Upcoming Events

Current list of Presentation Topics and Descriptions

Introduction to Native Plants - Habitat loss from destruction, fragmentation and degradation is a threat the native flora and fauna.  Gardeners in urban, suburban and rural residential communities are uniquely suited to providing pockets of biodiversity to provide long term environmental sustainability.  Native varietals of plants, bushes and trees -locally sourced – provides the best chances for success. 

What it Means to be a Native Gardener - One common question people ask is “I want to do more but I don’t know where to begin.”  This presentation will begin to address this question.  What do you think about and where do you begin whether you live in a rural, suburban, or urban community, the values and approaches are the same for each person, but the answers may take the gardener to a different place.  To be a native gardener means incorporating key elements into their garden design – garden designs based upon keystone species, learning to do no harm (or less harm), and understanding native gardening is one part of a holistic viewpoint.

Gardening in the Shade – Shade gardening can be challenging whether dry or wet.  Native plants, local to our area, are great alternatives to traditional nursery plants and can benefit the environment.  Understanding natives that thrive in the shade can aid in selecting the best native plants for the job.

Landscape Solutions with Native Plants – The effects of climate instability has presented new challenges for homeowners.  Wetter summers, drier springs, extreme temperature swings have all impacted landowners.  The right native plant or plants can help mitigate some of these challenges and thrive. 

Sustainable Container Gardening – Gardening is a wonderful hobby, but popular potting mixes have sustainability problems.  Peat moss, vermiculite and perlite are finite.  Finding renewable resources and sustainable practices can help those finite resources become more sustainable. *New 

How to Create a Bird Paradise – Invasive species such as Garlic Mustard, Lesser celandine. Japanese Knotweed, Common Reed, Eurasian Honeysuckle, and more have overtaken WNY.  What can you do?  We will discuss various ways to attack invasive plants and what native plants to grow to provide the most good for birds and pollinators. *New

Not Just a Pretty Face (Medicinal Native Plants) - Medicinal Value of Native Plants: Native plants, trees and bushes are critical to ecological resiliency and biodiversity. Native plants have an additional value as they have been used medicinally by indigenous populations for centuries. This presentation will discuss medicinal natives and their many uses while also touching upon some important herbs that can be grown in container gardens or sunny borders. Many of these medicinal plants are important food sources for pollinators and critical to the environment. The information provided in this presentation is for educational purposes only and not intended to provide information to treat or diagnose any particular medical problem.

Historical uses for Indigenous Plants - Indigenous plants, trees and bushes are critical to ecological resiliency and biodiversity. Historically, plants have an additional value as they have been used for a wide variety of ways to support indigenous populations for centuries. This presentation will discuss some of those plants and their many historical uses while also touching upon some important herbs.  Many of these plants are also important food sources or host plants for pollinators and critical to the environment. The information provided in this presentation is for educational purposes only.

Winter Sowing and Native Plants – Winter sowing is an effective way to grow native plants, annuals and vegetable seeds using recycled milk jugs.  Winter sowing traditionally starts on the Winter Solstice and is a great way to extend the growing season and grow your own food.

Monarchs & Milkweeds: Specialized Relationships in the Natural World – Specialized relationships move the natural along.  Monarchs need milkweed to live out their life cycle and become the pollinator we need them to be.  Understanding these specialized relationships are critical to knowing what native plants (keystone species and connective species) provide the most support for the vast majority of insects, pollinators and birds.

Monarchs and Milkweeds: Specialized Relationships in the Natural World (*appropriate for young children) - based upon the pussytoes project) - Most people know that monarchs need milkweed to survive but the natural world is full of specialized relationships.  Hackberry butterflies need Hackberry trees, American Lady butterflies need pussytoes, and Spicebush butterflies need Spicebushes.  Understanding these relationships can help us better understand how to help pollinators, specifically, and the environment as a whole. 

Bad Boy Plants and the Insects that Love them - The natural world is build upon specialized relationships. Native plants need birds, insects and butterflies to spread their seed, protect their young and provide the essentials of life. These specialized relationships explain why biodiversity is critical for reliance in an ecosystem facing a changing climate

Introduction to Permaculture & Native Plant Communities – permaculture essentially means permanent agriculture.  The pandemic demonstrated how easily food supply chains can break down.  Growing a food forest and investing in perennials, bushes or trees that provide food for you as well as the natural world can help support the environment while feeding your family.

The Gardens at Murder Creek: Restoration and Biodiversity - The restoration efforts at our gardens (Gardens at Murder Creek) focus on restoring of the Great Lakes ecosystem on just under 10 acres.  The property, a former horse pasture, was purchased in 2008 and restoration efforts in 2010.  Our mission included the removal of invasive exotics, increased biodiversity of Great Lakes native plants, and stabilized the banks of our seasonally flooded creek bed.  So far our efforts have transformed the landscape and we have begun cataloging the results of our efforts in terms of insects, birds, and mammals.  More work is needed but restoration takes time.   Our primary goal has always been to demonstrate what restoring native plants would mean to the community.