Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley

Episode 128: Good Plant/Bad Plant Retrospective (Part 1)

This retrospective episode consists of previously aired short segments that have been compiled here as they all relate to a common topic. It’s called Good Plant/Bad Plant because each segment focuses on two plants: one that support pollinators, birds and other animals and one plant, or plant group, that is an invasive or noxious weed.

In this episode (Part 1 of 3), Master Gardener Volunteer, Tim Kennelty, covers native species like oaks, monarda, serviceberry, and willows. But he also advises against invasive species such as Japanese knotweed, Japanese stiltgrass, Asian bittersweet, and Asian bush honeysuckle.

In the first segment, oaks (genus quercus) and Japanese knotweed are put under the microscope. The mighty oak refers to the many oak trees that are native to New York. Oaks can grow to about 100 feet and can live from 200 to 400 years. Oaks are generally relatively easy to grow and thrive in well drained acidic soil in full sun. They're really beautiful, majestic trees, often with attractive fall foliage in shades of red, gold, and orange. Oaks support more than 500 different caterpillar species, which of course turn into butterflies and moths, but are critical food for young birds as well. And they produce acorns that are eaten by squirrels, deer, turkey and other birds.

If the oak is the king of beneficial plants, the queen of invasive plants is Japanese knotweed. It can grow from three to 15 feet and has bamboo like stems. Knotweed thrives in disturbed areas like drainage ditches, wetlands, streams, woodland edges, and along roadsides. It spreads rapidly through underground rhizomes. Knotweed forms dense thickets that crowd out and shade native vegetation, reducing species diversity while also adversely impacting ecosystems and wildlife. Management includes repeated cutting, and most likely will require herbicide application.

The second segment in this episode focuses on monarda and Japanese stiltgrass. Monarda didyma, known by a number of different common names including bee bam, Oswego tea and bergamot, is native to eastern North America. It is a great addition to butterfly gardens and bird gardens. By contrast, Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) is a widespread invader of woodlands, roadsides and trails. It is an annual grass, but a prolific seeder, that germinates in the spring and dies back each fall. Once introduced, it is extremely difficult to remove from a site.

Serviceberry and Asian bittersweet are featured in the next segment. Amelanchier spp. is a native North American shrub that is sometimes grown as a small tree. There are many species of this native that grow in full sun to part shade, have small five-petalled white flowers that emerge before or at the same time as the leaves, and have small edible berries that darken to a deep reddish-purple to black when ripe. Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a woody, deciduous, perennial vine has since naturalized and become an extremely aggressive, capable of damaging natural areas. It chokes out desirable native plants by smothering them with its dense foliage and strangling stems and trunks.

Willows and Asian bush honeysuckle are the conversation topics for the last segment in this episode. Most, shrubs and trees of the Salix genus, are mostly native to north temperate areas and are valued as ornamentals, as well as for their shade, moisture control, and wildlife attributes. By contrast, invasive bush honeysuckles originated in Eurasia and Eastern Asia, and were introduced in the U.S. for ornamental landscaping, erosion control, and wildlife habitat. Unfortunately, bush honeysuckles self-seed aggressively and rapidly escape into natural areas. Although the fruits have poor nutritional value for wildlife, birds disperse them widely. Native vegetation is displaced as bush honeysuckle blocks sunlight and exudes chemicals into the soil that are toxic to other plants.

Learn more about these plants on this episode of Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley. Stay tuned for Part 2 and Part 3 of this Good Plant/Bad Plant Retrospective series.

Host: Jean Thomas

Guest: Tim Kennelty

Photo by: Tim Kennelty

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski

Resources

Episode 127: Native Lawns

Episode 127: Native Lawns

Have you ever given serious consideration of the limited value of traditional suburban lawns? Sure, they add a certain beauty to the landscape, but is there a better way to incorporate more native plantings to our lawns? Are their native lawns that could become alternatives to the typical field of turf grass that creates a monoculture that is not supporting of pollinators?

Todd Bittner, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, joins the Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley podcast to share his perspective on more environmentally sustainable Native Lawns.

