Happenings July 2026

July 2026

Putnam County Fair Returns in July, Celebrating History, Culture and Community

Bug of the Month: The Burying Beetle

Is Your Pollinator Garden Messy? "Cues to Care" Can Help

Sustainable Parasite Control for Sheep and Goats

4-H News: Hay You! Livestock Club Learns about Guinea Fowl Care

Let's Talk About Ticks

Celebrate National Blueberry Month with a Recipe

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Putnam County Fair Returns in July, Celebrating History, Culture and Community

by Rachael Paradise, Communications Coordinator

Each summer, the Putnam County Fair & 4-H Showcase bursts to life with the energy of local talent, commitment to community and the unmistakable spirit of 4 H youth leadership. This year's event will once again transform Veterans Memorial Park into a celebration of history, hard work and community connection, offering a living snapshot of Putnam County and its residents.

The Putnam County Fair & 4-H Showcase returns July 25–26 to Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park, offering a fun-filled weekend of family-friendly entertainment, educational exhibits and community activities — all with free admission and parking.

“The Putnam County Fair & 4-H Showcase is a tradition rooted in community spirit,” said Stefanie Hubert, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Putnam County. “Each year, it brings together families, local organizations and talented youth to celebrate what makes Putnam County special. From hands-on exhibits to food, crafts and entertainment, the fair strengthens connections and honors the timeless spirit of summer in our county.”

The fair’s 4-H Showcase will include youth demonstrations, animal exhibits, archery and horse presentations. Attendees can also enjoy gardening advice from Master Gardener Volunteers, a pollinator garden display, youth exhibits, sewing and, new this year, the Big Beautiful Blossom Adult Flower Exhibition.

With Rev 250 in full swing, this year’s fair will celebrate “Revolutionary Putnam County” with reenactors performing throughout the weekend and exhibits and displays celebrating Putnam’s place in the early history of our nation.

“The Putnam County Fair is one of the best traditions of the summer, bringing together families, farmers, students, local businesses and community organizations from across our county. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, this year’s focus on Revolutionary Putnam County gives us a unique opportunity to honor our local history while showcasing the talents, hard work and civic spirit that continue to make Putnam County such a special place to live, work, and raise a family. I encourage everyone to come out and enjoy this outstanding community event,” said Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne.

“2026 is a year of historic celebration, and there’s no better place to experience it than at the fair,” said Putnam County Historian Jennifer Cassidy. “Revolutionary Putnam County brings history to life with action, adventure and fun for the whole family. Whether you’re watching a reenactment, trying a hands-on activity or meeting the historians and volunteers who keep our stories alive, there’s something to spark curiosity and create memories for visitors of all ages.”

Additional attractions include:

• The NY Cruisers Car Show (Saturday; rain date Sunday)
• K9 demonstrations by the New York State Police and Von Wolfenfels K9
• Corgi races
• Live music and a DJ throughout the weekend
• Food trucks, craft vendors, inflatables, games and pony rides

The fair will be open Saturday, July 25, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 201 Gipsy Trail Road in Kent.

If you’re a student looking for community service hours or an adult who simply enjoys lending a hand, consider volunteering at the fair! Sign up at: https://volunteer.bloomerang.co/JE/0ffkn84xbg15yh

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Bug of the Month: The Burying Beetle

by Janis Butler, Master Gardener Volunteer

The next time you find a dead bird beneath a window or catch a mouse in a trap, don’t put it in the trash. Consider leaving or putting it outside instead, out of the way of human traffic. It will probably be gone by the next day. Maybe a hungry bird or other scavenger will scoop it up but it’s also likely that a burying beetle will be grateful for the food and habitat it provides.

In their role as key decomposers, burying beetles not only clear the land of dead bodies but also, by recycling the decaying flesh, help return nutrients to the soil. Carrion is important to nutrient recycling because it decomposes much faster than plants and is much more nutrient-rich than the same amount of plant matter.

What exactly do burying beetles (Nicrophorus spp.) do? In short, they excavate a hole in the ground under a carcass until it settles in; then they bury it. They have evolved an amazing tool kit of physical adaptations that enable them to do this.

First, their antennae. Large and club-like, their antennae are equipped with hyper-sensitive chemo-receptors that can detect the specific airborne chemicals expelled by decaying animals. They can sense a dead animal up to two miles away, within an hour of its death.

This is important since burying beetles are active at night and rely on their antennae to guide them through the dark. They must arrive at a carcass quickly, before it’s discovered by a crow or raccoon or army of ants. A corpse is the trysting spot for male and female burying beetles who, once they’ve met and agreed upon mutual attraction, will fight off any rivals to secure their odorous prize, males fighting males and females fighting females. However, if the carcass is large enough — pigeon-size, for example — several couples might share it.

