New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

gardening

New York’s Incredible Climbing Vines

by 2 Comments

Wild cucumber vineIn the dim light of a floodplain forest along a river, thick ropes of grapevine with shaggy bark hang from tree branches and the hairy stems of poison ivy wrap around tree trunks. These woody vines are impressive climbers, an ability that enables them to reach sunlight with a minimum investment of energy.

Vines are plants with a growth habit of trailing or climbing stems. By using a tree as a support, they don’t need to expend energy to develop supportive tissue. [Read more…] about New York’s Incredible Climbing Vines

Caring for Backyard Birds in Summer

by Leave a Comment

Photo of American Goldfinch by Heather Aronica provided by DECDo you enjoy feeding birds? Having a bird feeder in your backyard can bring you closer to the birds in your community.  In winter, you can supplement natural food sources and give birds an extra boost of energy to make it through the cold months.

For the warm summer months, the NYS Department of Conservation (DEC) is passing along a few tips to benefit the birds in your backyard: [Read more…] about Caring for Backyard Birds in Summer

Jewelweed: A Hummingbird Favorite

by 2 Comments

jewelweed and hummingbirdBy midsummer, the deck in our backyard is lined with a profusion of tall orange flowers. Each flower is shaped like a small funnel with a curved spur and hangs from a slender arched stem.

Hummingbirds zip back and forth, hovering in front of the flowers and probing them with their long beaks to sip nectar. [Read more…] about Jewelweed: A Hummingbird Favorite

Birds Preying on Stinging Insects: A Meal Worth the Sting?

by 1 Comment

gray catbird preying on a bumblebee stinging insectOne predator-prey interaction always leaves me torn. Birds sparked my love for the natural world years ago, but after my interest lapsed during adolescence, bees brought me back into the fold.

So I found myself split between two allegiances the first time I watched a bird, in this case, a gray catbird, swoop into the garden and snatch a bumblebee on the wing. [Read more…] about Birds Preying on Stinging Insects: A Meal Worth the Sting?

A New Native Species Selection Tool

by Leave a Comment

Species Selection Tool Ecological Restoration in New YorkAre you looking for recommendations of native plants and trees to plant on your specific site? DEC and the New York Natural Heritage Program recently released a Species Selection Tool that provides a list of recommended native tree, shrub, and herbaceous plant species, including flowering species, ferns and herbs, to improve habitats, increase biodiversity, and benefit wildlife across New York State. [Read more…] about A New Native Species Selection Tool

2026 Spongy Moth Outbreak Outlook for New York State

by Leave a Comment

Aerial view of the Hudson Valley in 2022 showing areas of defoliation from spongy moth caterpillars (large brownish patches where trees are missing leaves)The spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) is a non-native insect from Europe. In New York, spongy moth caterpillars feed on a variety of trees, with oak as their preferred species.

Spongy moths have naturalized in our forested communities, which means they are always present in New York in some capacity. In recent years, spongy moth populations have experienced a boom throughout the Northeastern U.S. [Read more…] about 2026 Spongy Moth Outbreak Outlook for New York State

Wild Oats: A Bashful Spring Bellwort

by Leave a Comment

Wild Oats sessile leaved bellwortOn a recent walk through a woodland strewn with underfoot color, my rapt gaze floated, like a bumblebee queen on her first foray after winter, from trout lilies to trilliums to spring beauties, all blooming across the forest floor and exulting in the sun shining through the leafless canopy.