As the Director of Natural Areas for the Cornell Botanic Gardens and a Lecturer in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University as well as today’s guest, Todd Bittner furthers our understanding of natural systems, environmental sustainability, and natural resource conservation, management, and use. The Cornell Botanic Garden’s natural areas program is responsible for the protection and management of a system of preserves spanning nearly 3,600 acres across 40 natural areas. As part of Cornell’s educational mission, the natural areas include examples of the natural community plants and the rarest plant habitats in the New York’s central Finger Lakes Region. The holdings include one-third of Cornell’s iconic campus landscape, including two massive gorges, scenic Beebe Lake, and a renowned wildflower garden. Todd leads the organization’s native biodiversity conservation efforts, while facilitating compatible educational, research, and recreational uses across these outdoor classrooms. 

Native Lawns, or lawn alternatives, are a designed plant community that, when compared to traditional turf grass lawns, require minimal mowing and watering, no pesticides and fertilizers, yet more biodiversity to support pollinators and other invertebrates. In the research being conducted by Todd Bittner, the goal of the native lawn was to be aesthetic, able to handle a moderate amount of trampling, and require minimal hand weeding as well as to address the environmental objectives (minimal watering, mowing, chemical supplements, etc.). There was also a desire for native plants to comprise at least 85 percent of the land area. Plant species were selected that are suitable for both full sun and shady as well as wet and dry conditions Danthonia spicata and Danthonia compressa (poverty oat grass) are dominant in the planting. Penstemon hirsutus is also widely planted. Twenty nine native species have established spontaneously from the adjoining natural area or seedbank, including a number of violet species, several woodland asters including calico, heart-leaved, and frost asters, and Lobelia siphilitica, or great blue lobelia, which is a very attractive valuable pollinator species. Tune into this episode to hear what has been learned over the last 15 years in moving towards a more environmentally sustainable native lawn. 

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas 

Guest: Todd Bittner 

Photo by: Cornell University CALS 

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski

Episode 126: Hudson River Estuary

Chris Bowser is a professional educator and environmental scientist with experience in citizen science, estuary and river monitoring, conservation biology, and fisheries science. Part of Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, he coordinates a team with NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudson River Estuarine Research Reserve. He joins the Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley team with a passionate discussion about the Hudson River Estuary.

An estuary is defined as the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream. If you think of New York’s Hudson River, this covers a lot of territory.

According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, estuaries are among the most productive of Earth's ecosystems. Native Americans discovered the Hudson's bounty thousands of years ago; evidence of their existence remains in heaps of oyster shells on its shores. Hudson and Dutch traders wrote of a river teeming with striped bass, herring, and giant sturgeon. More than 200 species of fish are found in the Hudson and its tributaries. The estuary's productivity is ecologically and economically valuable to much of the Atlantic Coast; key commercial and recreational species like striped bass, bluefish, and blue crab depend on nursery habitat here. Bald eagles, herons, waterfowl, and other birds feed from the river's bounty. Tidal marshes, mudflats, and other significant habitats in and along the estuary support a great diversity of life.

The Hudson River Estuary has one of the largest concentrations of freshwater wetlands in the northeastern part of the United States. It has also been found that due to climate change, the rising sea levels have led to an increase in the area of the wetlands.

Chris brings the Hudson River to ‘life’ not only talking about what can be found within it, but also about the wide range of programs to adults and children to help everyone become more acquainted with its value to our broader ecosystem.

Hosts: Jean Thomas and Teresa Golden

Guest: Chris Bowser

Photo by: Teresa Golden

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski, Robin Smith

Resources

Episode 125: Eastern Bluebirds

The state bird of New York is the eastern bluebird, one of the first birds to return north each spring. Bluebirds are insectivores and part of the thrush family. Three types of bluebirds inhabit the United States: the mountain bluebird (found in western North America); the western bluebird (in California, the southern Rocky Mountains, Arizona, and New Mexico in the United States) and the eastern bluebird (in the east, central and southern US states all the way to southeastern Arizona).

In New York, you can spot eastern bluebirds sitting on telephone wires or perched on top of a nest box, calling out in short chirps, or flying around in pursuit of insects. The male Eastern Bluebirds have bright blue feathers on their backs and heads with warm red-brown ones on their breasts. Female birds are less brightly colored than males, although color patterns are similar and there is no noticeable difference in size.

If you’d like to attract a breeding pair, consider putting up a nest box, well before breeding season. They typically have more than one brood per year between March and August. Young produced in early nests usually leave their parents in summer, but young from later nests frequently stay with their parents over the winter.

Eastern Bluebirds are territorial and prefer open grassland with patchy vegetation and large trees or nest boxes. Meadows, old fields, and golf courses tend to be places they can be found. When they are not nesting, the birds roam the countryside in small flocks.

