My Year Playing with Litter: Exploring the Effects of Leaf Litter Removal on Insect Communities, November 14th

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Virginia Native Plant Society, Potowmack Chapter
2021 Annual Meeting & Program
Sunday, November 14, 2021
2:30 pm
Register here.

Annual meeting begins at 1:30 with social time, then annual business meeting and elections. The presentation by Max Ferlauto begins at 2:30.

Max Ferlauto outlines his PhD dissertation research and discusses preliminary results.

Max grew up in Arlington, Virginia where he gained an appreciation for native plants and insects through local environmental organizations, such as the Potowmack Chapter of VNPS. He received his bachelor’s degree in Plant Ecology from Juniata College. He is now a 3rd year PhD student at the University of Maryland Entomology Department in Karin Burghardt’s Lab. Dr. Burghardt is a former student of Doug Tallamy and has published research with him.
Max studies how landscaping practices, such as leaf litter management, affect urban ecosystems.

Call of the Wild Conference, November 19-21, 2021

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Photo: Wildlife Center of Virginia

Friday, November 19 – Sunday, November 21, 2021
Three day ticket $100, Single day ticket $50
Through the Whova Event app
Click here for more Information, Conference Schedule, and Registration

The Wildlife Center of Virginia invites you to the 26th annual Call of the Wild conference on wildlife rehabilitation, co-sponsored by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Wildlife rehabilitators, veterinary professionals, wildlife biologists, environmental educators, and wildlife enthusiasts from Virginia and beyond will share ideas and knowledge that can benefit wildlife, the environment, and the continually evolving field of wildlife rehabilitation.

This is an excellent learning opportunity for rehabilitators of all skill levels — and a chance for you to relax, rejuvenate, and be inspired to continue the great work you do!

Urban Bats: Studying and Protecting our Wildlife Neighbors, October 26th

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Photo by Rick Reynolds on www.dwr.virginia.gov

Tuesday, October 26, 2021
7 pm
Zoom
Register here.

When you think of urban wildlife, critters like rats, pigeons, and raccoons may come to mind – but what about bats? Bats have a scary reputation, but play an important role in ecosystems and face serious conservation threats. Dr. Ela-Sita Carpenter will discuss her study of bats in Baltimore, as well as ways we can all support these special creatures in our neighborhoods. Presented by Audubon Naturalist Society.

Poplar Island: An Innovative Model of Habitat Creation through Reuse, October 19th

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Photo courtesy of http://www.poplarislandrestoration.com/

Tuesday, October 19, 2021
7 pm
Zoom
Register here.

Join Kristina Motley, Senior Environmental Specialist, to examine why the Poplar Island project is such a successful model of reuse. This environmental restoration project located in the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County, Maryland, relies on dredged material collected from the approach channels to the Baltimore Harbor to restore lost remote island habitat within the Chesapeake Bay. This results in restoration of almost 400 acres of wetland habitat where more than 400 different species of wildlife have been documented and more than 30 different birds have been confirmed as nesting. Join Audubon Naturalist Society to learn about this unique story of continuing habitat victories.

Fruit Talks and Field Walks: Persimmons with Eliza Greenman – November 11

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Photo: Persimmon, Keith Bradley

Workshop:
Online
Thursday, November 11, 2021
7 – 8 PM

Field Trip:
Saturday, November 13, 2021
8 AM – Noon
Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Upperville, VA

Fees: Workshop only: $15; Workshop and field walk: $75

Register here.

Join Audubon Society of Northern Virginia for an exciting new series with Oak
Spring Garden Foundation that focuses on native and heritage trees. The first
workshop will be led by Eliza Greenman, a fruit explorer, horticultural historian,
designer, and implementer of agroforestry. Learn more about Eliza and her work here.

Eliza will lead participants in a one-hour online class, followed by a half-day field
trip to Oak Spring Garden Foundation. They will be outdoors and walking
in the field. Please wear comfortable clothing and appropriate shoes.

Mysterious Nature and Lore with the Capital Naturalist, October 12th

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Photo courtesy of ANS

Tuesday, October 12, 2021
7 pm
Online session.
Register here.

Enjoy a night of mystery and intrigue with the Capital Naturalist Alonso Abugattas. During this talk, attendees will enjoy learning some of the lesser-known natural phenomena in our region and their influence on our culture. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to engage with one of Audubon Naturalist Society‘s most dynamic speakers!