Then the hard work, for which they are named, begins. Though burying beetles are large as insects go (1 to 1 1/2 inches long), excavating a gravesite for an animal as big as a pigeon or rat or rabbit is a still considerable feat. And they do it very quickly. Both the male and female plow through the soil with their hard heads and flattened legs, working their way under the carcass, scooping and excavating the soil and piling it around the edges as the carcass drops beneath the surface. Sometimes they work on their backs, shuffling the carcass along as though on a conveyor belt.

After covering the carcass with several inches of soil, the beetles use their feet and strong mandibles to clean off any feathers or fur and work the carcass into the shape of a ball. Once the carcass is snuggled into a hole — usually six to nine inches deep — they coat it with antibacterial and anti-fungal secretions to prevent it from rotting so the food lasts for their offspring.

The female lays about 30 eggs on or near this “brood ball” and when they hatch several days later, some extraordinary parenting begins. Few species and even fewer insect species are as devoted at parenting as the burying beetle. Both parents participate in the raising of the young. The parents chew the remains of the corpse into a mash and regurgitate it to feed the grub-like larvae until they are able to feed themselves. As the carrion is broken down by the beetles, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, magnesium, and sodium increase in soils underneath.

Once able to feed themselves, the larvae feed on the carcass for about a week, then pupate in the nearby soil. After another month, they emerge as adult beetles. By now it’s late in the summer and the new adults start looking for an underground spot to spend the winter, emerging in the spring to start the cycle anew.

Burying beetles’ mite-y friends
Pictures of burying beetles often show them covered in tiny orange mites. These mites are hitching a ride, eager to go where the beetle goes because, when the beetles arrive at fresh carrion, the mites eagerly devour any fly eggs, especially blowfly eggs, from flies that might have beat them to the feast. If allowed to hatch, the fly larvae would compete with the burying beetle larvae for food so both species benefit.

Are burying beetles pollinators?
Surprisingly, the answer is “yes.” Some malodorous flowers like those of pawpaw and skunk cabbage imitate the smell of rotting flesh to attract pollinators like burying beetles. As the beetles crawl over the flowers searching for carrion, pollen clings to their bodies and is carried to other plants.

How to help burying beetles
Off the 70-plus species of burying beetle, one in particular, the American Burying Beetle ( Nicrophorus americanus) deserves special mention because it’s on the critically endangered list. Lost and degraded habitat are the main culprits. N. americanus now occupies only 10% of its historic range.

Help by leaving small dead animals alone or moving them out of the way rather than disposing of them in the garbage. Scavengers like burying beetles depend on them. Of course, use common sense in deciding to do so, especially if you have pets or small children.

Turn off the lights: Burying beetles are nocturnal; artificial lighting disturbs them. Use outdoor lighting that is motion-sensitive, so it won’t unnecessarily upset the nighttime rhythms of burying beetles and many, many other night-loving creatures.

Photo credit: Susan Ellis, USDA APHIS PPQ via bugwood.org (CC BY 3.0 US)

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Is Your Pollinator Garden Messy? "Cues to Care" Can Help

by Erika West, Master Gardener Volunteer, Putnam Pollinator Pathway

Perhaps you have created the garden of a bee’s dream. You’ve filled your garden with natives, sought out straight species, embraced the “weeds”, and ensured a beautiful sequence of blooms spring to fall. Perhaps you have left the leaves on your lawn and garden beds in the fall to protect overwintering bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. Your garden is buzzing and humming with life. Success!

There is only one problem: your neighbors don’t share your enthusiasm for the habitat you’ve created.

“Messy”, “unkempt”, “weedy”: these are words often used to describe ecologically forward gardens. Cultural norms have long dictated expansive lawns, clipped hedges, and perennials carefully dotted throughout the front bed. Despite the growing popularity of naturalistic gardens, landscapes outside the norm are often judged harshly. The perception that your property is neglected can have real consequences: visits from the town, fines from your homeowners’ association, demands you clean up your space. So, what can an ecologically-minded gardener do? The answer may lie in addressing the chief misperception that you don’t take care of your property.

“Cues to care” are landscape elements that communicate intent and care of a landscape. They are hints to neighbors and passersby that your garden is intentional and meets cultural expectations for management. The concept was first written about by professor and landscape architect Joan Iverson Nassauer in an essay entitled “Messy EcoSystems, Orderly Frames” (1998). Nassauer’s research indicates people view landscapes through the lens of neatness and order. While calls to reexamine our notions of beauty and embrace ecological “mess” are growing, there remains a perceptual divide between traditional and ecological. To bridge the gap, Nassauer recommends incorporating familiar elements from traditional landscaping into non-traditional landscapes.

