Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley

Latest Episodes:

Episode Nine: Perennials Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

Get ready for planting season with a informative and wide-ranging discussion about perennial plants with Joe Behn from Behn's Best Perennials. Learn about the wide range of options available to add color and interest to your landscape. Monarda and Japanese Stiltgrass are the focus of the Good Plant/Bad Plant segment with Tim Kennelty. And Wooly Bears are the star of Hits and Myths with Devon Russ.

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Guest: Joseph Behn

Resources and Transcript

Episode Eight: Maple Syrup Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

Join us in an informative conversation with Tracey Testo from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia of Greene Counties. She discusses the history of maple syrup in New York as well as how you can tap trees to make your own. Then Linda Levitt (Flower Power) will talk about the beautiful and versatile Lantana plant. The episode concludes with a new segment (Cover Up) with Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas discussing their favorite ground covers and vines. Today they focus on Ajuga and Trumpet Vine.

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Guest: Tracey Testo

Resources and Transcript

Episode Seven: Getting to Know Your Woodlands Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

Listen to Pammi Price, from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Green Counties, in a fascinating discussion about Getting to Know Your Woodlands. Learn how to explore your property to discover its history and how to steward it towards a healthy future. Then join us with Heidi Bock (Trekking the Trails) to discover the wonderful variety of birds that you can find at the Ooms Conservation Area In Chatham, NY. Jean Thomas (It’s All Greek) concludes this episode with insights into the origins and naming conventions associated with botanical names.

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Guest: Pammi Price

Resources and Transcript

Episode Six: Food Preservation Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

Intro

In this episode, Rebecca Polmateer, from CCE, sets us straight on the ins and outs of Food Preservation. Learn about freezing, canning, dehydrating, pickling and fermentation. Then listen to Teresa Golden talk about how to decide what to plant in your vegetable garden. This episode concludes with a fascinating conversation about the role of the queen bee in The Hum Of The Hive. Tune in and enjoy!

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Guest: Rebecca Polmateer

Resources and Transcript

Episode Five: Understanding Seed Catalogs Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, join Master Gardener Volunteer and this podcast co-creator, Jean Thomas, in an informative conversation about seed catalogs. Learn about their history, their changing content and how to read them. This will be followed by a new segment, Pests and Pathogens, featuring Dede Terns-Thorpe and Jackie Hayden who discuss how to diagnose plant problems. The episode concludes with Joan Satterlee, who provides insights into Tools of the Trade, focused on a plant identification tool, iNaturalist. Listen in!

Resources and Transcript

Episode Four: Plants for Winter interest Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

Eli Joseph-Hunter is the featured guest on this episode of Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley. As proprietor of the Greene Bee Greenhouse, Ltd, listen to his discussion with CCE Master Gardeners as we learn about Plants for Winter Interest. Then stay tuned for the first segment of Good Plant/Bad Plant where Tim Kennelty will talk about oak trees and Japanese Knotweed. This episode concludes with a discussion by Devon Russ (Hits and Myths) about the science associated with planting by the phases of the moon. Enjoy!

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Interview Guests: Eli Joseph-Hunter

Photos: see attached (pick your favorite!)

Resources and Transcript

Episode Three: Feeding Birds in Winter Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

Join Master Gardeners in an informative conversation with Kathryn Schneider, an author and educator about all things birds. Learn what to feed birds in winter, the best feeders, and how to keep squirrels and bears away from them. Then, dream about your summer garden as Linda Levitt (Flower Power) will explain the difference between annuals, perennials, and biennials. Tune in for a winter treat!

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Interview Guests: Kathryn Schneider

Resources and Transcript

Episode Two: Groundhogs and Other Furry Wildlife Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Celebrate National Groundhog Day by joining Master Gardeners with a table discussion about these and other Hudson Valley furry wildlife including moles, voles, chipmunks, bears and raccoons. Join Heidi Bock (Trekking the Trails) on a virtual winter hike to Drowned Lands Swamp, one of the Columbia Land Conservancy’s nature trails. Then be entertained and informed by Jean Thomas (It’s All Greek) as she clarifies acronyms such as IPM, GMO, and jargon such as plant ‘habits’.

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Interview Guests: Jean Thomas, Tim Kennelty, Linda Aydlett and Teresa Golden

Resources:

Groundhogs and Other Furry Wildlife: Woodchucks (psu.edu); Moles (psu.edu); Voles (psu.edu); Chipmunks (psu.edu); Raccoon factsheet (wildlifecontrol.info); Black Bears (psu.edu); Remove or "Take" Nuisance Animals Legally - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation; Legend & Lore | Punxsutawney Groundhog club; Mayor defends keeping Wiarton Willie's death a secret | CTV News; How to control moles and reduce turfgrass damage // Missouri Environment and Garden News Article // Integrated Pest Management, University of Missouri

Trekking The Trails: Drowned Lands Swamp – Columbia Land Conservancy (clctrust.org); Farmscape Wonder Wander: 18 April 2020 | Progress of the Seasons Journal (wordpress.com)

It’s All Greek:: Welcome | New York State Integrated Pest Management (cornell.edu); Etymonline - Online Etymology Dictionary; Plant Information | Chicago Botanic Garden; Plant Finder (missouribotanicalgarden.org)

Transcript

Episode One: A Conversation Starter Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

Join Master Gardeners, Jean Thomas, and Tim Kennelty, in a conversation with Evon Antonio and Connor Young about CCE of Columbia and Greene Counties and their programming. Then listen to some practical tips about how to site a vegetable garden with Teresa Golden (The Veggie Patch) and learn how honey bees survive in the winter with Linda Aydlett (The Hum of the Hives).Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas
Interview Guests: Evon Antonio and Connor Young

Resources

CCE: Cornell Cooperative Extension (ccecolumbiagreene.org)

Veggie Patch: Cornell Cooperative Extension | Food Gardening (ccecolumbiagreene.org) ; Untitled-2 (unh.edu); How to Start a Vegetable Garden | University of Maryland Extension (umd.edu) ; Explore Cornell - Home Gardening - Vegetable Growing Guides

Hum of the Hive: Beekeeping calendar for the Northeast; Honeybee Democracy; Honeybee Colony Thermoregulation – Regulatory Mechanisms and Contribution of Individuals in Dependence on Age, Location and Thermal Stress

Transcript