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Winter Tree Identification At Prince William Forest Park Sponsored by VNPS Potowmack Chapter and the Prince William Wildflower Society Prince William Forest Park Visitor’s Center VNPS programs are free and open to the public. RSVP and information: dcarter1776@yahoo.com An arboreal meeting place, Prince William Forest Park features species of trees at their northern- and southern-most limits, as well as representatives from both the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont physiographic provinces. The winter landscape affords visitors an unobstructed view of the rich, diverse ecosystems that exist in the Park, and accentuates many characteristics of woody plants that help with identification in all seasons. Following the indoor training session, Elizabeth Rives will lead the group on a leisurely 1-2 mile hike over sloping terrain to practice the basics of winter tree identification. Along the way she will relate the vast natural and cultural history of the Park. Instructor: Elizabeth Rives Elizabeth Rives is an environmental educator and winter woody plant identification instructor based in Virginia, teaching winter woody plant identification for multiple local organizations. As an Arlington-Alexandria Tree Steward and a Casey Trees Citizen Forester, Ms. Rives has conducted tree identification surveys, advised on tree care and maintenance, and researched native flora. |
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Hot on the heels of a thrilling lecture on bees, here comes our propagator extraordinairy Laura Beaty!
February 16th, Green Spring Gardens 7:30pm
Our February program builds on this season’s topic of pollination. In her slide talk, Laura Beaty will illustrate the important relationship between native plants and their pollinators. Her colorful presentation will feature the bloom sequence of local natives as well as highlighting their importance to local pollinators. Native plants support native pollinators and pollinators ensure the survival of our native plants. This presentation will be of interest to all who wish to learn more about this fascinating partnership.
Laura sits on the board of the Potowmack Chapter of VNPS and has served as Propagation/Plant Sales Chair for ten years. She has conducted classes on gardening with natives and on propagation techniques and has led several local wildflower walks. Her one acre garden in McLean, a showplace for native plants, has been open for garden tours and has been featured in the Washington Post.
VNPS programs are free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary.
Program will be held at:
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Due to an electrical issue at Green Spring Gardens the talk scheduled for last Thursday, January 19th has been rescheduled for Thursday February 2nd at 7:30pm. So for those who weren't going to be able to make it you have a 2nd chance! A Bee’s Eye View of Native Plants Thursday, February 2, 2012 7:30 pm at Green Spring Gardens 4603 Green Spring Road Alexandria, Virginia FREE
Reverse the lens and look at native plants from the perspective of a key slice of life that is tied to these plants...bees. Regionally, there are over 400 species of native bees and many are only found on the flowers of specific plants. Why 400? Why not just one kind of bee? The complexity of color, architecture, and phenology of native flowers is a clue to that relationship. Explore the plant-pollinator relationship from the bee point of view and learn why what we plant has consequences for these fascinating creatures. Speaker: Sam Droege is a biologist with the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. He is currently working on several projects regarding native bees. |
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Speaker: Sam Droege is a biologist with the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. He is currently working on several projects regarding native bees. In this talk Sam will reverse the lens and look at native plants from the perspective of a key slice of life that is tied to these plants...bees. Regionally, there are over 400 species of native bees and many are only found on the flowers of specific plants. Why 400? Why not just one kind of bee? The complexity of color, architecture, and phenology of native flowers is a clue to that relationship. Explore the plant-pollinator relationship from the bee point of view and learn why what we plant has consequences for these fascinating creatures.
