Tibicen canicularis, Dog-Day Cicada, in my backyard last fall.
So, we never got any Brood XIV Magicicada this year, but I just heard my first dog-day cicada of the summer.
I’ll be looking for their exit holes in the ground, and the husks they leave behind from their metamorphosis.
A Weekend in the Garden, October 8, 2007
This weekend Flatbush residents have two more opportunities to weed, clean up, and mulch tree pits along Cortelyou Road:
One of the tree pits on Cortelyou Road between Rugby and Marlborough, across the street from the Food Co-op, June 28, 2008. The weeds were as high as the parking meter then. They’re even higher now.
We will be there both mornings from 9am to 12noon or when that block is weeded, whichever comes first. No gardening experience necessary! We will show you what to do.
Bring your own drinking water, sunscreen, and gloves and be ready to get dirty.
Thanks to Flatbush Development Corporation for buying mulch for the tree pits! And many thanks to my neighbor, Tracey Hohman, for jump-starting this cleanup!
Update 2010.01.03: Removed all links to the old Gowanus Lounge domain, which has since been appropriated by some parasitic commercial site.
Flatbush Raccoon, June 26, 2008
Last week, I was interviewed by reporter Ann Farmer for the New York Times about my experiences with raccoons. The article is published in today’s Times:
Raccoons have long been widespread in New York City, and there is no way to say with any statistical certainty whether there are more now. But Capt. Richard Simon of the Urban Park Rangers, which is part of the city’s Parks Department, said a rise in the number of 311 callers reporting sightings, encounters or interactions suggests that “the citywide population of raccoons has increased.”
One thing seems clear. In the leafy neighborhoods surrounding Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery, residents have been flooding the Internet with raccoon stories.
– The City’s Latest Real Estate Fight: Humans Against Raccoons, Ann Farmer, New York Times, July 8, 2008
That pesky Internet! Ms. Farmer cites the Brooklyn blogosphere as one source for the reports:
Chris Kreussling, a computer programmer who lives just south of Prospect Park in Flatbush, posted pictures on his Flatbush Gardener blog recently of several raccoons in his backyard. It elicited a quick round of similar testimonies.
Another Brooklyn blog, the Gowanus Lounge, chronicled multiple raccoon sightings in recent days (link defunct) in Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Windsor Terrace and Red Hook.
When contacted, many bloggers recalled raccoons rooting around in gardens and compost piles, traipsing into children’s wading pools and sometimes rearing up on their hind legs when startled. Many expressed awe at seeing the nocturnal mammals so close.
“People need access to wildlife in urban areas,” Mr. Kreussling said. “I consider it a bonus.”
That last quote is a reference to biophilia, literally “love of life or living systems.” I think the way I expressed it in the interview was something like: People need nature around them.
Ms. Farmer also interviewed several of my neighbors. Check out Nelson Ryland’s cautionary tale of the hazards of cat doors!
Thanks to my neighbor Brenda of Crazy Stable and Prospect: A Year in the Park for putting Ms. Farmer on the trail!
Rabies in NYC: Facts and Figures
Summer Nights, June 26, 2008
Raccoons
The City’s Latest Real Estate Fight: Humans Against Raccoons, Ann Farmer, New York Times, July 8, 2008
Hemerocallis, Daylily, June 21, 2008
Just some quick photos of plants recently or currently blooming in my garden. The first few were taken two weeks aga.
I’ve changed my feedburner feed to remove the merged feed of photos from my Flickr site. I sometimes upload scores or hundreds of photos at a time. Also, often those photos are of events that are of more local community and less general gardening interest. For both these reasons, I think that including my photos interferes with the main use of the feed: subscribing to updates to this blog.
Those of you who want to keep tabs on my updated photos can still do so. My Flickr photostream has its own feed, available in either RSS or Atom format. You can subscribe to my photos directly from there.
I don’t “collect” daylilies, at least not the way I try to collect Hosta or native plants. We inherited a few with the gardens when we bought the house. For that reason, I consider them to be “passalong” plants: dependable, sturdy, hardy, tolerant of neglect, vigorous, and so on. I gave away several clumps this Spring. I’ll have more to give away over time.
