By Ulysses P. Hedrick The High Falls District in downtown Rochester is one of upstate New York’s greatest hidden treasures. It is a neighborhood filled with historic buildings, startup businesses, and one of New York’s lesser-known natural attractions, High Falls, an impressive 10-story waterfall and gorge running through the heart of the city. This neighborhood …

Photos Courtesy Urban Horticulture Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca NY, except where noted. “Urban Horticulture” sounds exotic and specialized, but it’s perhaps the most broadly applicable branch of horticulture. According to Cornell Urban Horticulture Institute Director Nina Bassuk, urban horticulture used to be called “human-impacted landscapes,” and among the landscapes in which we live, which ones …

Invasive Species By Rich Finzer One of the greatest strengths of any woodlot, forest or open stretch of ground is its biodiversity. The greater the variety of species, the less chance disease or insects will ravage the entire area. Ironically, biodiversity may also become a glaring weakness, particularly if land begins hosting invasive species. Here …

Erin Luchsinger Hull This issue’s guest expert Erin Luchsinger Hull, a fourth generation farmer in Onondaga County, where she works as a general agriculture educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension. Q: I found this vine in my garden. What is it? Humulus japonicus = bad A: The vine you found is Japanese hops, Humulus japonicus, an …