VNPS programs are free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary. Program will be held at: Green Spring Gardens 4603 Green Spring Road Alexandria, Virginia This Virginia Native Plant Society Program is free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary. |
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Sunday December 18, 2011 Chapman Forest, Charles County, MD 10:00am - 3:00pm The old-age section of Chapman Forest is always a great place to celebrate the winter season and see a remarkable diversity of native trees and spectacular scenery. This year, we will mainly walk the highland areas above the deep ravines and bluffs along the Potomac River from the section near Glymont to historic Mount Aventine. This section of the park is a fascinating and regionally unique meeting ground for plants with a primary range in the inner piedmont and mountains and those of the coastal plain. Along the way we will see many species of oaks, including ancient pagoda, chinquapin, and northern red oaks, ancient beech, 3 hickory species, 2 hackberry species, the National Champion basswood, slippery elm, white ash, ancient sassafras, Virginia hop-hornbeam, bladdernut, and many others. We should also see a variety of birds such as red-headed woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, hermit thrush, wood duck, and bald eagle.
Bring: Wear sturdy shoes and bring lunch or snacks and water. Most of the walk traverses rolling, fairly open forest along trails, though some steep grades will occasionally be encountered.
Directions: Take Indian Head Highway (Rt. 210) south from Capital Beltway (495). Proceed south on Rt. 210 for app. 15 miles. Continue on Rt. 210 past the Rt. 227 intersection at Bryans Road (McDonald's, Burger King, and shopping center on right and a builders supply will be on left) and start looking for Chapman Landing Road on right. Take half right on Chapman Landing Road and proceed a couple of miles to entrance to Mount Aventine on right. Park and meet in parking lot at entrance gate.
*Field trip cancelled for heavy-steady snow, sleet, or pouring rain, but not for snow flurries or drizzling rain.
Contact: Karyn Molines mnps@chesapeake.net
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November monthly meeting – Thurs., November 10 Promoting Native Bee Abundance and Diversity with Native Plants 7:30 – 9:00 PM Speaker: Maria Van Dyke is the Program Coordinator for Virginia Working Landscapes and is also the Secretariat for Virginia Food System Council. She holds an MS in Ecology and Environment Sciences from UVA with work at Blandy Experimental Farm. Her talk will draw on native plant research she has participated in through Rutgers University, the NRCS Plant Research Center in Cape May and Xerces Society. |
NATIVE MEADOW RESTORATION IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION VNPS-POT CHAPTER ANNUAL MEETING & A MEADOW WALK Sunday, October 9 Green Spring Gardens The public is welcome to attend this free program. 1:00 to 3:30 pm. Meet your fellow members; help elect officers; vote on the budget for 2012 and enjoy an exciting presentation by Jeff Wolinski who is a consulting ecologist in private practice, based in Lovettsville, VA. Jeff works with several large landowners in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania to develop habitat management plans that address wildlife, aesthetic, and water quality concerns. Jeff will share his experiences in creating and enhancing native plant meadows in the mid-Atlantic. He will discuss his choice of plants and their relationship to the successful establishment of a meadow, as well as the necessary practical steps to create and sustain a successful meadow ecosystem. Directions
to Green Spring Gardens: From Interstate 395, exit at Route 236 West
(Little River Turnpike); turn right at Braddock Road and go one block
north to park entrance: 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria. Following the meeting: Meadow walk at Wakefield Park, led
by Jeff Wolinski. On the walk, Jeff will point out important meadow
plants and discuss ecological restoration challenges facing a landowner
– whether the meadow is a quarter of an acre back yard, a meadow on a
utility line, or a multi-acre restoration project. Directions to Wakefield Park will be provided at the meeting. Questions may be directed to Diana Carter: dcarter1776@yahoo.com |