Since Nassauer coined the term, “cues to care” have been embraced and expanded upon within the horticultural and ecological communities. Read on for some of the tried-and-true elements; take what you like, leave what you don’t. We hope this two-part series inspires you to carry on and perhaps find your own way to translate your landscape into an understandable language for the public.

PART ONE: Basic Design Elements

Frame the View

Mowing:
Given society’s proclivity for expansive lawns, mowing is king in communicating care of a landscape. Incorporate this cue by: 1) mowing paths through meadows, and 2) mowing borders around natural-looking areas. Mowing is inviting and evident of human presence. Mowed borders are especially important for creating separation from walkways and roadways. Plants spilling into these areas may create uncomfortable plant or animal interactions for passersby and contribute to hazardous situations due to limited visibility of cars, pedestrians, and wildlife crossing. Further, mowed borders have a similar effect to the frame of a painting: they protect, enhance, and communicate value.

Crisp Edges:
Maintaining a crisp edge between lawn and garden will also have this effect. A shovel, half-moon edger, electric edger, or even a string trimmer can all help achieve the neat, orderly, distinction of spaces that people find culturally attractive.

Create a Sense of Welcome

Pathways:
Let people know your landscape is open to humans as well as wildlife. Create pathways of mown grass, stone or mulch.

Structural Cues:
Arbors, trellises, and benches demonstrate this is a place for humans to explore, rest, and reflect.

Wildlife feeders, houses and birdbaths are easily recognizable elements of intent that help cue plantings as wildlife habitat not weeds. Furthermore, studies show people appreciate songbirds and efforts to support them (Messy Ecosystems, Orderly Frames, 1998).

Foundation Plantings:
Second only to lawns, foundation plantings are a well-known cultural expectation for home landscapes. A well-executed foundation planting adds to the overall perception of your property, allowing natural areas to fit within a greater scheme of care. Cultural expectations dictate plantings should cover the foundation but not obscure windows or doors. Keeping shrubs trimmed and planting in rows or linear designs can further communicate intent and care.

Use Bold Patterns

Nassauer’s research and the success of public gardens like New York City’s Highline and Chicago’s Lurie Garden point to the appeal of bold patterns in a landscape. Limiting and grouping plant species in large blocks or drifts that repeat throughout your landscape enhances “readability” - or the ease with which viewers take in and interpret your landscape. It’s a simple and visually restful style with the “wow” factor that comes from large sweeps of color.

If you’re gardening in a smaller space or you desire greater plant mingling and species diversity than large blocks and drifts would allow, consider limiting your color scheme or emphasizing plant structure and form over color. Smaller, repeating patterns are still great for communicating intent and with less color, they feel less jumbled or overwhelming. There’s also no reason you can’t combine both block and intermingling.

What’s more, these planting styles aren't just appealing to humans. Pollinators are also drawn to flowers planted “en masse”. Massed plants are easier for pollinators to find and provide efficient foraging. Many bee species, for example, only collect and use pollen from one flower type at a time - a behavior essential for pollination. Multiples of a single plant type allow these pollinators to collect more food at once and conserve energy by reducing trips to the nest. It also ensures that caterpillars hosting on a plant have enough to eat and may result in more leaves that aren’t chewed and ragged-looking.

Consider Size and Scale

Sky-high perennials, colonies of dense shrubs, and obstructed views can be intimidating. To bring a sense of safety and the picturesque to your garden, consider keeping plant height in check. Low to medium varieties and rounded forms read as neat and are easy to incorporate in most landscapes.

You might also consider the scale of plants as they relate to the size of your garden bed and to each other. Plantings that overwhelm your bed or drastically vary in height may read as messy, unplanned, and out of balance. To keep scale in check, consider these tips from professional landscape designers: 1) choose plants whose mature height are no more than half the bed width, 2) keep plants within 1/3 the height of plants in their immediate vicinity, 3) keep the average perennial height at 18-24 inches and, if you want architectural drama, include pops of plants at greater heights repeating throughout your space.

Add Signs

Let observers know your garden’s purpose with a “Putnam Pollinator Pathway” or other habitat sign. When a garden is in its infancy or going through a transition, signs can be especially useful for communicating intent. They also open the door to conversation, offering opportunities to educate and inspire other homeowners on the importance of native plants and habitats.