Kathryn Schneider, an author, avid birder, and a Master Gardener Volunteer, re-joins the Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley podcast to talk all about Bluebirds. Her book, Birding in the Hudson Valley, explores Hudson Valley history, ecology, bird biology It describes sites in every county in the region, including farms, grasslands, old fields, wetlands, orchards, city parks, rocky summits, forests, rivers, lakes, and salt marshes.

In this episode, Kathryn provides lots of information about our state bird including its habits, where it lives, what it likes to eat, as well as its competitors (swallows, house sparrows and wrens) and predators (snakes, cats, raccoons and even bears). After listening to this episode, you’ll appreciate these delightful birds even more the next time you see them!

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Guest: Dr. Kathryn Schneider

Photo by: Tim Kennelty

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers,  Annie Scibienski, Robin Smith

Episode 124: Olana

Olana, located in Hudson, New York, is the greatest masterwork of Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900), the most famous American landscape artist of the mid-19th century and the most important artist’s home, studio, and designed landscape in the United States. Church designed Olana as a holistic environment integrating his ideas about art, architecture, landscape design, and environmental conservation. Olana’s 250-acre artist-designed landscape with five miles of carriage roads and a Persian-inspired house at its summit embraces beautiful panoramic views of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains.

Frederic Church is well-known as a painter, but he was also a world traveler, a family man, and a self-taught architect, farmer and landscape designer.

Born in Hartford, CT, Frederic Church was the son of a silversmith with interests in milling, insurance, real estate and railroads. Showing early artistic talent, Church’s parents arranged for him to study with Thomas Cole in Catskill, New York. Cole had already established himself as an important landscape painter, and Church studied with him between 1844 and 1846. The following year, Church moved to New York to begin his independent career. He was very well-traveled in New England, including Vermont, Maine, and Connecticut. He went to South America, in 1853 and 1857, along the cordilleras of the Andes, to see equatorial volcanoes.

Church achieved success in his twenties and attracted important patrons. Even after Olana became his primary residence, he maintained an active presence in New York City, where he was a part of the art community. In 1860, he married Isabel Mortimer Carnes.

Church purchased 126 acres of hardscrabble farmland on a south facing hillside a few miles south of the town of Hudson, a sketching spot he had visited twenty years earlier in the company of Thomas Cole, his teacher. Although Cole had died in 1848, his family still lived just across the river, in Catskill. Frederic and Isabel boarded with the Cole family while working with architect Richard Morris Hunt to design a small house. They called it “Cosy Cottage” and the couple moved in by the early summer of 1861. Acting as both a farmer and a landscape artist, Frederic improved the land. He planted crops, established a dairy herd, transformed a swampy area into a lake, and planted thousands of trees. He built a studio on the highest point of land he then owned, and there he made sketches of the views and worked on larger compositions.

After spending 18 months visiting Europe and the Middle East, the Churches returned to New York in 1866 and purchased an additional 18 acres at the top of their hill, where the house, eventually named ‘Olana’ is sited. They eventually moved into their new home in 1872 and raised four children there. Although they were frequent visitors to New York City, Olana was their primary home.

The Olana State Historic Site, administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, is a designated National Historic Landmark. It is one of the most visited landmarks in New York State, consisting of breath-taking views, informative tours and educational programs.

On this episode of Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley, Carolyn Keough joins us to talk all that Olana offers including some of the programs that are available. Carolyn is the Director of Education and Public Programs at The Olana Partnership and an experienced museum educator and administrator working with school, youth and family audiences. A graduate of New York University, she also has a Masters degree in Art History at City College. She came to Olana from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where she was the Manager of School, Youth, and Teen Programs, overseeing gallery and studio programs, coordinating professional development for educators and assisting with teaching and curriculum development.

Hosts: Jean Thomas and Teresa Golden

Guest: Carolyn Keough

Photo by: Teresa Golden

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Teresa Golden, Timothy Kennelty, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski, Robin Smith

Resources

Episode 123: Weeds of the Northeast

Weeds are a constant fact of a gardener’s life. As our guest, Toni DiTommaso, says we can count on three things in life: death, taxes, and weeds.

