Ardsley Pollinator Pathway
Making significant change, one yard at a time.
The November Cross Pollination Newsletter can be accessed here.
The October Cross Pollination Newsletter can be accessed here.
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Upcoming Events
Pollinator Pathways: Inspired by the old Croton aqueduct trailway with Chet Kerr. Wednesday, November 20, 1 pm at the Keeper's House, 15 Walnut St. Dobbs Ferry.
Irvington's Own Chet Kerr will give a talk about pollinators and how you can create pollinator habitat on the Old Croton Aqueduct adjacent to your property. NYS Parks created this special program in collaboration with Chet to support our shared vision of a pollinator pathway the length of the Aqueduct. Imagine how lovely it would be to see native flowers and butterflies as you pass by! All are welcome!
Greening Your Home: An environmental informational panel. Thursday, November 21, 7 pm at Woodlands Community Temple, 50 Worthington Road, Greenburgh
Concerned about climate change? Wondering what YOU can do to address climate change and other environmental concerns? There are actions, big and small, that each of us can do to personally address climate change and make our homes more sustainable.
Come hear a panel of experts from Sustainable Westchester, Ardsley Pollinator Pathway, Consumer Reports, and NY State Master Teachers discuss how we can make a difference. You'll hear about energy audits and solar panels. Energy efficient appliances and electric cars. Pollinator and vegetable gardens. Green cleaners and plastic alternatives. They can all make a difference; each of us can participate.
Registration required. For more information and to register click here.
Beauty for the Bees: Easy jump start for a pollinator garden - webinar. Wednesday, December 4, 7:30 pm
Mai Mai Margules, lead at the Tarrytown Pollinator Pathway and designer of the public pollinator pathway gardens in Tarrytown, will show you how easy it is to get started with a fool-proof pollinator garden. Tips and tricks, carefree and easy plants, how to source plants, and easy design tips will be offered. Click here to register.
Holly Days Event with Michael Hagen, NYBG Native Plant Garden Curator. Thursday, December 12, 11:00 with a luncheon. Fee.
The Garden Club of Irvington will be featuring a talk by Michael Hagen as part of their annual fundraising luncheon at the Ardsley Country Club. Funds raised through the event will help to support their volunteer activities, many focused on native gardens in their partnership with the Greenburgh Nature Center. To learn more about the event, click here. To purchase tickets, click here.
Landscaping with Native Plants and Shrubs: Easy AND Beautiful Combinations for Your Yard! Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 7:30 pm via Zoom
Get an update on Kathy Ever’s ‘‘rewilding’ efforts and hear about great native plant/shrub combinations that work well in Westchester! Specific and useful advice for landscaping with natives will be provided. It doesn’t have to be complicated - everyone can do something to support pollinators and birds. Click here to register.
Creating Your Pollinator Garden Workshop Series. Successfully planning, implementing and maintaining a new or expanded pollinator garden
Saturdays, January 18, February 15, and March 15, 10 am - 12 pm
Join us for three free workshops to help you start or expand a garden to attract and support pollinators and birds. These workshops will get you ready to plant your gardens in spring of 2025. We will provide tips, tricks, lessons learned and expert advice to successfully create a garden pollinators, birds and you will love. Each workshop will have its own registration: join for all three or just one. An added bonus is building a community with like-minded people who want to bring more beauty, joy and sustainability into their yards. Each workshop is limited to 25 participants. This is an action oriented workshop series. We ask that participants commit to create or expand a garden for pollinators, no matter how small. This program is a partnership between the Ardsley Pollinator Pathway, Greenburgh Public Library, and the Tarrytown Pollinator Pathway.
January Workshop: Designing Your New or Expanded Garden
Saturday, January 18 | 10 am - 12 pm, Greenburgh Public Library Multipurpose Room
Plan your dream garden with the expert assistance of local Pollinator Pathway members, who will share design tips, tricks, and advice to bring your ideas to life! The focus will be on using native plants. Registration required and limited to 25 participants. Click here to register.
Selecting and Procuring Your Plants
Saturday, February 15 | 10 am - 12 pm, Greenburgh Public Library Multipurpose Room
Learn how to select and procure native plants, including how and where to purchase plants, create plants from your own or other people’s plants and seeds, and ways to procure them from local pollinator pathways. Registration required and limited to 25 participants. Click here to register.
Preparation for Planting and Maintaining the Garden
Saturday, March 15 | 10 am - 12 pm, Greenburgh Public Library Multipurpose Room
You've designed your garden with the perfect plants! Now learn how to easily prepare and maintain your garden with the expert advice and assistance of local Pollinator Pathway members. Registration required and limited to 25 participants. Click here to register.