Neabsco Creek Boardwalk – CE Hike

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Jerry Nissley

Cover Photo – Barbara J. Saffir


Welcome to the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk, which is part of the Neabsco Regional Park in Prince William county and the site of the latest FMN hosted CE Hike. As the name implies CE Hikes are arranged around a specific educational outdoor activity and then offered to FMN members only for Continuing Education (CE) credits. 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. The event was a resounding success. It was informative, it included the exciting element of discovery, and the group had fun. The group spotted dozens of Green Tree Frogs (Hyla cinerea), identified and recorded copious plants, several katydids, a hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), dragon flies, garden spider (Argiope aurantia) with egg sac, and many other plants and creatures in the time we were there.

Barbara J. Saffir
Barbara J. Saffir

An iNaturalist project was created and participants were afforded the opportunity to join and contribute photos into the project either while in the field or later after post-processing photos at home. Some of those photos are included in this article along with views from the boardwalk.

Participants were Fairfax Master Naturalists David Gorsline, Hunter Loftin, Sharon Rhoades, Diane Bowen, Jose Martinez, Harry Iredale, and Jerry Nissley along with hike leader Barbara J. Saffir. Having a group comprised of master naturalists was value added because each member was able to contribute nuggets of learned knowledge and field experience, which enhanced the learning potential of the collective. 

Be on the look out for future FMN CE Hikes announced through the FMN newsletter, Facebook, and other social media. Any announcement will include an automated enrollment function for FMN members to sign up.

Axanthic Green Tree Frog – Jerry Nissley
Green Tree Frogs – Jerry Nissley

Sustainable Landscaping Webinar, October 8th

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Photos courtesy of PEC

Friday, October 8, 2021
12 – 1:30 pm
Webinar
Register here.

Join Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) during your Friday lunch hour for this free, informative webinar, including three presentations by guest speakers Jim McGlone (Virginia Department of Forestry), Tim Ohlwiler (Virginia Cooperative Extension), and David Wood (Chesapeake Stormwater Network).

Building a Garden Ecosystem – Jim McGlone
Learn about the role of plants and insects in your garden and how using native plants can change your garden into a self-sustaining low maintenance garden ecosystem that grows beautiful plants and attracts pollinators like butterflies.

Solutions to Challenging Soils and Locations – Tim Ohlwiler
Virginia gardeners often have problems with drought, high pH soils, compacted soils, sidewalks and other challenges with planting trees. Tim will talk about evaluating soils in difficult locations and then share some of his favorite trees for those challenging locations.

Build Your Own Rain Garden – David Wood
Looking for landscaping tips that can help attract birds and pollinators and maybe even treat a bit of stormwater runoff? David will discuss how to design and build your own backyard rain garden. Learn how to boost backyard habitat and reduce nuisance flooding on your property in an environmentally friendly way.

Wintering Waterbirds, October 20th

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Photo: Fred Siskind

Wednesday, October 20, 2021
7 pm
Zoom
Register here.

Join Friends of Dyke Marsh for Greg Butcher’s presentation on wintering waterbirds. Mr. Butcher will introduce the diversity of waterbirds that spend the winter in Northern Virginia and explain the difference between waterbirds and waterfowl. He will also review citizen science studies and conservation needs for birds and people along the Potomac River.

Mr. Butcher is Vice President of Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and Migratory Species Coordinator, the U.S. Forest Service’s International Programs.

Fundamentals of Avian Biology, the Study of Birds: Fall Session with Dr. Chris Haney, Oct. 4 – Nov. 15, 2021

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Dr. Chris Haney photo courtesy of ASNV

Mondays and Wednesdays, October 4 – November 15, 2021
7-8 pm
Field trips: October 16 (Rain Date: 23); November 6 (Rain Date: 13)
Where: VIRTUAL
Cost: $150 member/$175 non-member online only; $250 member/$275 non-member online and field trips
More information and register here.

Are you new to birding and want to learn more or just want to dig deeper into the subject? Then this Audubon Society of Northern Virginia class is for you.

This course is designed and presented at an introductory, university level in 6 parts, with each week’s worth of classroom instruction equaling 2 hours. Fundamentals of Avian Biology, Part 1 will feature the major underpinnings to ornithology within a context of U.S. national history. Topics covered in this class encompass: the origins and then separation of amateur from professional interest in birds; form and function in the avian body; avian flight mechanics, movement, and dispersal; bird distribution and biogeography; evolutionary relationships and naming systems for birds; and standardized field methods used to study birds. Whenever appropriate, contrasting perspectives are offered, including controversial views that arose from reliance on different theories or applications. Instructional presentations will include PowerPoint slides, auditory or video supplements, and some in-class participatory exercises.