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OUTDOOR OBSERVER
Spring Fling by Rod Christie,
Mianus River Gorge Executive Director
If you are lucky enough to have a vernal (temporary) pond on your property, the months of March, April and even May can be very loud at night. Fall and winter storms fill these areas with water and come March they are bustling with copepods, daphnia, fairy shrimp, volvox and other miniature plant and animal life. On the first warm rain of spring, adult frogs and salamanders move from the woods.......
www.mianus.org
Spring Fling by Rod Christie,
Mianus River Gorge Executive Director
If you are lucky enough to have a vernal (temporary) pond on your property, the months of March, April and even May can be very loud at night. Fall and winter storms fill these areas with water and come March they are bustling with copepods, daphnia, fairy shrimp, volvox and other miniature plant and animal life. On the first warm rain of spring, adult frogs and salamanders move from the woods.......
www.mianus.org
Honeybee Grove Flower Farm Nestled in the heart of Somers, Honeybee Grove is a cozy little flower farm offering cut-your-own flowers, small events, farmers' market, workshops, retail pop-ups, pumpkins, and one-off bouquets.
2024 Farmer’s Garden Picking Packages Available
(A satisfied customer above; note the familiar face!)
2024 Farmer’s Garden Picking Packages Available
(A satisfied customer above; note the familiar face!)
Bulletin Board Archives
INDEX
APRIL 2024
New York Native Plant Month
FEB & MAR 2024
Eco-friendly Golf Courses
Books
Plastic in our Water?
Books
7 Garden Habits to Break
JAN 2024
Birds & Bees Protection Act
Foglove Mix Seed packet by Carol Bouyoucos
Bedford Garden Club Originals:
Book about Misses Marble & Luquer
DEC 2023
A Tickling Issue
NOV 2023
Why You Don't Need to Rake Leaves
The Seed Vault (video)
Oct 2023
Lanternflies
Garden Futures
Into the Weeds (Roundup)
Learn More about Seeds
Native Plant Resources
Sept 2023
Green Grass & Temp Rise
Habitat Piles
PFAS- Forever Chemicals
April 2024
FEB & MAR 2024
Out With the Old:
7 Bad Gardening Habits to Break Now According to a recent National Gardening Survey, a third of people are now choosing plants to support wildlife and a quarter of them are specifically seeking out native plants. That’s cause for celebration. But we can do more. Let’s bid adieu to outdated gardening norms and forge a green path to a healthy and sustainable future. Here are seven easy things we can all do: 
JANUARY 2024
Governor Hochul signed 'The Birds and Bees Protection Act' This nation-leading legislation protects New Yorkers from potentially harmful toxins by prohibiting the use of certain neonicotinoid pesticide (neonics) treated corn, soybean, or wheat seeds and neonicotinoid pesticides for outdoor ornamental plants and turfs, creating important protections for New York’s pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. 
FOXGLOVE MIX
There's a bit of magic about Foxgloves, and the artwork by Carol Bouyoucos gathers it into a stunning mixture that is both antique and modern. Beautiful new seed packet by our own Carol Bouyoucos for Hudson Valley Seed. Founder K Greene is coming to speak to the BGC February 14. (11.4.23) 
Purchase this charming book, written by our own Brett Cameron's mother, at La Maison Fête, 11 Court Street in Bedford Village or from Amazon.
DECEMBER 2023
Ticks themselves do not make us sick. Rather, it is the pathogens (bacteria, viruses, or parasites) they may carry in their saliva that can be transmitted into our bloodstream when they bite us. These pathogens can cause various serious diseases.
Our first reaction might be to try to kill these disease-carrying ticks. But there is growing evidence that this approach is not working. In fact, a study done by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies shows that pesticide applications or the use of 'Tick Tubes' do not reduce the prevalence of tick-borne diseases.
