All photos provided by Annie Palermo According to the inimitable Steve Irwin, “The message is simple: love and conserve our wildlife”. Annie Palermo (FMN Fall 2021) passionately lives this message on a daily basis as a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator with the Wildlife Rescue League (WRL). Wildlife Rehabilitators are individuals, organizations, or animal hospitals that have […]
Each year the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) celebrates outstanding efforts of volunteerism at the Elly Doyle Awards Ceremony. Two of the 2021 recipients are FMN Bob Dinse and the at large group Friends of Accotink Creek.
The CE walk along the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk was designed as a natural history walk to collect observations and to instruct people on how to improve their photos for iNaturalist. It was a resounding success.
All photos by Jerry Nissley By volunteering at or simply visiting the many Fairfax County Parks we have all noticed how each park fills a niche. Each park has unique attractions and exemplary qualities that delight visitors and Hidden Oaks just extended theirs. Hidden Oaks Nature Center is nestled inside the 52-acre Annandale District Park. […]
Photo: Jerry Nissley Cicadas have come and gone. The only visible remnant being dead-headed branches that result from flagging (laying eggs), in preparation for their legacy, the next generation of brood X. Invisible to us are the nutrients provided by countless insects as they drop and cycle into the earth. That was, of course, a […]
Photo Jerry Nissley For the last three years or so there existed the FMN Citizen Science opportunity, C252 – Native Orchard Bee Monitoring. Many Virginia Master Naturalists throughout the state participated including several FMN members, by installing Orchard Bee boxes in their yards or community, recording and reporting statistics and observations, and returning boxes for […]
Riverbend; photo by Jerry Nissley “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir During the pandemic, the restorative value of walking along dirt paths became especially clear to Fairfax Master Naturalist Robin Duska, who was recently recognized by the Virginia Master Naturalist state board […]
I am almost certain that most of the FMN newsletter readers have seen or heard of the phenomenon described in this article, commonly called rainbow pools. However, since I recently had my first opportunity, unplanned as it was, to photograph them at Huntley Meadows Park I thought I would share my good fortune. I was […]
Huntley Meadows Park (HMP) hosted an owl program presented by ‘Secret Garden Birds and Bees (SGBB)’. The program was filled with great owl fun facts even better spontaneous material.