Spencer J. Roemer Arboretum

Congrats to Allison Menendez, recipient of the Biology Department's Dr. Mark Diamond Memorial Research Award for best GREAT Day poster! She is a past Arboretum assistant (summer 2019) who has been working since spring 2020 (with a 2020 Geneseo Foundation Undergraduate Summer Fellowship) to determine how solitary bees and other insects use artificial nest cavities in the Arboretum and throughout campus. She is also co-recipient of the Biology Department's Herman Forest Gaia Award and Larry King Plant Science Award with Anna Meichenbaum!

Some advice to help bees out in your garden: https://sites.tufts.edu//the-right-way-to-leave-stems-fo/

To celebrate Arbor Day, this great crew from the SUNY Geneseo Office of Sustainability spent a beautiful Saturday morning planting almost 50 tree and shrub seedlings throughout the Arboretum woods - thanks Mailey, Brendan, and Mai!

Some fox photos to start out your weekend - a fifth pup has mysteriously appeared!

Thanks so much to the SUNY Geneseo Office of Sustainability interns, organized by Gaby Joseph, for cleaning up trash in the Arboretum this Sunday. It's looking so much better - let's keep it that way!

While most people think of bees and butterflies when considering insect pollinators, a variety of other insects play this role as well. Many species of beetles are flower visitors that feed on pollen; learn more here: https://xerces.org//notes-from-other-orders-beetles-as-pol. Another important group of pollinators are the flies. Though not showy, they are abundant and available for longer periods of the year than many other insects. Hoverflies in particular may be unappreciated for the services they provide, as they seek not just nectar from flowers like most flies, but pollen as well. Get more information on fly pollinators here: https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators//flies.shtml.

This week is National Pollinator Week! Why should we care about pollinators? 75% of crop species used directly as human food depend on insect pollinators, and 35% of global food supply depends on insect pollination. In New York, insect pollinators provide millions of dollars in economic benefits for their role in the production of crops like apples, squash & pumpkins, tomatoes, pears, and strawberries. And 80% of wild plant species are dependent on insect pollination for their reproduction. While insects dominate among animal pollinators (>200,000 species), vertebrates like birds, bats, and other small mammals also contribute (>1000 species). Check back here each day this week to learn more about insect pollinators! Also find more information here: https://www.pollinator.org/pollinators.

Some new blooms in the Arboretum gardens, and introducing our Arboretum student assistant!

Some new flowers of interest in the Arboretum as the summer advances...

The Arboretum gardens are looking a little wild now due to lack of our usual student help (hopefully to come soon), but our native plantings are flowering on schedule, supporting our local pollinators! Here are some of our early summer highlights!