As 15 inches or more of snow blanketed the area early this week, residents made the most of the winter wonderland. We asked readers to send us…
It was Roman philosopher and statesman, Marcus Tullius Cicero, who said, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
The Herb Garden at John Jay Homestead in Katonah is one of the area’s lesser-known treasures. It was established by the New York Unit of the Herb Society of America, a nationwide group originally founded in 1933 and dedicated to promoting the knowledge, use and delight of herbs through educa…
If you have a smartphone and are a member of the Bedford Riding Lanes Association, there will now be no excuse for getting lost on any of the 100 miles of BRLA trails.
Building on heightened desires to explore the outdoors, no doubt as a result of COVID-induced claustrophobia, the Westchester Land Trust is opening a newly established 3-acre arboretum adjacent to its existing 125-acre Westchester Wilderness Walk/Zofnass Family Preserve in Pound Ridge.
Believe it or not, there may be a way to make Pound Ridge even more beautiful. Such is the ongoing mission of Carolynn Sears, outgoing chair of the Conservation Board. As she prepares to step aside from the chairmanship at year’s end, Ms. Sears has already begun laying the foundation for her…
The tree canopy of Pound Ridge will continue to expand this Arbor Day, thanks to a Tree City USA grant awarded to the town by the New York State Urban Forestry Council.
Over 100 horses and riders came out last Sunday, Sept. 6, to participate in the BRLA Hunter Pace, a semi-annual event and mainstay of the equestrian community that supports the Bedford Riding Lanes Association. In addition, over 50 runners competed in the inaugural BRLA 10K trail race.
On Sunday, Sept. 13, dozens of Westchester gardens will be open to the public to demonstrate how homeowners and land managers can support pollinators and encourage biodiversity in our own backyards.
Interns for the Pound Ridge Land Conservancy shared the work they completed on the town’s preserves over the summer during a virtual presentation held via Zoom last week. Although it was an unusual season due to COVID-19, Land Steward Andrew Morgan said interns Jacob Adams, Andrew Miller and…
A mix of newcomers and seasoned experts came together virtually for a webinar hosted Aug. 13 to share their excitement and curiosity about meadowing their lawns.
I know that I’m not the only one to be focusing more on the natural world during these strange pandemic times. There are less distractions, of course, but also the comfort of all those plants and animals going about their business, unaffected by this virus. Nature will do just fine without u…
The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted supply chains and left some farmers reeling, but there is one sector of the industry that continues to flourish — community supported agriculture, or CSAs.
If there were a title for “master monarch butterfly whisperer,” University of Connecticut’s Alice Ely would have already taken the prize. In addition to being an advanced master gardener, UConn Master Composter 2018, and gardens chair at Westport’s Wakeman Town Farm, Ms. Ely is also the crea…
The Westchester Land Trust has accepted a conservation easement on Pound Ridge Land Conservancy’s Olesen Preserve, according to a statement released by the organization this week. The move helps ensure that the environmentally sensitive property will be preserved in perpetuity.
At a meeting on Thursday, June 11, the Three Lakes Council Board made the decision to close Long Pond Preserve, located on the west end of Lake Waccabuc on Mead Street, to all visitors until further notice.
In the northeast we are fortunate to have our forests growing older. As forests age, soils become more complex, topography more undulating, species composition more diverse, and the layering of the forest more apparent — herbaceous, understory and overstory habitats more defined. One indicat…
The influx of people on local preserves is no surprise to Pound Ridge resident Sansan Harashima, who understands the notion of turning to nature for solace and comfort during crisis quite well.
Nature enthusiasts around the world were busy bees the last weekend of April, participating in the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge to document biodiversity in their communities.
Often I write about my successes as a naturalist. There was my time in Tasmania, for instance, when I got up before dawn, staked out a platypus and actually saw one. I’ve sat in a blind, and witnessed and photographed the drumming of ruffed grouse. I also recounted the memorable day during m…
As the weeks of mandatory social distancing and self-isolation turn to months, people are
Now is an ideal time to prune trees and shrubs, while they are still dormant. Bare branches let you easily see what cuts to make.
Long ago, on a particular day when John F. Kennedy was president of the United States and I was a little boy, my mother took me to the doctor’s office. There I was encouraged to swallow what I remember to be a thimble-sized cup of sweet yellow or orange fluid. It was a polio vaccine, made fr…
The New York New Jersey Trail Conference recognized George Scott at their Volunteer Appreciation Event on March 8 at the New Jersey Botanical Gardens. He received the organization’s Dedicated Service Award, along with nine others, which honors volunteers who demonstrate exemplary service to…
The Hudson Valley is known for its lush vegetation and impressive forestry, but local environmentalists are becoming increasingly concerned this distinguishing feature might literally die away. That’s because our trees, all while producing oxygen and food and providing shade, are battling ag…
The coming of spring brings Westmoreland Sanctuary’s annual SugarFest. Now in its 15th year, the festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15.
If you’re going to buy just one tool for pruning, make it a pair of hand-held pruning shears. This is the tool you’ll use for pruning roses and for the majority of cuts on fruit plants, houseplants, and young ornamental trees and bushes.
Whether you call these birds woodpeckers, as I do, or peckerwoods, as some of my neighbors in Mississippi did when I worked as a park ranger at Gulf Islands National Seashore, they peck wood for their livings, each species in a distinctive way. There’s the yellow-bellied sapsucker, for examp…
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