Learn about Westchester’s Native Plants
18 Mar, 2013
By Joyce Newman, Environmental Reporter
Native Serviceberry or Shadbush Tree, one of the earliest to bloom in spring.
Westchester’s Native Plant Center (NPC) is one of the best resources for homeowners who want to create low-maintenance, water-saving, eco-friendly gardens. Whether you’re planning to create a small container garden, a window box, or larger landscapes, the staff at NPC can help.
Located on the campus of Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NPC has two demonstration gardens, and provides a wide range of events, on-going programs, and services, including recommended plants and classes for home gardeners and professionals. Coming up in April there’s a one-day session “Nativelicious: Gardening with Edible Native Plants.”
Then on April 27th there’s the Center’s Annual Native Plant Sale featuring a selection of plants that can flourish in our area, provide habitats for wildlife, prevent soil erosion, protect water quality, and offer other ecological benefits.
NPC’s Executive Director, Carol Capobianco, points out another benefit of native plants: They are ” the embodiment of local identity,” grounding us and “revealing the uniqueness” of our region. One example is the small Serviceberry or Shadbush Tree (Amelanchier laevis), which blooms early in spring. Birds love its berries in the summer, as do some cooks who say they are more delicious in pies and tarts than blueberries. The trees are easy to grow in many garden situations, and they have beautiful color in fall and lovely bark in winter– a four- season value.
One story about the Serviceberry is that the first settlers in the New England area often planned funeral services at the same time that the tree bloomed. Its blooming was a sign that the ground had thawed sufficiently to be able to dig graves. So the tree became known as the ‘serviceberry tree.’
Another story is that for thousands of years along the Hudson River Valley, the bloom time of the tree coincided with the massive spring shad fish run up the river to spawn. So the tree was called the ‘shadbush’ or ‘shadblow.’ Today, the shad fish population in the Hudson has declined to dangerously low levels, as have other Hudson River fish, and they are now at risk. But the trees have held their ground.
In the award-winning children’s book, When the Shadbush Blooms, a young Lenape Indian girl fishes for shad and recalls a time when her great, great grandmother did the same. In fact, many Native American tribes used the plant for food and medicine and to make arrow shafts.
The Serviceberry Tree is one the native plants singled out as a 2013 Native Plant of the Year by the NPC. To find out more, visit or contact The Native Plant Center Westchester Community College 75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY 10595 nativeplantcenter.org • 914-606-7870 wcc.nativeplant@sunywcc.edu.
Photographs courtesy Wildflower.org.
Cabby says:
With Parker having the support of Otis, Myers, Latimer and Bramson, Tom's chances of winning a primary are slim to nothing.Cabby says:
And Petco was a Duane Reade for a very short period of time. What were they thinking when they opened across the street from CVS?WTF??? says:
closing Weaver Street Bridge before the school year ends ? how did local officials let THAT happen ? INSANE. I saw that children will still be able to walk but still crazy, they are going to have the mother of all traffic jams on Chatsworth bridge and Rockland won't be much better ...crazy they could not schedule this for July/ August / wait just three more weeks.J. Mark Lane says:
Agreed. Breast cancer (like all cancers) does not care what your economic or social circumstances are. And the fatality rates are inversely related to access to medical care (preventive care and treatment). And that access has both a geographic component and an economic component. And also an education component. None of that should be the case. But it is. Jolie is in fact brave, for bringing her experience public even though it will negatively impact her sex-goddess status, on which she relies for her profession. There are a lot of people on this planet working to increase access to cancer treatment. My own efforts, humble though they are, have mostly been via the Komen organization (which, despite "political" problems, still gives more to BC work than any group on earth). We just have to keep plugging away at it. There's really no choice. Everyone can contribute something. What Angelina Jolie has contributed is huge, even if she does nothing else (which I doubt). Respect, for that.anonymous says:
I obviously respect her opinion but I am in totally different camp. It's like celebrities can't win. AJ made a decision based on her personal circumstances and decided to share it. She could have kept it a secret and helped no one. Instead, she has probably made many women feel better about having to go through something pretty life-altering. (She did minimize the pain/recovery aspect which is unfortunate but if that is her experience then what else could she say.) It seems that nothing is ever enough for some people. Any time someone does a good deed, people will say they need to do more. I don't think she glamorized her circumstances in any way and I respect her for coming forward and sharing as much as she did. Also, I would be willing to bet she will begin (if she hasn't already) to devote much of her considerable resources to BC research and to making testing and treatment available to low income women. But even if she doesn't and chooses to give all her money to help children in third world nations, don't you think that's her choice?observer says:
Excellent commentary. The sad fact is most people can't imagine the impact of a large development like this - especially as there is no comparable structure in Mamaroneck or Larchmont. It is convenient to accept the developers glossy brochure and think these condos fit into our community. I have heard it said that the only people impacted will be nearby residents. This monstrosity will impact every resident of Larchmont and Mamaroneck - especially those with school-age children. Perhaps the closing of the Weaver Street bridge will heighten awareness of the terrible traffic conditions already existing in this town and get more people to question the wisdom of shoving 120+ condo units on top of our schools and into the middle of a densely populated residential area. Or maybe the opening of the Wahlgreens at the front door to the Hommocks will create a enough of a nightmare at dropoff and pickup that this community will remember that if you want to raise children in a safe and nice place, you need to protect the community before it is too late!observer says:
This large reduction in assessment reflects the most recent reassessment data. Their assessment was reduced by over 30% (not factoring in the "millions of dollars spent on improvements.) Quite frankly, if this project is going to take years and years to come to fruition, the residents of this community deserve better than this. This property's assessment should reflect current market value - and be taxed at that rate.