FMN Chapter Project update and photo from Sarah Mayhew, President, Fairfax Chapter Virginia Master Naturalists: After three very busy workdays, the Mason Neck State Park Pollinator Gardens are looking great. Fairfax Master Naturalists, working with volunteers from the Friends of Mason Neck State Park, have weeded four flower beds around the Visitors Center building. They […]
Photo by Plant NOVA Natives, Mourning Cloak Butterfly Saturday, July 1, 2023 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM Occoquan Bay NWR, 13950 Dawson Beach Road Woodbridge, VA, 22191 Participation is limited. To sign up, email Tina at tina@audubonva.org. Volunteers are needed for the upcoming North American Butterfly Association butterfly count at Occoquan Bay on July 1, starting […]
Photo: FMN Margaret Fisher, Trees being engulfed by invasive plants The wooded common areas of community associations and places of worship are not only amenities for humans but also important elements of the infrastructure, cooling the environment and soaking up stormwater that otherwise causes downstream flooding. The woods are also home for many non-human neighbors. […]
Photo: Io Moth by Judy Gallagher Monday, July 24, 2023 7:00 – 8:00 PM This is a Virtual meeting. FREE, but registration is required Join Judy Gallagher for a workshop on moths, to celebrate National Moth Week (NMW), July 22-30. Did you know that many adult moths eat nectar but others don’t eat at all […]
Image: Courtesy of The Clifton Institute Saturday, July 22, 2023 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Cost: Free Registration is REQUIRED. The Clifton Institue 6712 Blantyre Road Warrenton, Virginia 20187 Every year community scientists help count the butterflies in 15-mile-diameter circles all around the country and contribute their data to the North American Butterfly Association. This […]
Image: Courtesy of The Clifton Institute Friday, July 7, 2023 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Cost: Free Registration is REQUIRED. The Clifton Institue 6712 Blantyre Road Warrenton, Virginia 20187 Come join members of The Clifton Institute to learn about butterfly identification and biology. Bert Harris will give a presentation on the identification of common butterflies in our […]
Photo: “firefly 2010 06 09 092, Photinus pyralis” by Terry Priest is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Event Details Tuesday, July 18, 2023 7:30 PM All ages welcome. FREE. Use this link to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/n… Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, 1551 Trap Rd, Vienna, VA, 22182Event will begin at 7:30 pm Meet behind […]
(Greystone Books Ltd, 2016, 248 pages) A book review by Mike Garth, Fairfax Master Naturalist As an avid nature photographer, I have spent countless hours observing wildlife, waiting for the peak moment to capture a photograph. Through it all I’ve learned habits and behaviors and developed a deeper sense of appreciation for the moment-by-moment nature […]
Photo: by Dr. Caroline Judy Thursday, June 22, 2023 7:00 – 8:00 PM Virtual Fee: $25 (For members $15) Click here for Registration details. Dr. Caroline Judy will present a program on June 22 on her work studying an unusual case of island speciation seen in Jamaican streamertail hummingbirds (Trochilus spp). Streamertail hummingbirds are closely-related […]
Photo taken by FMN Member, Donna Stauffer The Friends of Mason Neck State Park held their 25th Annual Eagle Festival on Saturday, May 13. The Fairfax Master Naturalists participated by hosting a table. Once again, a group of committed FMN volunteers came together to share their enthusiasm, experience, and knowledge as nature stewards. Attendees were […]