News:
The recording of November's webinar, Lessons Learned from 100 Garden Consultations, can be accessed by clicking here
The recording of our recent presentation, "Selecting and Caring for Native Tree and Shrub Saplings," is now available. Whether you missed the live session or wish to revisit the valuable insights shared by our experts, you can access the recording at https://vimeo.com/channels/greenburghlibrary/941297555.
Keystone Species of Native Plants. Thanks to everyone who attended the webinar on April 10. The presentation and other documents can be accessed here.
Ardsley Spring Gardening Festival Presentations and Other Documents. Thanks to everyone who attended the Spring Gardening Festival on March 10. The presentations can be accessed below for your reference. Click here to enter the folder of presentations.
Going Wild With Hedgerows, Meadows and Plants with Kathy Evers. The video recording can be found here. The audio recording can be found here. Kathy's reference sheet of the plants she used in her various beds can be accessed here.
Ardsley again achieves Leadership Circle Achievement from National Wildlife Federations (NWF) Mayors' Monarch Pledge
Ardsley is one of a few municipalities in North America in 2023 and 2022 that earned the Leadership Circle Achievement for the National Wildlife Federation's Mayors Monarch Pledge. Cities and municipalities in the program commit each year to support endangered monarch butterflies by creating habitat and educating residents on how to make a difference at home or in their community.
Ardsley is proud to support our beloved monarch butterflies and to have again earned the Leadership Circle honor. Ardsley is now part of an expanding North American network of cities working to create habitat in public parks, public landscaping, vacant lots, roadsides, medians, green roofs, backyard gardens and open spaces throughout the entire community.
For easy steps you can take to help monarch butterflies in your yard see the November Cross Pollination News - The Monarch Edition.
Pollinate Now! Bioregional Strategy for Habitat Restoration in the Hudson River Estuary Watershed with Evan Abramson, Principal of Landscape Interactions. The recording of the presentation can be accessed here. The audio of the presentation can be accessed here. Evan has kindly offered the online version of his book, Pollinate Now! on his website and it can be downloaded here.
Sustaining Wildlife in Fall and Winter with Deb Ellis. The video recording can be accessed here; The audio recording can be accessed here; The chat can be accessed here. Deb's slides can be accessed here, and her list of favorite fall plants can be found here..
Garden Visit: Kathy Ever's Rewilded Yard. Click here to see Kathy's diagrams and plant lists for her garden beds.
The recording for Mushrooms in Your Yard with Taro Ietaka can be accessed here.
This documentary is a feast for the eyes and soul. Check out A Ghost in the Making: Searching for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee. This award winning short documentary inspires us to protect and provide habitat for all creatures and to prevent the extinction of the most vulnerable. Plant away!! We make the difference.
Introducing Our New Mailbox Gardens How-To Guides
You asked for it and we created it - a step- by- step guide to create a pollinator garden. We give you the design, the materials and quantities you'll need, and the list of plants. Four different garden sizes in each guide. You buy the plants, dig them in, and watch them grow. Check them out - it's easy!
Full-Part Sun Pollinator Wildflower Mailbox Gardens
Full to Part Sun Pollinator Grass and Sedge Mailbox Gardens
Part Shade Pollinator Mailbox Gardens
Full to Part Sun Monarch Butterfly Mailbox Garden
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Resources:
Previous Get Together Presentations and Reference materials available here.
View the new DEC documentary on invasive plants, Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species
Join the Ardsley Pollinator Pathway
We're making substantial change, one yard at a time. Join our distribution list.
Our Mission
The Ardsley Pollinator Pathway Project's mission is to raise awareness, educate, and encourage the participation of Ardsley’s residents, businesses, government, and other organizations in the creation and maintenance of healthy pollinator habitats in the Village of Ardsley.
The world’s community of pollinators is in crisis.
One in four native bee species are facing extinction.
There are significant declines in other pollinator populations as well, which include beetles, ants, birds, moths, butterflies, flies, gnats, and small mammals, such as bats.
Pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of 80-95% of plant species on earth.
There are numerous causes for this decline, with habitat loss and pesticide use at the top.
Conservation techniques work! When homeowners, governmental agencies and private businesses commit to expanding pollinator-friendly, pesticide-free habitats, we will change the future for pollinators and secure our own. We encourage your home to become a node on a path through Ardsley!
No effort is too small! We need your help. They need your help.
Ardsley Pollinator Pathway Map
View our growing pathway that will connect us with other communities. Add your own pollinator garden to the map. Click on the purple flower pins to learn more about each steppingstone in our pathway.
Visit the Ardsley CAN by 2030! website to learn more about how you can easily reduce your carbon footprint and make small changes to act sustainably.
