A great column about bees

Science and Biology - Olivia Judson Blog - NYTimes.com

Thanks to Duane Reid for the link.

Learn about Organic Gardening in Genesee County

Submitted by the Cornell Cooperative Extension-Genesee County

County Vegetables should be part of everyone's diet. If you don't want to spend a little bit more for those organically grown and sold in the supermarkets, perhaps you should consider planting your own garden. It is very easy, fun, and can even be a great project for children

Join, Consumer Horticulture Educator, Gail Culver as she presents a back by popular demand second Organic Vegetable Gardening program on Thursday, May 7, at Cornell Cooperative Extension- Genesee County, 420 East Main Street, Batavia. Not only will you learn the "ins and outs" of growing vegetables organically, but you will also be treated to homemade desserts made by the Genesee County Master Gardeners. Tea and coffee will also be served.

Don't miss this exciting opportunity to learn about how to grow produce organically. To register for this program, please call Gail Culver at 343-3040, ext. 132, stop by our office or check out our website at htttp://genesee.shutterfly.com.

Submitted by the Cornell Cooperative Extension-Genesee County

Late Breaking Event: Wildflower Walk

Wildflower Walk at Crowfields: Sunday, April 26, 2 p.m., rain or shine. Join Carol and Dave Southby to explore a wooded drumlin filled with spring wildflowers on this privately owned land of Steve and Mary Aman in Arcadia(just outside of Newark), and leased to Sanctuary at Crowfield, a not for profit organization. The land is also protected by a Genesee Land Trust conservation easement. Directions: From Route 31 in Newark, turn north onto Route 88, go 3.5 miles, turn right onto Pulver Rd for 1.5 miles, turn left at Arcadia Zurich Road, just past 3rd house on right, look for "Sanctuary Parking" sign.Walk includes steep trails at times.

Rest in Peace, Maha Atma Singh

It's with a very sad heart I report that Maha Atma Singh, a.k.a. Charles Oesterly, left us this past Saturday night. He had battled (valiantly!) cancer of the esophagus.

Any of you who knew Charles knew he was a strong man with a big heart and a great passion for his gardens, his precious Boston terriers, and his family. I will certainly miss him very much.





















My daughter also loved Charles. Here they are feeding ducks in his garden in the fall of '06.

Late Breaking Event: Earth Day April 25 Clean Up

Submitted by Urban Roots

Urban Roots Community Garden Center will welcome in the season with an Earth Day neighborhood clean up of the "Five Corners" or "Five Points" area 2 blocks west of Left Bank, at Rhode Island Street, Utica, and Brayton.

Community Gardens, which were planted in 2004, will be tended, mulched and planted.  Litter will be picked up, and the Urban Roots lot will be raked and planted.



Urban Roots Community Garden Center
428 Rhode Island Street
10 am – 1pm, Saturday, April 25, 2009
Brink a rake, shovel or broom and gloves


Urban Roots is a community owned cooperative business.  Our retail business opened in April of 2007 at 428 Rhode Island Street, in the building we purchased.  We filled two lots with plants and trees, brought in exceptional soil and amendments, and are refurbishing two storefronts.  The vision for Urban Roots was planted in 2005 by a group of West Side neighbors, and grew through grass roots organizing, plant swaps, the sale of heirloom tomatoes, and the labor and enthusiasm of the Buffalo community.  An additional two lots were purchased by the cooperative in order to expand this year in March 2008. A well was dug during the summer of 2008 in order to sustainably maintain our plants. In April 2009 Urban Roots has more than 450 Member-Owners.

Urban Roots Community Garden Center is a consumer cooperative business whose mission is to provide quality products for gardening in the City of Buffalo and be an active and enriching member of the community.

Submitted by Urban Roots

Garden Walk Buffalo garden applications now online

Garden Walk Buffalo invites gardens, and their gardeners, from the Peace Bridge to Main Street and Erie Basin Marina to Forest Avenue/Rumsey Road to be part of the 15th annual Garden Walk, to be held Saturday and Sunday, July 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Share your garden and show your pride in our neighborhoods and city.

Enter by May 15, 2009.

Enter online at GardenWalkBuffalo.com. If a mailed, paper application is preferred, a printable .pdf application can be found here.

Garden Walk Buffalo, the largest garden tour in the U.S., is held the last weekend of July each year. In 2009, the free event will be Saturday and Sunday, July 25 & 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 300 residences and businesses throughout the west side of Buffalo open their creative urban gardens for tens of thousands of visitors from around the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.GardenWalkBuffalo.com.

Late Breaking Event: African Violet & Gesneriad Society of WNY Judged Show and Plant Sale

African Violet & Gesneriad Society of WNY

Annual Judged Show and Plant Sale

Walden Galleria Mall - Lower Level

May 2nd. 12:00 pm - 8:30 pm

May 3rd.  10:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Free Admission

PROJECT BUDBREAK SEEKS CITIZEN SCIENTIST VOLUNTEERS

Submitted by Cornell Plantations

Ithaca, NY -- The effects of global warming may be evident right in your own
backyard, and Cornell scientists need your help.

You are invited to join Project Budbreak -- a "weather-spotters" network for
plants -- to observe and record the first day of flowering for certain
plants in your backyard. Last year over 150 people from all over central New
York recorded more than 500 observations. The project welcomes both new and
returning volunteers this year.

Some facts:

- The annual average temperature right here in the northeastern United
States has increased by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 30 years and is
expected to continue to rise.

- Because of the temperature increase, lilacs have been flowering up to one
week earlier than they did a few decades ago.

- Increasing temperatures are affecting many of our native plant species.

Climate change may be impacting our native plants by changing the timing of
bud break, leaf emergence, flowering, fall coloration, and leaf drop.
To find out whether increasing temperatures are causing detrimental
ecosystem changes, Cornell researchers are asking people to join their
plant-spotter network.

The project is being coordinated by David A. Weinstein, in the Department of
Natural Resources.

"Recording this information is easy and fun, and takes only a few minutes a
week," says Weinstein. "We've made it possible to quickly enter your
observations into an easy-to-use website, including videos you can watch
that demonstrate how to make observations. We'll be putting all kinds of
information, maps, and tools on the website about what is happening to
plants here in central NY, so you'll be able to learn as we learn."

Once you've signed up, simply pick one, two, or more plants growing outside
your house and start watching each day for the first signs of flowers
beginning to form, branches greening up, and leaves starting to spring
forward. You'll begin to see a whole new world emerging right before your
eyes.

To join Project Budbreak, please visit the projects's website at
http://budbreak.tc.cornell.edu.

For more information, contact David Weinstein by email at daw5@cornell.edu; or by phone at 607-351-4214.

Submitted by Cornell Plantations

Garden Walk garden in Garden Ideas and Outdoor Living magazine

I'll let Jim Charlier do the talking here, but want to point out that a few of our friends were involved in this story: photographer Andreas Trauttmansdorff, Garden Ideas and Outdoor Living editor Luke Miller, and—of course—Garden Walk! Way to go.

Garden Walk garden in Garden Ideas and Outdoor Living magazine

Update on Odyssey Trips

Due to popular demand, this year we're adding a Buffalo route to our Odyssey to Ithaca tour on SATURDAY, JUNE 6. This is in addition to the ever-popular Rochester route. For more info, click here.