Photo by Laura Beaty
Sunday 22, 2024
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Registration Fee: $8.00
Registration link: Register starting July 30
Hidden Oaks Nature Center Location
7701 Royce Street
Annandale, VA 22003
Dive into the enchanting world of monarch butterflies with this monarch migration program. Join this educational and delightful journey as participants learn about their fascinating life cycle and migration.
Photo: Randy Streufert
The Friends of Mason Neck State Park (FoMNSP) 2024 photography contest is now open. They are looking for images taken in the park that highlight its magic. Winning photos, including honorable mention, will be published in the FoMNSP newsletter, website, and social media.
Eligibility
Anyone other than Mason Neck State Park staff, Board members of the Friends and contest judges, as well as their immediate family (spouses, partners, siblings, and children) and household members is eligible to enter.
Entry Period
The “Picture the Magic” Photo Contest closes on October 15, 2024. Late entries will not be considered. The FoMNSP will notify the prize winners by October 31, 2024.
What Subjects to Enter
Digital photographs taken in Mason Neck State Park anytime in 2022 through 2024 of:
Park Scenery and Park Flora– images showing off the park’s landscape, trees, plants, or flowers.
Fauna – images of the park’s mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects, or other critters living in the park. Note: Dogs, cats, and other pets/animals not native to the park do not qualify.
Aquatic activities – Visitors enjoying Belmont Bay or Kane’s Creek in canoes, kayaks, or other non-powered vessels.
Contest Rules
You can read the contest rules and download an entry form here.
Photo: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
7 pm
Webinar by Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Free
Register here.
How do plants make a living? That question has propelled botanist Dennis Whigham for his nearly 47-year career with the Smithsonian. Orchids were especially bewitching. Join Dennis for a journey of discovery through the orchid world. He’ll take you from their unlikely beginnings as “dust seeds,” to the microscopic fungi they depend on to thrive, to their quirky—or downright sneaky—strategies to get pollinated. He’ll also reveal some of the most shocking discoveries, including the realization that more than half our continent’s native orchids are in trouble. Discover how stewards across the continent are rallying to save native orchids through the North American Orchid Conservation Center, and what you can do to help ensure their survival.
Photo: Smithsonian Associates
Monday, August 26, 2024
6:45 – 8:15 pm
Smithsonian Associates Webinar
$20 members/$25 nonmembers
Register here.
Some stories that people tell about octopuses almost defy belief. These animals are said to steal from fishermen, escape from aquariums, invent tools, play with toys, make friends, and hold grudges. How many of these tales are true and how many are a result of human imagination or anthropomorphism?
Scientists have indeed documented extraordinary cognitive capacity and behavioral flexibility not only in octopuses but also in their close relatives, squids and cuttlefish. Members of this group of animals, called cephalopods, have large brains and the ability to adapt to myriad situations with creative problem-solving. They can learn quickly, remember what they’ve learned, and communicate with members of their own and other species. Biologist Danna Staaf, who has written several books about cephalopods, sorts fact from fancy and dissects the question of how intelligent they are to see what we can learn from them about our definition of intelligence.
Image: Courtesy of the Clifton Institute
Saturday, September 7, 2024
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: $15 ($10 for Friends of Clifton)
This program will be held at the residence of the Clifton Institute co-directors to experience a remnant prairie, a planted meadow, and a native plant garden. The remnant prairie on the property hosts a remarkable assemblage of native wildflowers and grasses over sandstone bedrock. Bert and Eleanor are managing the prairie with mowing, burning, and invasive plant control. They have also planted a one-acre meadow on an old lawn and they’ve worked with Hill House Nursery to establish a native plant garden.
This program is a case study of how landowners can manage their land to benefit native plants and animals on a relatively small property.
Photo: FCPA, Tammy Tammy Schwab running the bug identification station at the Bug Fest at Lewinsville park.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Cost: $8.00
Registration: Register starting July 30
Lake Accotink Park
7500 Accotink Park Road in Springfield
For more information, visit:
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/lake-accotink.
Insect fans are sure to find something to enjoy at the FCPA third year of Bug Fest at a new location, Lake Accotink, on Saturday, September 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will be able to enjoy bug-themed programs, activities and demonstrations. Embark on an insect safari, discover live insects, inspect insect collections, roll over logs to find creatures, play in soil stations, go on bug walks and hear critter talks. You will also have the chance to design your own bug and use technology to examine the world of insects.
Photo: SERC
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
7 pm
Hosted by Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)
Register here.