Hemerocallis, Daylily, June 21, 2008
Ascelpias incarnata, Swamp Milkweed, June 21, 2008
Echinacea pallida, Pale Coneflower, June 21, 2008. This photo was used to illustrate “Coneflowers: America’s Prairie Treasures”, by Barbara Perry Lawton, in the Summer 2009 edition of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s “Plants & Gardens News.” 
In this short section of the shady path on the north side of the house, I have my two big-leaved monsters: Rodgersia pinnata, on the right, and Kirengeshoma palmata, on the left. The Rodgersia has a lot of drought damage from our heat wave a few weeks ago, but it’s off-frame of this photo. I’m keeping a close watch on the Kirengeshoma, as it also crisps up at the slightest hint of drought. There are buds on it now, which mature very slowly into waxy yellow bells. It benefits here from its location next to my neighbor’s mixed border, which gets watered by soaker hose.
Both of these plants are several years old, possibly even a decade. I’ve lost track of when I purchased them. They’re slow-growing, but continue to increase in size every year, despite never being divided in all that time. They are well worth the wait.
I used to keep the Kirengeshoma in a large container, which I could never water enough. It’s much happier in the ground. Both of these plants would prefer constant moisture. I have long-term plans to build a rain garden in the shady part of the front yard. When the time comes, both of these plants will be very happy there.
Nestled between them in the foreground is a small, yellow-leaved, purple-flowering Hosta. I’ve lost the id for this. I think it might be ‘Little Aurora.’ Any Hosta aficionados out there who can weigh in on what this might be?
Last to share with you today is the Heirloom Canna ‘Mme. Paul Caseneuve’ blooming in a large, glazed container in the front yard. This is the same specimen that I grew for the first time last year. I overwintered it in the same container in an unheated, but enclosed, section of the front porch. I’m surprised it came back.
It doesn’t look as pink as I remember it from last year. The color is more apricot/salmony this year. At least it’s got the same bronze foliage.
Heirloom Canna “Mme. Paul Caseneuve”, August 17, 2007
The Shady Path (Flickr photo set)
Before: Weeding Cortelyou
This morning I joined about a dozen neighbors to weed, clean up, and mulch the tree pits on Cortelyou Road between Argyle and Rugby Roads. Many hands made light work of the 15 tree pits on the north and south sides of this one block. We got them all done in about 2-1/2 hours.
They look great. If you visit the Greenmarket tomorrow, or visit the block during the week, take a look and thank your neighbors. Thanks to Tracey Hohman for organizing this. And thanks to Flatbush Development Corporation for buying mulch for the tree pits!
After: Cortelyou Weeded
Weeded and mulched tree pit
We could only do this one block. There’s more to be done. If you’re available to help out on upcoming weekends, please let us know by responding to the poll in the upper-right of the sidebar, or email me at the address in my profile.
Flatbush Development Corporation
Invasive and Noxious Weeds of the Northeast, USDA PLANTS Database
From Stacey McCarthy, market manager:
This Sunday, July 6, at the Cortelyou Road Farmers Market, come by the information table to enter the FREE RAFFLE of Greenmarket goodies donated by our market’s farmers. Presented in a stylish Greenmarket tote bag, the raffle items will be available to pick up next Sunday, July 13.
This week promises to be a full house with the arrival of VICTOR PAVIA of El Mirador Farms. Victor tells me he will have a good selection of lettuce, herbs, summer squash and SQUASH BLOSSOMS. Victor, like Jorge Carmona of Amantai Farms, is part of the New Farmer Development Program, which “identifies, educates, and supports immigrants with agricultural experience by helping them become local farmers and establish small farms in the region.” Pick up a program fact sheet at the information table to learn more about the program that trains the next generation of our regions farmers.
Farmers in July 6:
Probably (!) coming on July 6: Knoll Crest Farm, Hyde Park, NY — Eggs, chickens, and pasta
COMING SOON … sometime in July: Valley Shepherd, Long Valley, New Jersey — artisanal cave aged cheeses, plus yogurt
On Saturday, July 12 and 26, visit Community Gardens in Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Prospect Heights. On both guided tours, you can join us for a 10am breakfast at the Pacific Street Bear’s Garden on Flatbush Ave, then walk, bike, or drive the routes below. More info: 718-636-4273.
