Let’s Rev it Up with R3

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FMN would like to re-announce a program that supports Fairfax County Schools. In fact, some schools may already be participating in this program so “Rev it Up for 2023” maybe more appropriate. At any rate, FMN has been provided with a revitalized R3 operating guide and volunteers may earn service hours for their efforts planning, planting, and maintaining gardens specific to this program.

FMN Stewardship service code –

S177: FCPS Revitalize, Restore, Repurpose (R3) Program — FCPS

The focus of this program is to provide support to Fairfax County Public School’s Revitalize, Restore, Repurpose (R3) Program.  FMN members are needed to support Fairfax County Storm Water Management (FCSWM) ecologists responsible for working with the schools on these outdoor classrooms.  FMN members will assist with educating students about stormwater management and provide support maintaining the gardens once FCSWM and the school completes the initial installation. Maintenance generally includes: providing guidance to the students and schools for long term care, and regular weeding to keep the site in good condition, cutting back dead growth to allow for new growth every winter/early spring, and to provide specialized support as needed by each school and site.

If you have questions please contact:
FMN coordinator – Jessica Fish [email protected]
FCSWM Manager – Dionna Bucci [email protected]

For general information read about the R3 program.

For information tailored to FMN participants, please contact Jessica.

Spotted Lanternfly Egg Mass Surveys– a virtual training for volunteer community scientists, February 21st

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Photo Credit: Spotted Lanternfly by Stephen Ausmus, USDA

Tuesday, February 21, 2023
12:00 – 1:00 PM EST

Brown Bag Webinar

Registration and additional details.

The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect that was discovered in Virginia in 2018, and has the potential to cause significant economic and ecological impacts. Help us monitor its spread by looking for egg masses in high-risk areas. This training will cover the biology and identification of the spotted lanternfly, its current distribution, how and where to conduct egg mass surveys, and how to record data.

Presentations will be given by Lori Chamberlin and Katlin DeWitt from the Virginia Department of Forestry.

These classes are approved FMN CE.  Record hours in Better Impact under Continuing Education > All Continuing Education.  For Approved CE Organization, choose VMN-State or Chapter offered.  In Description, include the name of the class.

Life is short but snakes are long: diversity and natural history of Virginia’s snakes, February 21st

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Photo: VMN Michelle Prysby of Eastern garter snake

Tuesday, February 21, 2023
12:00-1:00 pm

Webinar

Registration and additional information.

Presenter: Arianna Kuhn, Assistant Curator of Herpetology, Virginia Museum of Natural History
February 21, 2023, 12:00-1:00 pm

Other Information:
Pre-registration for webinars is required.  You will receive a confirmation email with the link to join the webinar.
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Links to captioned recordings of each webinar will be posted on this page approximately two weeks after the webinar.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Michelle Prysby, VMN Program Director at 434-872-4587/TDD*) during business hours of 8 am. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations five days prior to the event.
*”TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law.

These classes are approved FMN CE.  Record hours in Better Impact under Continuing Education > All Continuing Education.  For Approved CE Organization, choose VMN-State or Chapter offered.  In Description, include the name of the class.

Native Seedling Sale sponsored by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD)

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Orders for the 2023 Native Seedling Sale open on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 9:00am.
The order site will be linked from this page.

The seedling sale pickup will be Friday, March 31, 2023, from 9am-4pm and Saturday, April 1, 2023, from 9am-12pm at Sleepy Hollow Bath and Racquet Club, 3516 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church VA 22044. Any seedlings not collected at pickup will be donated to a reforestation project in Fairfax County. Seedlings must be purchased in advance; no day of sales or extras will be offered.

NVSWCD’s understands this is an unusual time. Please contact NVSWCD prior to the seedling sale date should you require accommodations. NVSWCD looks forward to seeing you at the 2023 seedling sale!

Woodcock Watch Presented by The Clifton Institute, March 4th and 11th

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Photo: Courtesy of The Clifton Institute, American Woodcock

Saturdays, March 4 or March 11, 2023
5:45 – 7:15 PM

Cost: $10 for general public, $5 for Friends of Clifton

The Clifton Institute

6712 Blantyre Road
Warrenton, Virginia 20187

Registration for the March 4th event.