From frogs to salamanders, amphibians are secretive but essential to our health and the function our ecosystems. But despite their critical role, amphibians are facing a crisis: Over 40% are threatened with extinction. How can we reduce that loss? Join Kerry Wixted with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies as SERC dives into the fascinating world of amphibian biodiversity in the eastern United States, a global amphibian hotspot. Learn about the alarming threats amphibians face, from habitat loss to climate change and disease, as well as rays of hope. Kerry will cover the inspiring efforts of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) and their dedicated partner network working at local, regional, and national levels to combat these threats and ensure a future for our amphibians.
Image: American Bird Conservancy
Thursday, July 25, 2024
4 pm
Presented by American Bird Conservancy (ABC)
Register here.
Seabirds were humans’ first companions when we ventured onto the ocean. With adaptations for long flights over open waters, seabirds like the Laysan Albatross endure some of the harshest conditions on Earth. They are champions of the bird world, holding records for longest migration, deepest diver, largest wingspan, and more!
These often unseen birds are critical to marine ecosystems. For example, healthy colonies of seabirds on islands create healthier surrounding reefs, which are nurseries for the fish many people eat.
Seabirds, however, are one of the most endangered groups of birds. Their populations have dropped a staggering 70 percent globally over the past 60 years due to factors such as invasive species, unsustainable fisheries, and marine trash.
American Bird Conservancy’s Marine Program is working tirelessly with partners to safeguard the most vulnerable species both while at sea, and on land where they nest.
If you can’t make the webinar live, RSVP anyway and they’ll send you a recording to enjoy when the time is right for you.
Photo: Rick Ahrens (NABA)
The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) has run the Butterfly Count Program in the United States, Canada, and Mexico since 1993. Each of the approximately 450 annual counts consists of a compilation of all butterflies observed at sites within a 15-mile diameter count circle in a one-day period.
The annually published reports provide a tremendous amount of information about the geographical distribution and relative population sizes of the species counted. Comparisons of the results across years can be used to monitor changes in butterfly populations and study the effects of weather and habitat change on North American butterflies.
Counts are open to the public and count on new participants like you. Depending on the count, one or more parties will survey sites within the 15-mile diameter count circle on a given day. Butterfly counts are driven by butterfly lovers just like you. All it takes is a desire to participate in a day-long count to help track the North American butterfly populations.
Find an active count near you on the map page, e.g., search for “Virginia.” (The map takes a moment to work so be patient.) Once you contact them, the compiler (count leader) will let you know when and where to meet.
Article and photo by Plant NOVA Natives
Dense plantings between properties are a valuable amenity, so much so that they are mandated for many building projects. A mixed hedge consisting of native plant species has the added value of supporting the songbirds in our communities. Privacy screens don’t always work out as planned, though, so here are a few considerations for creating and maintaining them.
Rows of identical evergreen trees or shrubs have been the conventional choice for screening. A strong case can be made, however, for mixing it up a bit. Ten plants of the same species may look symmetrical initially, but nature has a way of laughing at symmetry. Small variations in sunlight and moisture can cause the plants to grow at different rates. In the case of shrubs, this problem can be countered for a while by shearing them all to the same height. But it’s not a lot of fun to be standing on a ladder to shear plants, and eventually plants tend to rebel at being chopped back and start to look tired or leggy. A more serious problem occurs when one of them dies, leaving a hole in the screening, or worse, when a disease spreads from plant to plant, as can easily happen to a monoculture.
By contrast, a screen that consists of a variety of native plants – chosen because their natural sizes are appropriate for the situation – can do the job while reducing maintenance needs. As an important bonus, native trees and shrubs provide not only nesting sites for songbirds but also food for both the adults and the nestlings, unlike plants that evolved elsewhere and do little to support the local ecosystem. A list of native plants that are suitable for screening can be found on the Plant NOVA Natives website.
Sometimes people find themselves in a hurry to screen off an undesirable view and are facing the problem of having to wait for trees and shrubs to grow high enough. A better solution may be to block the view right away with a lattice and cover it with Coral Honeysuckle or Crossvine. Both of these evergreen native vines have colorful blooms that attract hummingbirds..
Unfortunately, our buffer areas between properties have become a prime target for invasive plant species, which can seriously degrade a site before the landowner realizes something is wrong. If screening was mandated in the development process, local ordinances require that the plants be maintained in good health and replaced if they die. The most immediate threat is posed by invasive vines such as Japanese Honeysuckle or Asian Wisteria which strangle and smother trees and shrubs. A nice screening that was an amenity is now a derelict eyesore and an invitation to dumping. Invasive trees such as Callery Pear crowd out the native trees, and invasive shrubs such as Japanese Barberry, Nandina, and Burning Bush prevent tree seedlings from growing. The sooner these plants are recognized and dealt with, the easier and less expensive it will be to preserve the beauty of our homes and communities. You can learn more about that on the invasives management page of the Plant NOVA Natives website.