Article and photo by Plant NOVA Natives If you grew up in suburbia, a pristine lawn was a welcome herald of spring. Everyone enjoys the smell of freshly mowed grass and the look of a well-kept, manicured lawn. So what, you might wonder, is the problem with turfgrass? After all, it is a green, living […]
Photo: Courtesy of SERC Tuesday, June 18, 2024 7 pm Register here. How will a hotter planet reshape the insect world? In the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) June evening webinar, join entomologist and author Michael Raupp for a look at the future of insects, both pests and pollinators. He will reveal how climate change […]
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. […]