Photo: Gray fox in Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Gray fox populations across North America have been declining over the last two decades. There are no published studies on gray fox population status in Virginia, but researchers, biologists, naturalists, hunters, and trappers from […]
Photo: Tree Swallow fledglings, Barbara Krizman/Audubon Photography Awards Article by Audubon Society of Northern Virginia We all want to help wildlife, but please do not make the mistake of kidnapping a fledgling you see on the ground. When many young birds first fledge and leave the nest, they may still have a little down with […]
Article and photos by Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources It’s that time of year again when white-tailed deer fawns are showing up in yards and hayfields, and concerned citizens want to know how to help. In almost all cases, the best way to help is to simply give the fawn space and leave it alone. […]
Article by Elaine Kolish; feature photo: Plant NOVA Natives We all know that chronic stress affects our health and well-being, causing us to go into “fight or flight” mode. That, in turn, can lead to a variety of health effects ranging from depression to high blood pressure, which itself can increase our risk for stroke […]
Mason District Park […]
Article and photo by Plant NOVA Natives When they aren’t being bulldozed over, the natural state of most meadows in Northern Virginia is to gradually revert to forest, but that fact does not lessen their importance to the ecosystem. Although there are many threats to our woods, it is the meadows that are disappearing the […]
Photo courtesy of SERC Tuesday, May 21, 2024 7 pm Register here. Tribal people have lived in North America for at least 10,000 years, shaping how the landscape evolved and functioned. During that time, they developed cultures and traditions that stressed the obligation tribal people had to the foods, medicines, and places that sustained and […]
Feature photo: At the Buildings and Grounds Office, Camp Zama, Japan. The size of the hornet’s nest is placed in context with the office surroundings. Photos and article by FMN Stephen Tzikas Every now and then I see a wasp building a mud-based tubular shaped nest in some corner of my home’s front door portico. […]
Saturday, June 1, 2024 9 am-12 pm Various locations. More information here. This short, three-hour annual event has a massive cumulative impact. Since it began in 1989, this Virginia tradition has engaged more than 170,066 volunteers who have removed approximately 7.30 million pounds of debris from more than 8,595 miles of shoreline. Each year, on […]
Article by Cindy Speas, Chair of the Fairfax County Tree Commission Photo: fairfaxcounty.gov The doorbell rings, and at your door is a young man who says, “Hello, I was driving by and noticed your trees need some pruning. I’ve been working at your neighbor’s house, and thought I’d stop and offer you the same deal!” […]