Spicebush Swallowtail Native Plants

10/13/2026

In 2025 large colonies of invasive shrubs such as Autumn Olive, Multiflora Rose and Privet were removed from an old farm field at DeBlase Green Space. In April of 2025, community volunteers helped plant shrubs with nutritious berries for birds. That first session we also attempted to seed and spot smother mugwort. That session combined with the towns strategic brush hog schedule, helped to greatly reduce the mugwort. We plan to seed the meadow with site appropriate native perennials on Sat 11/7. These community restorations are fun and fruitful !

10/10/2026

What’s happening in the fall garden ?

10/07/2026

Found this cutie wooly bear today in the nursery . According to the chart (said to have originated with Charles Howard Curran in 1948) - I’m thinking we will have a mild to moderate winter! This also lines up with the more standard prediction models.

10/06/2026

Excited to offer Gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) in the spring - getting it ready for winter slumber during which time it will develop robust roots! This is a great one for restoration projects !

10/03/2026

Tomorrow is our last day of the season at the Brighton farmers market! Hope to see uou there.

10/03/2026

09/30/2026

Please do not plant European Sweet Woodruff ! It is not on the prohibited /regulated list in NYS yet (it should be) but it’s a real trouble maker. Around Irondequoit Creek we often see rare plant communities - the slopes, sandy soil and flood plain environment has protected them. This yard ornamental for shade greatly threatens these plants some they are specialized host plants. There are many native shade ground covers that will offer wild life benefit and not takeover rare plant communities. Here it is entangled with the plants that need preserving and very hard to remove. The process is painstakingly slow and precarious. Today I see it spreading in multiple areas through the park. If you have this plant please consider pulling it out. If you are in Pittsford I will offer you free native shade ground cover ! Get in touch.

09/29/2026

This Sunday is our last day of the season at Brighton Farmers' Market ! We sincerely thank you for a great season.

We will have potted plants for fall planting and we will also have garden kits. Kits must be preordered by Sat at noon. The kits are extra easy to plant at the time of year and intended to be spaced 1 foot on center. Each plant in the kit is 1$ off - for a savings of 12$ for each kit. Scroll to see options and send us a quick email through site (link in bio).

# raingarden

09/26/2026

Always a blessing from the universe to find these beautiful caterpillars ! Especially so late in the season. This one is huge and unlike the monarch - they stay right here in diapause in a cocoon usually attached to a woody stem or right around it ! I’ll be watching this one and making sure it’s in a safe spot through the winter.

09/26/2026

Scroll to hear many of the plants I’ll have tomo !