Registration for the March 11th event.

The American Woodcock is one of the stealthiest birds, but it’s also one of the most fun to watch when they do show themselves. On early spring evenings, the males perform their mating displays, flying high into the air and falling back to the ground, making calls and sounds with their wings as they do so.

There will be a brief talk about these interesting birds, followed by a walk out into our fields where you will be able to watch and hear the birds perform.

For FMN CE credit use All Continuing Ed and select ‘Clifton Institute’ as the Approved Organization. Please make a note in the description that it is for the Woodcock Watch.

The Socrates Project: Poisonous Plants in Virginia

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The cover image is a watercolor created by Trish Crowe specially for this publication.

The Socrates Project: Poisonous Plants in Virginia is a reference guide to poisonous plants native to Virginia. Click the image to view the publication, or click here.

This second edition is a joint effort between the Virginia Master Naturalist Program–a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities–the Blue Ridge Poison Center at University of Virginia Health, and the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Division of Medical Toxicology – Department of Emergency Medicine.

NOTE: For immediate, expert help if you suspect anyone has eaten or been exposed to any of these plants, call the Blue Ridge Poison Center right away: 1-800-222-1222.  [Health care providers may call the dedicated provider line: 800-451-1428.

The cover image is a watercolor created by Trish Crowe specially for this publication. Learn more about the artist and her work here: Trish Crowe

The Cleopatra Project: Poisonous and Venomous Animals in Virginia

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The cover image is a watercolor created by Trish Crowe specially for this publication.

To help Virginians avoid poisonings from encounters with wildlife, a reference guide to 32 poisonous and venomous animals that live in Virginia is now available as a free, downloadable book.

“The Cleopatra Project – Poisonous and Venomous Animals in Virginia” is filled with full-color photographs and written to be an easily read, valuable reference for parents, educators, healthcare providers and the general public.

The book is a collaboration between the Virginia Master Naturalists – a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities – the Blue Ridge Poison Center at UVA Health and the UVA School of Medicine’s Division of Medical Toxicology.

Work on the book began in 2021 as a response to the hundreds of exposures to poisonous and venomous animals reported annually in Virginia. Encounters between these animals and humans typically occur when an animal reacts to an unexpected disturbance or to a perceived threat. Each document entry includes a description of the animal, its habitat and likely geographic range in Virginia, the source of poison or venom, potential physical symptoms and possible animal “look-alikes.”

The Cleopatra Project is now available at med.virginia.edu/brpc/the-learning-center/the-cleopatra-project/. It joins a companion book, “The Socrates Project – Poisonous Plants of Virginia,” which describes the 25 poisonous plants that grow in the wild in Virginia and can be downloaded at med.virginia.edu/brpc/socrates.

 

36TH ANNUAL LAHR NATIVE PLANTS SYMPOSIUM, March 25th

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Saturday, March 25, 2023
9:30 AM–3:45 PM

Administration Building Auditorium,
U.S. National Arboretum
3501 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002

Reserve your spot now! $100 (FONA members $80)
View the full program here.

What do George Washington, the National Arboretum’s bonsai curators, and several of the region’s grassland restoration experts and landscape designers have in common? An appreciation of the ecosystem services provided by native plants and a commitment to their conservation.

Learn from the National Arboretum’s line-up of native plant professionals about efforts to reestablish beautiful and unusual habitats and how you can successfully manage and design your cultivated landscapes. The 36th Lahr Native Plant Symposium provides inspiration from the wild and practical advice for your gardens.

Registrants attend all plenary sessions and one concurrent session of their choice.

Registration is required and includes all sessions, morning coffee and refreshments, and box lunch.

Questions? Email us at [email protected].

For FMN CE credit use All Continuing Ed and select ‘Other’ as the Approved Organization. Please make a note in the description that it is for the NBG symposium.