But if it weren’t for weeds, the world would have less topsoil than it has now, and humanity might have suffered mass starvation by now. Why? Because the plants we call weeds do a vital job in ecosystems: they quickly establish in, protect, and restore soil that has been left exposed by natural and human-caused disturbances. That said, weeds, in addition to being a nuisance, cause more yield loss worldwide and add more to farms’ production costs than insect pests, crop pathogens, root-feeding nematodes, or warm-blooded pests (rodents, birds, deer, etc.).

So perhaps, we should start this discussion with a definition. What exactly is a ‘weed’? The Oxford Dictionary defines a weed as a wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants. Similarly, the Miriam-Webster dictionary describes it as a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth. Penn State Extension tells us that weeds compete with other plants for nutrients, water, and light, as well as potentially harbor diseases and pests. Simply put, a weed is a plant ‘out of place’.

Plants that are characterized as weeds can reproduce via seeds, rhizomes, cuttings or runners. Their seeds are typically plentiful and tiny which can disperse easily and/or remain dormant for many years. They also can grow in less-than-ideal environments, soils, and conditions. As any gardener knows, they tend to grow fast and can outcompete other plants. Weed management can also be frustrating as some of these plants can break off and re-sprout or self-pollinate if pulled out. The best place to begin is to learn how to identify weeds.

In this episode, we are fortunate to hear from Antonio (Toni) DiTommaso, Professor and Section Head, School of Integrative Plant Science Soil and Crop Sciences Section at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). The focus of his research is to gain a more in depth understanding of the basic biological and ecological principles governing weeds to find safe, effective, sustainable and economically viable weed management strategies.

In addition to his teaching and research duties, he is also a co-author of the book, Weeds of the Northeast.The fully updated second edition provides detailed illustrations for easy identification of more than 500 common and economically important weeds in the Northeast including New York.A practical guide, it includes a dichotomous key as well as descriptions and photos of floral and vegetative characteristics, giving anyone who works with plants the ability to identify weeds before they flower. Comparison tables make it easy to differentiate between many closely related and similar species.

Listen to this episode of Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley, to learn more about Toni DiTommaso and weeds.This will be of interest to home gardeners, landscape managers, as well as pest management specialists.

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Guest: Antonio DiTommaso

Photo by: Cornell University CALS

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski

Resources

Episode 122: Pests & Pathogens Retrospective (Part 3)

Jackie Hayden and Dede Terns-Thorpe are back with part 3 of our retrospective series about Pests and Pathogens. In this episode of Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley, you’ll hear about some common issues New York gardeners face such as rust fungus, squash vine borer, fruit flies and the emerald ash borer (EAB).

We’ll start with a category of blisters, galls, and spots on leaves and trees that are caused by a rust fungus. Humid, warm weather creates an excellent environment for many plant pathogens grow. Rust fungi are among the most common pathogens.While most rust fungi will not kill their host plants, they can weaken them to the point of not being functional in the landscape anymore. Learn more as Master Gardeners, Dede and Jackie, delve into this category of pathogen.

If you care about preserving the environment, stay tuned as Jackie and Dede discuss the emerald ash borer, an invasive species that has caused significant damage to the ash tree population in North America, including New York State. They cover everything from the beetle's life cycle to the measures being taken to prevent further spread.

Next is a segment on a popular pest of zucchini and other members of the cucurbit family: the dreaded Squash Vine Borer. As one of the earliest insects to show up in the garden as a moth, it can wreak havoc if not caught early. Learn some tips and tricks to help avoid and manage problems.

Lastly, how can you tell if you have fruit flies or fungus gnats flying around your home? No, they are not the same things.Both are tiny but fruit flies are larger than gnats. If they are flying around your house plants, they are probably fungus gnats. Dede and Jacki help you tell the difference between them and also provide suggestions on how to get rid of them.

So this episode has a little bit of something about both pests and pathogens. By listening in, you will be armed with lots of information about how to deal with them.

Host: Jean Thomas

Guests: Dede Terns-Thorpe and Jackie Hayden

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski

Resources

Episode 121: Pests & Pathogens Retrospective (Part 2)

In Part 2 of this Pests and Pathogens Retrospective episode, common issues such as houseplant problems, anthracnose and powdery mildew are discussed. These are three short segments that were previously aired, but we’ve repackage them to easier listening.

Dede Terns-Thorpe and Jackie Hayden, Master Gardener Volunteers from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties, are back on Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley to let you know what to look for and what you can do about it.

