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...
Job Opening for Assistant Plant Inspector for Emerald Ash Borer in Otsego County
POSITION: Assistant Plant Inspector SALARY: $15.93/hour APPOINTMENT: Temporary, Non-Competitive LOCATION: Otsego County POSITION DESCRIPTION: As an Assistant Plant Inspector, you will be assigned to the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Control Program. The objective of the...
Find a Location on Bing, Google and USGS Topo Maps Using UTM, Lat-Long or MTM (Canada)
If you want to enter GPS coordinates in web-based maps it can be a hassle to convert the coordinate systems depending on how you record them. There is a great website that does it for you and with one click will go to the web map you want. It is called leware.net...
New York Counties Lacking Records for Common Genera. Let’s Fill the Gaps!
Recently I was looking at species of Rosa in the New York Flora Atlas. When I looked at the genus I noticed that the genus map had Cortland County as the only county without a record of any species of Rosa. That made me curious to find out if any other common genera...
Want to Know More about Pollinators? There’s a Website for That.
The Pollinator Partnership is a fascinating website that deals with the role of pollinators. The Pollinator Partnership’s mission is to protect pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research. Signature initiatives include...
Amaze Your Friends With The Meaning of Scientific Plant Names!
If you have ever sought the meaning behind the scientific name of a plant there is an easy website to use called Botanary (botanical dictionary) to look them up. It's part of the gardening site "Dave's Garden". Keep it handy on your smartphone to use when guiding...
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