As with all CE, VMN does not permit travel time to be included. Also, with symposiums and conferences, only actual ‘learning sessions’ can be claimed. Lunch, plant sales, intros, breaks, etc. are not considered learning sessions.

Wetland Dynamics through the Seasons

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Photo: Courtesy of the National Park Service, Vernal Pool

Wednesday, March 1, 2023
7:00PM

This is an On-line program.

Click here for program registration.

Wetlands like those at Mason Neck State Park experience dramatic changes over the course of a year. The Friends of Mason Neck State Park are co-sponsoring the Friends of Dyke Marsh’s online program “Wetland Dynamics through the Seasons” at 7 PM on March 1. The presentation will explore the secrets and wonders of freshwater and tidal wetlands and associated woodland over the course of a year: spring’s avian migrations, quickening of vegetation, burgeoning of myriad invertebrates and the assaults of extreme weather conditions; summertime’s proliferation of flora, fish, fowl and mammals; amazing feats of biological inventiveness during the autumnal preparation for winter; and how plants and animals adapt to winter’s harsh conditions.

The program will be presented by Dr. Colin Rees, retired biodiversity specialist at the World Bank and professor of Zoology at the University of Maryland. He is one of the developers and founders of Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary on the Patuxent River, part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Southern Maryland, which is the focus of his recent book, Nature’s Calendar: A Year in the Life of a Wildlife Sanctuary.

 

Mira, A Spectacular Variable Star

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The Online Planetarium (In-The-Sky.org) star map snap shot, showing the location of Mira (circled) at 5:00 AM on June 15, 2023 in the eastern sky. Mira might be hard to see until later in the summer.

Illustrations and article by FMN Stephen Tzikas

When does a bright star come out of nowhere, rise in the east, and attract a gathering of followers? It might sound like a familiar story about a star in the east a couple millennia ago. However, this star repeats a cycle every 11 months, and is an attention getting event in the constellation Cetus. The star is Omicron Ceti, otherwise known as Mira by its common name. It is my favorite variable star and I track it continuously when it is not behind the Sun, which makes it unobservable for a few months. Mira is unique in that its brightness varies from nearly a magnitude of 2 to dimmer than magnitude 9. This means that at its brightest, it is one of the brightest stars in the sky. At its dimmest, it is invisible and a telescope is needed to see it. One can watch it over the weeks, even as short as days, and see it growing brighter and then dimmer. Serious observers like myself will submit their observations to the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). There are many other variable stars that one can observe, and some of them have cycles that are entirely naked eye. But observing with binoculars opens many opportunities. There are many reasons why a star can regularly vary in brightness.

Mira is part of a group of variable stars called long-term Mira variables, named after Mira itself, the most famous

Light curve for Mira produced by all observers, including the author. Notice the sinusoidal manner in which Mira varies in brightness over the months and years. The orange markers are the author’s contributions.

of this type of star. Mira type variable stars are red giant stars in the later stages of evolution, and they pulsate with cycles longer than 100 days, and with amplitudes greater than 2.5 in visual magnitude. They will eventually become white dwarf stars at the center of a planetary nebula, the remains of the original star’s dissipated outer envelope.

I track the brightness of Mira by comparison to the known brightness magnitudes of neighboring stars that do not change in magnitude. When at its brightest, I track Mira’s changes in magnitude visually. When it is dimmer, by binoculars. At its dimmest, I need a telescope.

Mira will be at brightest again in June 2023. Mira just passed its dimmest magnitude in January 2023. The challenge this year is that Mira will be its brightest at early dawn rising in the eastern sky. That may make it unfavorable for some people to see, but as we get into the summer months, Mira will be higher and higher in the eastern sky before sunrise and probably still a naked eye object depending on your location’s light pollution.

Light curve specific for the author’s input since 2013, with other observer contributions removed.  This contribution is thus one part of a more complete light curve.

One can check the magnitude of Mira on the AAVSO website (https://www.aavso.org/). Besides Mira there are other common naked eye variable stars that can be observed. Learn more at: https://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/variablestar/VSOIntroduction.html, the Astronomical League’s variable star program.