We start with Anthracnose diseases which are caused by fungi that infect stems, branches, leaves and fruits of a wide variety of deciduous trees and shrubs as well as garden vegetables. Sycamore, ash, maple, oak and privet are especially susceptible in New York. The symptoms of these diseases are more severe in years of extended cool, wet spring weather.

If you notice bugs around your houseplants, first isolate the plant and then identify the pest. Early infestations might be removed by hand picking, scraping with a fingernail or addressed using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. Spraying a sturdy plant with water or an insecticidal soap will often remove many pests. In this segment, learn about common houseplant pests (e.g. aphids, mites, scales, mealy bugs, thrips, leaf miners, etc.) and the best ways to control them.

Several different genera of fungi cause powdery mildew which looks like white powdery spores growing on the upper leaf surface of the lower leaves of a plant. Hear Dede and Jackie talk about this common summer pathogen by answering questions such as “What is powdery mildew?” “How do I manage a powdery mildew infestation?” or “What are best practices to minimize the odds of a reoccurrence of powdery mildew?” There’s lots to learn about managing this common pathogen.

Hosts: Jean Thomas

Guests: Dede Terns-Thorpe and Jackie Hayden

Photo by: Teresa Golden

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski

Resources

Episode 120: Pests & Pathogens Retrospective (Part 1)

Welcome to another of our retrospective series which are compilations of shorter segments on related topics that were previously aired and that we’ve now packaged into an episode for easier access. This is the first of a three episodes focused on Pests and Pathogens. This one contains segments on diagnosing plant problems, beetles and spongy moths. These are three short segments that were previously aired, but we've repackaged them for easier listening.

Dede Terns-Thorpe and Jackie Hayden are Master Gardener Volunteers from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties. They join the Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley podcast to provide insights on common issues that can be found in home gardens and landscapes.

Diagnosing plant problems is key to coming up with the correct control mechanism. Many plant issues are caused by environmental issues, but there are times when insects, or fungal, viral, or bacterial factors are the problem. The location and the type of the damage are an important clue in determining any insect cause damage diseases. Learn how to monitor your plants and isolate the potential issue.

Do you know that forty percent of all insect species are beetles? They include plant feeders, predators, scavengers as well as parasites. Typically beetles pass through four stages of development, the egg, the larva, the pupa, or the cocoon, and the adult. The larvae are commonly called grubs and the pupa is something called a chrysalis. Learn about Colorado beetles, Japanese beetles, and Lady bugs on this segment of the episode.

Then stay tuned for a segment on the Spongy Moth (Lymantria dispar dispar, also formerly called the European gypsy moth) which is native to Europe and first arrived in the US in 1869. This moth is a major pest because the caterpillars have huge appetites for >300 species of trees and shrubs, posing a danger to New York’s forests. The caterpillars defoliate trees, leaving them vulnerable to diseases and other pests, and can eventually kill the tree. Egg masses, which have a spongy or hair-like covering, survive through the winter months and can be moved inadvertently on household items and agricultural products. Early detection is critical to limiting the spongy moth's spread. This segment may help you to understand what can be done to manage any reoccurrence.

Host: Jean Thomas

Guests: Dede Terns-Thorpe and Jackie Hayden

Photo by: Cornell University

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski

Resources

Episode 119: Culinary Herbs 101

An herb is defined as a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, savory, or aromatic qualities. Many can be used fresh from the garden during the growing season or dried for use during cooler months. Popular herbs include basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, dill, sage, thyme, mint, chives and cilantro. But there are so many others.

Briana Davis, co-owner of Greene Bee Greenhouse ltd. located in Cornwallville, NY, joins podcast hosts, Jean Thomas and Teresa Golden, in a lively discussion that covers the basics on how to grow culinary herbs. That’s why we call this a ‘101’ episode.

Briana is an avid gardener, horticulturalist, plant collector, and responsible land steward. She describes how some herbs are best grown from seed while others, that take longer to establish, are best grown from a plant. While kitchen herb gardens are very popular, many herbs can be planted among vegetables or flowers to add color, texture or scent.

Herbs are very versatile and come in many cultivars. Briana describes how she uses ones that she grows in her own garden and sells in her greenhouse. She also discusses various ways to preserve them so that they can be used beyond the growing season.

This will make your mouth water and taste buds explode! Enjoy this new episode of Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley.

Hosts: Jean Thomas and Teresa Golden

Guest: Briana Davis

Photo by: Jean Thomas

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski, and Robin Smith

Resources