Talk

In David Werier's 2017 book, Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of New York State, he presents an annotated list of all the vascular plants that occur outside of cultivation in the state of New York. Essentially this means that any plant, other than bryophytes, that can be found growing in the wild are included in the book. This base line information is critical for understanding the biodiversity of the state as well as the conservation of that biodiversity.

 In New York, parasitic plants are represented by 5 families, 21 genera and 40 species.  Although small in number, these plants show a range of morphologies and trophic modes including annuals and perennials, hemiparasites and holoparasites, and stem and root parasites.  This talk will provide an introduction to parasitic plants, highlighting their fascinating biology, while at the same demonstrating their beauty as natural components of New York plant communities.

Celebrate the Winter Solstice with the Finger Lakes Native Plant Society!

Join the Finger Lakes Native Plant Society to learn about propagation protocols used to successfully grow common species of native plants in Central New York. Krissy will talk specifically about seed collection, cleaning, and stratifying, compiling all of the methods she uses for successful propagation of these plants. There will be time for discussion and questions.

Truly undisturbed forests are incredibly rare on our landscape today, but old-growth trees and ecosystems in a broader sense are more common than many would think- often in unexpected places. Attendees will learn about the kinds of settings where old-growth trees are often found, the physical characteristics by which they can be recognized, and the plants, animals, and other living things that are often found in their company. Examples discussed will be specific to the Western New York region.

In this talk, Dr. Hajek will cover the general biology and ecology of Lymantria dispar worldwide and specifically in the Finger Lakes. She will talk about the natural enemies that kill the larvae and eggs. In particular, she will describe the fungal and viral pathogens of L. dispar and will describe the results from her 21-year-long sampling of gypsy moth larvae in Yellow Barn State Forest. She will end with talking about how and why the latest outbreak is thought to have occurred as well as her own predictions regarding L. dispar populations in 2022.

Every year Steve Young collaborates with professionals around New York State to determine state rankings for rare, threatened and endangered species. One of the lesser-known lists that he compiles is the Rare Plant Watch List.

 Ferns are amongst the most ancient, diverse, and widely dispersed plants on Earth. These frondly plants can walk, swim, globetrot, and even clone themselves! This talk will use the ongoing conservation efforts for the rare and threatened American hart’s-tongue fern as a backdrop to explore the intricacies of fern biology, evolution, propagation, and conservation techniques.    

Join us for a virtual winter solstice celebration featuring native plant quizzes, short presentations, demonstration videos, and more! Shorter Days, Shorter Talks Presentations: ҉ Getting Closer (and without masks!) – Rick Lightbody ҉ Natural Dyeing with Foraged Plants – Carlin Wakefield ҉ Seed Heads (A Quiz) – Krissy Boys ҉ Botanical Musical Interlude – Adrianna Hirtler ҉ Wild Orchids – Robert Wesley ҉ Seed Cleaning (A Video) – David Rutherford ҉ Ferns in Spring (A Quiz) – Audrey Bowe