing about lesser celandine for 11 years, but I realized I hadn’t addressed in detail what to do if your whole yard, or a large section of your yard, is covered with lesser celandine. Here are questions I got from a local gardener: Hi Connie, I bought a new house last spring in the Elmwood Village (area of Buffalo). It’s beautiful but both the front and back yards are total carpets of lesser…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko When will spring get here? We’re supposed to find out on Thursday, Feb. 2: Groundhog Day. Maybe we should call it Woodchuck Day because we call these animals woodchucks. If the groundhog or woodchuck doesn’t see its shadow, that’s supposed to mean we get an early spring. So for an early spring, we want overcast weather on Thursday. But if it’s sunny and the groundhog does see its shadow, that means winter will linger for six…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Yes, Western New York has seen winter weather already, but the calendar says it’s still autumn. With a few days of milder weather in the forecast, get outside and do those late-season tasks while you can. Harvest herbs & cold weather veggies If you have any herbs or cold-weather vegetables, such as parsley, onions and peas, still growing, don’t let them go to waste. Harvest them now while they’re not hidden under a blanket of snow…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko I didn’t see many brown marmorated stinkbugs in October, which is the time when they are usually trying to get into our houses. Other Western New York gardeners have told me they have seen fewer–or even none–this fall. Could the population of brown marmorated stinkbugs be declining in Western New York? “It does seem to be that way,” said Liam Somers, state entomologist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Brown marmorated stinkbugs in…...
© 2023 Buffalo-Niagara Gardening. All rights reserved.