The NYFA Blog
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center Recommended Plants for New York
Visit THEIR WEBSITE to see a list of New York commercially available native plants suitable for planned landscapes. We have not gone through the list to see how good it is but maybe some of our readers can comment. They have a lot of nice photos however.
2011 Is the UN’s International Year of the Forests
You can help celebrate this with the UN by going to their website and learning more. This is important since most of New York is forested. Here is the introduction at their website: Welcome to the International Year of Forests, 2011 (Forests 2011) Web site, a global...
Dodder (Cuscuta pentagona) Exploits Odors to Find its Host
While browsing the website Parasite of the Day, I came across an interesting article about dodder and a reference about how they key on odors or chemical signals of some plants to find a host. Here is a detailed entry about it in the Why Files Blog. This species is...
Watson, Jeopardy, and Plant Identification
I just returned from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy where I watched IBM's Watson computer compete against humans in a game of Jeopardy. The huge auditorium of the EMPAC building was full of people (mostly students) interested in watching the competition on...
An Interactive Visual Identification Key to Carices of North America
Now you have no excuse to not learn more about the genus Carex in New York with the release of this new identification key. It is a stunning assemblage of photos and drawings of the species of Carex in North America. You can sort them multiple ways, starting with New...
NYS DEC Lands and Forests Job Openings for Giant Hogweed Control
There are 8 positions open this summer for controlling giant hogweed. Five positions for manual control and three for herbicide control. Salary The beginning compensation rate as of April 1, 2010 is $13.27. To Apply For more information on how to apply contact Naja...
Exploding Cattails – A Cool Natural Phenomenon
From our friend Jackie Donnelly of the Saratoga Woods and Waterways blog comes a video of the phenomenon of exploding cattail heads. Its very interesting how these heads are so packed together with fruits that a slight nudge will start the dispersal process. I...
Pennsylvania Rare Plant Forum to be Held April 9, 2011
PENNSYLVANIA RARE PLANT FORUM 9:30 AM-about 2:30 PM Saturday, 9 April 2011 Jennings Environmental Education Center 12 miles north-west of Butler, on PA Route 528 just west of Route 8 40.9° N 80.1° W, Elevation 350 m All people interested in the conservation of...
Report: Only 39 percent of North American endangered plant species are protected in collections.
Washington, D.C. – Only 39 percent of the nearly 10,000 North American plant species threatened with extinction are protected by being maintained in collections, according to the first comprehensive listing of the threatened plant species in Canada, Mexico and the...
The Art of Plant Mounting – Three Examples
The following three videos show the techniques used at different herbaria for mounting plants. Many herbaria in this country and in New York use the same techniques but some of them may glue the specimens and some may use herbarium tape or stitching. Some may include...
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