Photos: Susan Laume By FMN Susan Laume A Virginia Master Naturalist led effort, supported by over two dozen amateur gardeners, literally bloomed to fruition this spring in Laurel Hill Park in Lorton. Many of the volunteers had done no gardening of any kind before, and had no knowledge about native versus non-native plant species. However, […]
Photo: Jill Spohn There have been 41 observations on iNaturalist of Hammerhead Worms (subfamily bipalinae) in Fairfax County. There are more than one species, all nonnative and feeding on earthworms. One recent sighting was a thin, foot-long worm with the distinctive hammer head. Cutting them or smashing them may result in regeneration. They also emit […]
Photo: Ron Grimes By Julie Shaw, Spring 2021 Graduate The Fairfax Chapter Master Naturalist training program saved me from the grim claustrophobia brought on by the pandemic in the winter and spring of 2021. While avoiding the news in December 2020, I came across a notice about the training in the Fairfax Master Naturalist Newsletter […]
Photo: Marilyn Schroeder By Mike Walker FMN members hosted a booth at the first “post pandemic” Outreach Event in 2021. This was the Mount Vernon-National Park Service Environmental Expo at Fort Hunt Park on June 26. Marilyn Schroeder and Mike Walker set up and staffed the booth, with Master Naturalist and Bat Expert Deborah Hammer […]
Join Clean Virginia Waterways for the 27th year of keeping Virginia’s waterways litter-free! This annual cleanup of trash and litter in our rivers and on our beaches is part of the International Coastal Cleanup and is the largest event held by CVW. Thousands of volunteers gather along the shorelines of Virginia’s rivers, lakes, bays, and […]
The Clifton Institute seeks a full-time Education Associate to provide environmental education programs to children and adults. The Clifton Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located two miles north of Warrenton, in the northern Piedmont of Virginia. Their 900-acre field station, which includes forests, grasslands, shrub fields, and wetlands, is permanently protected under a conservation […]
Article by FMN Joe Gorney, photo by J. Quinn As Master Naturalists, we sometimes help reclaim vegetated areas from the clutches of non-native invasives. At the end of this process, we’re often confronted with a degraded and/or blank slate in need of enhancement. But deciding what to plant can be a challenge. Optimally, we’d use […]
Virginia Outdoors Foundation is thrilled to announce that they are now accepting applications for their 2021 Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) Natural Science Fellowship (Herpetology) position. This fellowship will be focused on the pursuit of scientific discovery and increasing knowledge related to the resident snake populations at VOF’s Preserve at Bull Run Mountains – which is […]
Io moth by Judy Gallagher Thursday, July 29, 7:00 – 8:00 PM (Online via Zoom)Field Trip: Saturday, July 31, 8:30 PM –10:30 PM Lorton, VAFee: FREE, but registration is required You all know something about butterflies but you probably don’t know much about their cousins, the moths. Did you know many adult moths eat nectar but others don’t […]
Photo courtesy of Plant NOVA Natives Many insects are picky eaters, only able to eat the plants with which they evolved, meaning the plants that are native to their region. Butterflies are a good example, since although the adults can sip nectar from non-native flowers, their caterpillars depend on specific native plants.The majority of bees […]