Special thanks to the Brooklyn Community Gardeners’ Coalition, GreenThumb, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s GreenBridge.
Look for more “GWE” Tours coming up this fall in Bed Stuy and East NY, once again sponsored by the new (and still forming) Brooklyn Community Gardeners’ Coalition. There’ll also be a bike tour in August sponsored by the Brooklyn Queens Land Trust! Lots of opportunities to see Brooklyn’s beautiful gardens!
Brooklyn Bears Community Garden, February 13, 2008
New York City will pay $5,000,000 to settle violations from delays in upgrades to sewer and stormwater systems. Three of the four sites to benefit directly from the settlement are in or adjacent to Brooklyn: Gowanus Canal, Coney Island Creek, and Jamaica Bay.
New York City has agreed to pay a $1 million fine and fund $4 million worth of environmental-benefit projects to settle violations related to delays in making sewer-system and stormwater-system upgrades to prevent overflows into waterways. The violations stem from the city’s failure to make improvements in accordance with a schedule outlined in a 2005 consent order. Under this settlement, the city has agreed to a new timeline for completing those construction projects and will make further upgrades to both its sewer and stormwater systems.
– Settlement Paves Way for Sewer/Stormwater Upgrades and Green Infrastructure in NYC, July 2008, Environment DEC
The issue centered around New York City’s obligation to improve mechanical structures, foundations, substructures, pumping stations and other infrastructure-related systems. The projects are designed to improve the capacity of the city’s wastewater and stormwater systems. During heavy rainfall in New York City and other municipalities, runoff can exceed the capacity of the sewer system, triggering what’s known as “combined sewer overflows.” [Just as attractive as it sounds.] Infrastructure upgrades can diminish the chances of overflows.
The environmental benefit projects will be concentrated in the Bronx River, Flushing Bay, Coney Island Creek and Gowanus Canal watersheds and will assess the use of various green infrastructure to be installed for sewer-overflow and stormwater abatement. Some of the types of projects that will be considered include enhanced tree pits with underground water storage, rain gardens, green roofs, bio-retention basins and swales, porous pavement and blue roofs. Collectively, these projects are intended to reduce the volume of stormwater that enters the sewer system, thereby limiting overflows. These projects, administered through the state Environmental Facilities Corp., will include extensive community input and involvement.
Lots of activities in Parks all over Brooklyn this weekend:
Update 7/7: See Cortelyou Weeded (Partly)Update 7/1: Please fill out the survey at the top of the sidebar to let us know if you’re able to help weed this Saturday. Several folks have indicated that Saturday’s not good for them, so if another date would work, please let us know that, too.
A tree pit on Cortelyou Road needin’ weedin’. Note that the weeds are as high as the parking meter.Next Saturday morning, July 5th, starting at 9am, join Flatbush residents, gardening and non-gardening alike, to help weed and clean up the tree pits along Cortelyou Road between Coney Island Avenue and East 16th Street.
Tired of looking at all the weeds in our beautiful new tree pits? Come and help us weed Cortelyou! Meet at the Cortelyou Library at the corner of Argyle Road on Cortelyou, on Saturday, July 5th at 9am. We will be there all morning. No gardening experience necessary! We will show you what to do.Bring your own drinking water, sunscreen, and gloves and be ready to get dirty.
Thanks to Flatbush Development Corporation for buying mulch for the tree pits! And many thanks to my neighbor, Tracey Hohman, for jump-starting this cleanup!Neighbor Stacey Bell planting Daffodils in Fall of 2007.
If you have any questions, you can contact Tracey by email at thohman [at] verizon {dot} net, or contact me through the email in my profile, available in the sidebar.
Cortelyou Weeded, July 6, 2008Cortelyou Road
Flatbush Development CorporationInvasive and Noxious Weeds of the Northeast, USDA PLANTS Database