Wasps begin scouting for new homes in early spring. They like sheltered places with easy access to food, like under a branch of a mature tree, or—unfortunately for them and you—the eaves of your house. Paper wasps build their nests from plant fibers supplemented with mud and secretions from their bodies or other plants. Wasps Read more…
Blog: On Patrol
Just a bunch of cowboy stories.
Blog
Keeping Glenwood Park Green With Poison Ivy Removal Services in New Rochelle
We recently had the opportunity to remove poison ivy and perform woodland restoration at Glenwood Lake Park in the City of New Rochelle. Background Keeping the park green and healthy for residents is a major priority for the community. It’s a mini-nature preserve covering about six acres, and the 60-foot deep lake serves as a Read more…
Mile-a-Minute: The NY-NJ Invasive Taking Over Your Yard
Persicaria perfoliata, or more commonly known by its catchier name, “Mile-a-Minute”, is an aggressively invasive annual vine that has recently been dominating the New York-New Jersey area, specifically in the Hudson Valley. The Basics Originally native to eastern Asia, Mile-a-Minute was accidentally introduced to the United States in the early 20th century via contaminated soil Read more…
12 Hudson Valley Invasives That Will Ruin Your Yard
The average American spends 70 hours a year on lawn and garden care. It’s a labor of love: 75% of homeowners think it’s important to spend time enjoying their yards, and a well-manicured lawn can also do wonders for the enjoyment and curb appeal of your home. For most people, this means doing some mowing, Read more…
A Brief History of Invasives
For 10,000 years, plants insects and animals here in the Hudson Valley region evolved together. They had an intricate interdependence. A few hundred years ago the first invaders, (Europeans) introduced new plants from other areas of the world, either purposely or as stowaway’s on ships. Indigenous insects, caterpillars and other wildlife did not evolve with Read more…
What Does 7 Tons of Poison Ivy Look Like?
In our last post, I mentioned that we pulled out over 7 tons of Poison Ivy in the 2015 season. That’s not including all the other invasives that we took out. What does 7 tons of PI look like? And what did we do with it all? First, let’s see what 7 tons gets you. Read more…
Winter
We haven’t had much of a winter till recently with this cold snap. Snow? Our driveway wasn’t plowed once all winter, and March is right around the corner. What does that mean for the spring and summer growing season? Will tiny red Poison Ivy sprouts start popping up early? Will that extra couple of weeks Read more…
Season Tip: Cover Your Gardens Before Winter
There is still time to protect your ornamental garden plants and flowers from the cold winter and prepare them for the spring growing season. Our client in High Falls, NY had us deliver premium commercially baked black compost and spread it out on their garden beds. We then covered it all with 3-4” of locally Read more…