Photo credit: Native Home Landscape in Late Spring” by Suse_dc, CC BY 4.0

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Sustainable Parasite Control for Sheep and Goats

by Ruby Koch-Fienberg, Ag & Food Systems Coordinator

For many small ruminant producers, parasite pressure is at its highest during warm, wet weather, making midseason management especially important right now. In humid regions and on irrigated or closely grazed pastures, internal parasites can quickly build up, reducing weight gain, increasing treatment costs, and in severe cases causing animal deaths.

Sheep and goat production can be a strong fit for small and diversified farms, but gastrointestinal parasites—especially Haemonchus contortus, also known as barber pole worm—remain one of the biggest production challenges. The challenge is growing because parasites on many farms have developed resistance to common chemical dewormers, which means older whole-herd treatment habits are often less effective than they once were.

A recent fact sheet from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), updated in 2026, highlights a more sustainable path forward: integrated parasite management. Rather than relying on frequent whole-flock or whole-herd deworming, this approach combines targeted treatment, grazing management, animal observation, and longer-term breeding decisions to reduce parasite problems while helping preserve the effectiveness of the dewormers that still work.

Smarter Use of Dewormers
One of the most important takeaways is that dewormers should be used selectively, not automatically. The fact sheet recommends confirming which products are still effective on a farm by using a fecal egg count reduction test, with an effective treatment reducing egg counts by about 95%.

Correct dosing also matters. Producers need to know each animal’s weight, and goats often require 1.5 to 2 times the sheep dose for many dewormers, depending on the product. Giving the drench correctly—over the tongue and into the back of the throat—also improves treatment success.

Watch the Animals Closely
The FAMACHA© system is one of the best-known tools for targeted selective treatment. By checking the color of the lower eyelid, producers can identify animals showing anemia associated with barber pole worm and treat only those that truly need it.

This matters because research cited in the fact sheet notes that about 80% of a herd’s parasites may be carried by just 20% of the animals. Keeping records and culling chronically susceptible animals can strengthen the flock or herd over time, reduce pasture contamination, and lower drug costs. The publication also notes that FAMACHA© use can reduce dewormer use by as much as 90% when applied appropriately.

Because not all parasites cause anemia, FAMACHA© works best alongside the Five Point Check. This quick assessment includes the nose, eyes, jaw, body condition, and tail area, helping producers spot bottle jaw, diarrhea, poor condition, and other signs that indicate an animal may need attention.

Use Pasture as a Management Tool
Pasture management is just as important as treatment. Since infective larvae are usually concentrated in the lower few inches of forage, maintaining forage height above 4 inches and avoiding overgrazing can help reduce the number of larvae animals consume.

Other helpful practices include rotating animals before eggs hatch into infective larvae, resting pastures when possible, cutting contaminated fields for hay, planting annual forages in prepared seedbeds, and using co-grazing or alternate grazing with cattle or horses when appropriate. Goats may also benefit from access to browse, since upright plants can reduce close-to-the-ground exposure where larvae are concentrated.

Additional Tools in the Toolbox
The SARE fact sheet also describes several complementary strategies. These include low-dose copper oxide wire particles for barber pole worm control, nematode-trapping fungi such as Duddingtonia flagrans to reduce larvae on pasture, and sericea lespedeza as a tannin-rich forage that may help lower parasite loads in some situations.

Each of these tools has limits and management considerations. For example, copper must be used very carefully because sheep are especially vulnerable to toxicity, and sericea lespedeza may not be appropriate in every state or ecosystem. The fact sheet emphasizes that these approaches work best as part of an integrated system, not as stand-alone fixes.

Long-Term Resilience
For producers thinking beyond this season, genetic selection is another promising strategy. The fact sheet reports that selecting replacement animals with lower fecal egg counts and better FAMACHA© scores can improve resistance over time, and some breeds have shown greater parasite resistance than others.

The publication also cautions against relying on remedies that have not performed well in research trials. Diatomaceous earth, garlic drenches, and various herbal dewormers did not consistently reduce fecal egg counts or anemia in the studies summarized in the fact sheet. For Putnam County producers, the message is clear: parasite control works best when it is proactive, targeted, and built into the whole farm system. With warm-weather parasite pressure underway, now is a good time to review grazing plans, monitor animals closely, and use research-based tools that protect both animal health and long-term farm viability.

Adapted from https://www.sare.org/wp-content/uploads/10AGI2011.pdf

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4-H News: Hay You! Livestock Club Learns about Guinea Fowl Care

by Brandy Keenan, 4-H Educator

The Hay You! Livestock Club continues learning and exploring different aspects of animal husbandry. This month they learned about lice: how it is species specific, how to spot an infestation, how to treat, and how to minimize lice in livestock. They also helped transport young guineas from the brooder to a larger coop to get acclimated before being allowed to free range.