Standing out is hard among such a flashy crowd, especially for one particularly understated spring ephemeral: sessile-leaved bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia), known more commonly as wild oats. [Read more…] about Wild Oats: A Bashful Spring Bellwort

The Dirt on Composting Podcast Highlights New York State

by Leave a Comment

DEC Does What PodcastThe latest New York State Department of Environmental Conservation DEC Does What?! podcast, “The Dirt on Composting,” spotlights the work of DEC’s organics reduction and recycling staff who oversees statewide food scraps and yard waste management and composting efforts. [Read more…] about The Dirt on Composting Podcast Highlights New York State

Be Prepared for Spring Black Bear Visitors

by Leave a Comment

Hungry bear courtesy DECIn the 1950s, black bears only occupied the most remote and mountainous regions of New York, such as the Adirondacks, Catskills, and Allegheny mountains. Over the past 70 years, bears gradually expanded their range and now occupy most areas of the state except Long Island and New York City.

After hibernating through a long winter, these now groggy black bears are beginning to venture out of their dens, stretch their legs, and look for their first meals of spring. For people living or visiting bear country, March is a time to become bear aware. [Read more…] about Be Prepared for Spring Black Bear Visitors

Pollinator Conservation Grants for Disadvantaged Communities

by Leave a Comment

A bumble bee on a flower (pollinator)A New York Natural Heritage Program survey from 2017 to 2021 found that at least 40 percent – and as much as 60 percent of pollinator species native to New York, including bees and butterflies –  are at risk of disappearing from the state.

These losses are largely driven by habitat destruction, overuse of pesticides, and climate change.

The New York Community Trust and the Office of the New York State Attorney General have announced 2026 grants from the New York Pollinator Conservation Fund, supporting pollinator conservation efforts in disadvantaged communities across New York State. [Read more…] about Pollinator Conservation Grants for Disadvantaged Communities

OSI Supports Hudson Valley Environmental Programs

by Leave a Comment

Cherry Tomatoes with Land-to-learnThe Open Space Institute (OSI) has announced the 2026 recipients of its Malcolm Gordon Fund Awards, an initiative supporting environmental education programs, experiences that connect people to the land, and efforts to inspire the next generation of nature lovers in New York’s Hudson Valley.

For its 32nd annual round, awards were given to programs including a gardening tool-lending library in Rosendale, free guided river exploration for young people and families in Newburgh, and more. [Read more…] about OSI Supports Hudson Valley Environmental Programs

Pickled City: The Story of New York Pickles

by Leave a Comment

Pickled City - pickle history bookThe Pickled City: The Story of New York Pickles (Princeton Architectural Press, 2026) by Paul van Ravestein and Monique Mulder, with a foreward by Sandor Ellix Katz, takes a deep dive into the history of the iconic brined cucumber by tracing the pickle’s journey from ancient Mesopotamia to Eastern Europe to Manhattan’s Lower East Side, unearthing a hidden world of family stories and economic contributions that helped shape New York’s cultural, culinary, and literal foundations.

With a wealth of photographs, historical images, documents, illustrations, advertisements, and more, this unique food biography includes a brief history of the pickle from 2400 BCE to 2026. [Read more…] about Pickled City: The Story of New York Pickles

Pineapple Mania & Manhattan Architecture

by 2 Comments

An unripened pineapple on its parent plantPineapples originate from the Orinoco River basin from where indigenous peoples spread specimens across parts of South America and towards the Caribbean and Bahamas. The early history of pineapple cultivation was a European, post-Columbus affair. The American passion for pineapple evolved from the eighteenth century when colonists began importing the fruit from the Caribbean.

Rare and restricted to the elite for some time, imports increased rapidly and the fruit became widely available. Such was its popularity that the pineapple became a feature of America’s cultural identity.

Flavor memories linger to this day (in craft beers for example), despite Donald Trump’s sworn deposition (October 2022) in which he labeled the fruit (as well as tomatoes and bananas) “dangerous stuff,” expressing anxiety that the pineapple had been weaponized by protesters. [Read more…] about Pineapple Mania & Manhattan Architecture

Bundling Up: Soil Microbes in Winter

by 1 Comment

snow pack snowy fieldLike any good animal, we sense the change of seasons through a hundred subtle clues. Leaves change and shed, becoming crispy piles underfoot. Geese cross the bright sky. Other signs of winter are harder to define: the morning chill deepens its bite, the afternoon light becomes pale.

