Entries by Janet Quinn

Submit Your Best Bird Photos to the 2024 Audubon Photography Awards, deadline February 28th

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Photo: Green-winged Teals, James Fatemi/Audubon Photography Awards The 2024 Audubon Photography Awards is now accepting photographs until February 28. This prestigious contest attracts photographers from around the country to compete for 9 prizes. Winning photographs will be published in Audubon’s Magazine and on their website. We have wonderful natural resources here in Virginia and some very talented […]

Know Your Natives: Deer Tolerance, webinar February 21st

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Photo: PennState Extension Thursday, February 21, 2024 7 – 8 pm Webinar Registration required. The Penn State Master Gardeners of Westmoreland County presents an informational session on deer-tolerant native plants in the Know Your Natives series. Deer can be both majestic and challenging visitors to our gardens. In this webinar, we’ll explore native plants that […]

The Petroglyphs of Great Falls, Virginia

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Feature photo:  The author at the Great Falls petroglyph site sitting on a chair-like rock. Article and photos by FMN Stephen Tzikas Early in my career I had numerous business trips to the southwest border of the country, and on my personal time, I visited the national or state parks in the area that had […]

Help Trees Thrive: Tear Up Some Turf

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By Elaine Kolish, Fairfax County Tree Commission, photo: Plant NOVA Trees It’s fairly common in residential neighborhoods to see trees surrounded by grass or by small mulch beds, often heaped high like a volcano. But did you know that your trees would be healthier and grow faster if you replaced that turf and mulch volcanos […]

Bird Friendly® Certified Coffee (and how you can help) Webinar, January 18th

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Photo: Courtesy of the Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification Thursday, January 18, 2024 7 – 8 pm Webinar Free but registration required. Did you know that the coffee you drink can affect the birds in your backyard? The Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification does more than any other certification program to conserve habitat for birds and other […]

Climate Extremes: What’s the Forecast for Invasive Species?, Webinar, January 16th

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Photo: Julia Blum Tuesday, January 16, 2024 7 pm Webinar Register here. As the planet heats up, non-native species all over the U.S. are pushing north to follow the warmer weather. But the simple narrative doesn’t end there. Dr. Andy Chang, lead marine biologist for Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s California branch, has tracked the movement […]

Earn a Lifetime Pass to Virginia State Parks by Volunteering

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Article compiled by Jamie Leeuwrik, Chief Ranger – Visitor Experience, Mason Neck State Park, FMN Chapter Co-Advisor Although Lifetime Passes may no longer be purchased to Virginia State Parks, they may be earned through logging volunteer hours. Here is a list of the benefits you may earn by logging hours. Those interested in volunteering at […]

Solar panels vs. trees – how to choose?

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Article and photo by Plant NOVA Natives Residents who are interested in installing solar panels often face a dilemma. Which is better for the environment, solar panels or shade trees? After all, climate change due to burning fossil fuels is threatening the very existence of trees, not to mention human beings, and the timeline for […]