Native Plants
Preserving Native Species: Lessons from the American Chestnut
Prior to the year 1900 the American Chestnut tree (Castanea dentata) was the predominant tree in Eastern forests. It is estimated that there were almost 4 billion American Chestnut trees in the U.S. at the beginning of the 20th century, accounting for 1 in every 4 trees in Eastern hardwood forests. American Chestnut was a “keystone species” playing a critical…
Read MoreButterfly, Butterfly: Wherefore Art Thou Butterfly?
I recently heard the celebrity Bill Maher doing a radio interview during which he confessed to having been an avid butterfly collector when he was a child. He seems quite regretful now, having killed so many butterflies and displaying them on the walls of his childhood home, with his father’s help and encouragement! Maher is now a committed environmentalist. I…
Read MoreThe Native Flora-Fauna Connection: The Complexity of Native Plants
I recently had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Doug Tallamy speak again. For those of you who have not yet read his book, “Bringing Nature Home,” I encourage you to rev up your Amazon account or drive to a bookstore (remember those?) and buy his book today. Tallamy is an entomologist, specializing in lepidoptera (butterflies, skippers + moths), and has…
Read MoreHelping Bees in Crisis: 7 Steps to Creating a Bee-Friendly Landscape
A version of this post was just published in the magazine, Westchester Home. Read below, or follow this link to the published version: http://www.westchestermagazine.com/Westchester-Magazine/Westchester-Home/Summer-2013/How-to-Grow-a-Garden-that-Fosters-Bee-Activity-and-Pollination/ Please share this post with family and friends. Knowledge is power! If we all garden this way, we can help bees in crisis. The European honey bee and many of our 4,000 species of native bees…
Read MoreYour Favorite Native Plants: Cutleaf Coneflower
Autumn Thomas had the final winning entry to the EcoBeneficial t-shirt contest: “I’m going to go with Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) even though it’s a tad aggressive, I see hundreds of bees, beetles and lepidoptera (butterflies, skippers and moths) on it every year. Then, after it goes to seed flocks of goldfinches arrive!” Wondering if Cutleaf Coneflower would be a…
Read MoreAn Environmental Aspect to This Memorial Day
As we remember our fallen troops this Memorial Day, let’s also pay tribute to Rachel Carson, born on May 27, 1907, a famous conservationist credited with starting the modern day environmental movement. After studying at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, and receiving a Masters in zoology from Johns Hopkins University, Carson started her career as a marine biologist. She…
Read MoreYour Favorite Native Plants: The Bee-licious Sourwood Tree
Our fourth winning entry to the “What’s Your Favorite Native Plant?” contest comes from Missy Isaacs: My favorite native plant is: “ Sourwood tree. Beautiful fall color, blooms in the summer, my honeybees love the pollen, and the blooms remind me of my handicapped cousin’s hands, she has the most delicate and graceful hands but because of her cp, they…
Read MoreYour Favorite Native Plants: Skunk Cabbage
Here is another winning entry to the EcoBeneficial t-shirt competition from Kay Wulff, answering: “What is Your Favorite Native Plant and Why?” “Skunk Cabbage is my favorite native plant. It is so original, showing its flower before all others in spring. It has adapted to live in the wet lands where many people do not dare to go. It creates…
Read MoreFavorite Native Plants: Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)
Here is one of the winning entries to the EcoBeneficial t-shirt competition: “What’s Your Favorite Native Plant and Why” from winner Kay Davis: “I would have to say bergamot is one of my favorite plants… When in bloom its beauty is stunning, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies not to mention an assortment of various bees. The blooms are not only attractive…
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