Although we may be aware that other creatures are preparing for the cold, building their nutritious stockpiles and cozy dens, few of us think about the ground beneath our feet. Yet here as well a whole world is getting ready for winter. [Read more…] about Bundling Up: Soil Microbes in Winter

Coyotes Prepare for Winter

by 1 Comment

coyote by Adelaide TyrolMy husband and I once planted 128 fruit trees on a hillside, mostly apples, but the back few rows included stone fruits.

Our apples began producing with gusto after only a few years. We made gallons of cider and sold bushels of heirloom apples. But the plums have required patience. Their blossoms are so delicate and our springs so unpredictable that after eight years, there were still varieties we had yet to taste. [Read more…] about Coyotes Prepare for Winter

Maple Decline: Reviewing the Various Factors

by Leave a Comment

Sugar Maple courtesy Wikimedia user Bruce MarlinMaple decline affects primarily sugar maple (Acer saccharum), Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and red maple (Acer rubrum) in the Northeast. The problem is not a new one; stag-headed maples were described as early as 1917 in Massachusetts.

At that time, die-back was attributed mainly to drought and to the poor conditions for tree growth afforded by the urban environment. However, reports of the incidence and severity of maple decline have increased markedly in recent decades and now include trees in urban, sugar-bush, and forest environments. [Read more…] about Maple Decline: Reviewing the Various Factors

Sumac Galls & Aphids: An Ancient Association

by Leave a Comment

galls on staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)The staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) is a ubiquitous shrub of human-impacted northeastern habitats. Sumac stands occur along most highways and county roads, as well as in disturbed areas and abandoned fields transitioning to shrubland.

With the onset of late summer’s cooler nighttime temperatures and shorter days, staghorn sumacs are among the first leafy plants to lose chlorophyll from their cells. The breakdown of this pigment triggers the transition from green foliage to yellow, orange, and red, often starting as early as mid-August. After a striking autumnal display, their rich red to burgundy-colored fruit clusters remain all winter. [Read more…] about Sumac Galls & Aphids: An Ancient Association

Invasive Laurel Wilt Confirmed on Long Island

by Leave a Comment

A sassafras tree with dead leaves affected by laurel wilt (photo courtesy of Abby Marino, Long Island Invasive Species Management Area)Laurel wilt, an invasive fungal disease that affects sassafras and spicebush, was detected on Long Island this summer, marking the first discovery of the deadly plant disease in New York State.

Originating in Asia and first identified in the United States in Georgia in 2002, the disease is now present in multiple southeastern states, with the northernmost cases prior to the New York find occurring in Kentucky and Virginia. [Read more…] about Invasive Laurel Wilt Confirmed on Long Island

Turtlehead Tests Bumblebee Mettle

by 1 Comment

turtleheadAmong the blooming perennials of late summer is one that guards its secrets closely. The lock-box blossoms of white turtlehead (Chelone glabra), a native plant in the plantain family, are an ideal match for the powerhouses of the pollinator world: Bombus (bumblebee) species.

Turtlehead is found along waterways and other wet areas. As the plant’s name suggests, turtlehead’s flowers resemble the crania of their namesake critter. This resemblance is so strong that the genus name, Chelone, comes from the Greek for “tortoise.” [Read more…] about Turtlehead Tests Bumblebee Mettle

We Need Your Help Now More Than Ever

New York Almanack receives no public funds.

It’s supported only by readers like you.

Please give today (a monthly recurring gift is best)

PayPal

Venmo

Patreon

Buy Me A Cup of Coffee

CashApp

Use your bank’s “bill pay” option (or just send a check)

Thanks for your support! These are difficult times. Without your support we cannot publish the Almanack.

*Donations are not tax deductible.

(Click the X in the top right corner this box to not see this message again for 7 days).