Guinea fowl are highly beneficial due to their voracious appetite for pests like ticks, beetles, and grasshoppers. They serve as natural alarm systems by loudly alerting owners to predators or intruders, and unlike chickens, they forage without scratching up or destroying garden plants.

Their eggs are also incredibly delicious and highly nutritious. They boast a richer, creamier, and slightly gamier flavor than standard chicken eggs because of their high yolk-to-white ratio.

Telling male and female guineas apart can be difficult unless you just listen to them. Males make a harsh, one-syllable "chi-chi-chi" or "kek-kek", which the females can also make. However, only females can make a distinct two-syllable "buck-wheat" sound. You hear that, and it's a female!

Guinea fowl have a rich history spanning thousands of years, originating as wild birds in the sub-Saharan savannas of Africa. Though native to Africa, they were later domesticated by ancient Mediterranean civilizations, introduced to Europe by Portuguese explorers, and eventually brought to the Americas by early settlers.

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Let's Talk About Ticks

by Jennifer Lerner, Senior Resource Educator

Tick Talk
Misinformation and panic about ticks abound. Here in the lower Hudson Valley, several tick species cause disease in humans either by vectoring pathogens or eliciting strong reactions in their host. One tick can carry many pathogens. So, take action to protect yourself, your family, and your pets. But where to start when misinformation abounds? We want to share two great websites with well-documented information about the species of ticks found in our region and the pathogens they carry.

The first is Cornell IPM’s “Don’t Get Ticked NY” resource with easy-to-understand information on tick biology and identification and how to protect yourself against tick bites. Avoiding the bite in the first place is the most important step, and that means a variety of tactics from protecting yourself from questing ticks as well as doing daily tick checks when you’ve been enjoying the great outdoors. You’ll find useful suggestions for avoiding tick habitat, managing your landscape to reduce tick risk, and more.

Our second favorite tick site is “Tick Encounter” from University of Rhode Island, which covers ticks throughout the United States. You’ll find an interactive map of ticks active in your region reported real time. They also have excellent photos of tick species they do have can be very helpful for identification. Note that not all the ticks listed are present where you live in New York, and they are also missing some species that we do have in NY.

Tick Removal and Testing
Misinformation about tick removal continues to be prevalent. Here, you’ll find a video tutorial and instruction on safe tick removal from Cornell IPM. This method reduces the chance that the tick will eject its stomach contents as it is removed. If you are unsure of the tick species, most county Cornell Cooperative Extension offices, including ours, offer pest identification services. Knowing what tick species may help you understand what diseases the tick may have carried. Though tick testing services are available from some organizations, Cornell IPM follows the CDC recommendation of not having the tick tested for disease diagnosis. Why? You might have gotten sick from the tick you didn't find.

From the CDC website:

• Negative results can lead to false assurance. You may have been unknowingly bitten by a different tick that was infected.
• Laboratories that conduct tick testing are not required to have the high standards of quality control used by clinical diagnostic laboratories. Results of tick testing should not be used for treatment decisions.
• Positive results showing that the tick contains a disease-causing organism do not necessarily mean that you have been infected.
• If you have been infected, you will probably develop symptoms before results of the tick test are available. If you do become ill, you should not wait for tick testing results before beginning appropriate treatment.

General site links
Don’t Get Ticked NY: cals.cornell.edu/integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/whats-bugging-you/ticks
Tick Encounter: web.uri.edu/tickencounter/

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Celebrate National Blueberry Month with a Berry Delicious Recipe

from Josephine Quiocho, Nutrition Educator

Corn, Blueberry and Wild Rice Salad

This savory dish features wild rice and blueberries, a fun way to add flavor and color to any salad!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice about 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoons Honey
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 cups Corn fresh, frozen or canned
• 1 cup Blueberries fresh or frozen
• 1 cup Wild Rice or 1 cup Brown Rice
• 1 Cucumber finely diced
• 1/4 cup Red Onion finely diced or 1/4 cup Scallions finely diced
• 1/4 cup Cilantro Fresh, chopped

Directions
1. Make the dressing: In a large serving bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, honey, cumin, and salt. Whisk together with a fork.

2. In a medium saucepan, cook rice according to package instructions.

3. Add corn, blueberries, rice, cucumber, onion, and cilantro. Stir together all ingredients to coat them evenly with dressing.

4. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate 1 hour to let flavors meld.

Find the recipe at SNAP-Ed NY: https://snapedny.org/videos/corn-blueberry-and-wild-rice-salad/

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Last updated July 1, 2026