Importantly, tick-control applications to our yards, whether organic or not, are harmful to our pollinators. Read more > 
We have to reconsider the way we build neighborhoods and the way we maintain our properties. Read more > Avoid food sources for white footed mice and chipmunks close to the home (birdfeeders and/or food compost). Read more > Welcome natural predators of white footed mice and chipmunks in your yard. For mice, if needed, use traps. Avoid rodenticides which are very harmful for natural predators, especially for birds of prey. Read more > Plant a variety of native plants, shrubs and trees to encourage biodiversity in your yard. Remove invasive Japanese barberry, which provides habitat for white footed mice. Read more > Support deer management. Read more > Reduce tick numbers in recreational areas by keeping terraces and paths clear of debris. Read more > Welcome the natural predators of ticks, like spiders, possums and birds, into your yard. Read more > Daily body checks are still the only proven method to reduce the chance of being infected by tick-borne. Protect yourself whenever you venture into tick habitat (high grasses, shrubbery, woodland). Use deterrents and protective clothing. NOVEMBER 2023
GREAT SOURCES FOR NATIVE PLANT INFO
A Good Start: At Hilltop Hanover Farm, Collecting and Saving Hyper-Local Native Seeds
“A seed contains the past and the future at the same time,” said the poet and writer Ross Gay, in a recent interview in The Nation. Hilltop Hanover Farm, a Perfect Earth Project partner in New York’s Westchester County, understands this firsthand. Through their native plant seed initiative, they are preserving the past by cultivating the plants that have been growing on this land for millennia, while sowing a resilient and biodiverse future. 11.22.23 
If You Plant Milkweed, They Will Come. (And Not Just the Butterflies.) Margaret Roach in the NY Times. These underappreciated plants attract a “hungry throng” of beneficial insects. They’re not bad to look at, either.
(Conservation Committee 11.3.23) OCTOBER 2023
Why You Don’t Need to Rake Leaves NY Times:
Thinking about raking freshly fallen leaves into a pile? Think again, scientists and naturalists say. 10.25.23 
THE SEED VAULT: SECURING THE WORLD FOOD SUPPLY Follow world-renowned scientist and GCA medalist Cary Fowler into the heart of the arctic, where the Svalbard Global Seed Vault lies nestled in the frozen Norwegian landscape. Among the most important buildings in the world, the Seed Vault holds the key to human survival: more than 880,000 seed samples, the largest collection in the world. (Conservation Committee 10.11.23)
LANTERNFLIES
from Carol Capobianco, Director The Native Plant Center These are everywhere in Westchester....To avoid pesticide use, the NYS DEC and Westchester County recommend vacuuming the culprits, especially when in nymph stages. See Taro Ietaka on this News 12 clip: Nancy Lawson
The Humane Gardener STOP SQUISHING SPOTTED LANTERNFLIES They're not the monsters they were once made out to be, and stepping on them isn't effective. So why are people still unleashing their fury on spotted lanternflies, and what should we be doing instead? 9.14.23 MORE LANTERNFLY READ Cornell College of Agriculture's assessment. Spotted lanternflies are a significant economic and lifestyle pest for residents, businesses, tourism, forestry, and agriculture. Their presence has led to crop loss, exporting issues, and increased management costs. 9.21.23 
Does the most widely used weed killer in the world cause cancer? Into the Weeds follows the riveting story of groundskeeper Lee Johnson and his fight for justice against agrochemical giant, Monsanto (now Bayer), the manufacturer of Roundup herbicide. CLICK for more INFORMATION 10.01.23 SEPTEMBER 2023
GCA NAL CONFERENCE PFAS_ THE FOREVER CHEMICALS Suzanne Novak presented on PFAS at the 2023 NAL Conference Education Day. PFAS are a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO 9.15 
DIANE LEWIS: LA Times Why your green grass is making the temperature rise. 9/23 |
During the Nature Series lecture by Murray Fisher, the following three books were strongly recommended. Enjoy!
There's a great description of our latest Nature Series talk by Murray Fisher on Martha Stewart's Blog. She also has a good write-up of Uli Lorimer's lecture at our January meeting.
Bottled Water Is Full of Plastic Particles.
Can They Harm Your Health? Here’s what scientists know so far about the health effects of nanoplastics, and what you can do to reduce your exposure. By Knvul Sheikh for The New York Times Can nanoplastics in water harm your health? Researchers don’t have strong evidence yet for how these particles affect our health.... It’s possible that tiny plastic pieces simply pass through most people’s bodies without causing much harm, Dr. Lazaridis said. Or it might be that these environmental particles only have an impact in people who already have genetic predispositions to disease, he said. 
Consumer Reports finds 'widespread' presence of plastics in food
NEW YORK, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Consumer Reports has found that plastics retain a "widespread" presence in food despite the health risks, and called on regulators to reassess the safety of plastics that come into contact with food during production. The non-profit consumer group said on Thursday that 84 out of 85 supermarket foods and fast foods it recently tested contained "plasticizers" known as phthalates, a chemical used to make plastic more durable........ |
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