If you didn't get enough at the VNPS sale, check these out: *LONG BRANCH NATURE CENTER FALL PLANT SALE Fall Saturday, 9/24/2011, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM* Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to help wildlife by growing native, and support Long Branch Nature Center at the same time! The vast majority of our plants are native, propagated right in our own gardens and our prices can't be beat! We will feature sun-loving and butterfly-attracting plants and also have a nice selection of wildflowers, shade lovers, ferns, and even a few shrubs. Rain date is Sunday, September 25, same time. Fee per plant as marked. Payment can be made by cash or check (sorry no credit cards). For information call 703-228-6535 Long Branch Nature Center, 625 S. Carlin Springs Rd. * * *ParkFairfax Native Plant Sale, Saturday, September 24, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.* 12 to 14 vendors from 4 or 5 states (VA, MD, PA, WV & SC) make this event the largest native plant sale in the D.C. metro region! If you have enjoyed this sale in the past, please come again--the number of vendors in future sales will stay only as high as supported by local demand! Find native perennials, shrubs, and trees for sun or shade! Several vendors specialize in some aspect of native plants, such as native azaleas, fruiting shrubs, or wetland plants. A few do not come here for any other plant sale. A list of the vendors can be downloaded from the sale website at http://www.home.earthlink.net/~sknudsen/ *3601 Valley Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302* * * *EARTH SANGHA NATIVE PLANT SALE, SUNDAY OCTOBER 2, 10am to 2 pm* "Earth Sangha will be holding a local-ecotype native plant sale of both woody and herbaceous plants on Sunday, October 2nd from 10 am to 2 pm at its Wild Plant Nursery in Springfield (for driving directions check: http://www.earthsangha.org/dca/wpn.html). All of their nursery stocks (about 40,000 plants and 150 species) are currently available, are of local-ecotype, and are grown from the seed that they personally collect from local forests and meadows. This is a wonderful opportunity to both support an organization which provides critical restoration of our natural lands, while also purchasing plants that are normally available only for native restoration projects. The Arlington Regional Master Naturalists (ARMN) will be partnering with Earth Sangha in organizing the sale. Information and details about helping with the sale will be on the calendar on the ARMN website: http://armn.org/ |
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VNPS has been working with a local artist on notecards featuring Virginia native plants. Look for them on sale at our plant sales and meetings. Perfect for friends and family! |
We're shaking the water off and looking forward to the fall plant sale! 9-3pm, Green Spring Gardens Park, Saturday September 17th. |
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With Hurricane Irene bearing down on us, we've reluctantly decided to put safety first and postpone the 8/27 walk. Be safe and stay tuned! |
Please join us for the following, co-sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh: “The walk will be held at the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve on Saturday, August 27, from 10 A.M. to 12 noon, and will be led by Dr. Elizabeth Wells, Associate Professor of Botany at The George Washington University. The emphasis will be on native plants and their pollinators; we hope we might see hummingbirds pollinating cardinal flowers, or butterflies pollinating swamp milkweed. The walk is co-sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh and the Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. “The
Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve is part of the George Washington Memorial
Parkway, U.S. National Park Service, and is located on the western
shoreline of the Potomac River about two miles south of Old Town
Alexandria. Detailed directions are on the FODM website, www.fodm.org.
We’ll meet at 10 A.M. at the wooden bridge that goes through the marsh,
just opposite Tulane Drive, south of the Parkway driving entrance to
the preserve. Park on Tulane Drive and walk (carefully) across the
Parkway.” |
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We were so excited by the August rain and upcoming fall events that we finished the newsletter early! |
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The fall plant sale will be Saturday September 17th at Green Spring Gardens Park. Phew! Now we can stop holding our breath.
This is the same weekend as the state-wide VNPS annual meeting. Is it possible to be in two places at once? We're going to try! |
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Save a (native) tree by downloading our bi-monthly newsletter. (Click on the link below) |
It's summer and we're going on vacation! Please check us out on Facebook for chit-chat. Chapter meetings will resume in September. There may be a special field trip in August. PS Please keep an eye on the state website http://www.vnps.org for announcements of the September annual state-wide meeting. |
Please visit our spring pl;ant sale on Saturday May 14 from 9am-3pm at Green Spring Gardens Park. Our plants are lovingly hand-propagated by VNPS members and potted just before sale. And our prices can't be beat! Please visit www.vnps-pot.org/calendar for details and directions. |
Celebrate spring with Grasses for the Masses! (or Manassas!) Nancy Rybicki is a researcher at the U S Geological Survey who conducts studies to understand the ecology of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and the role of SAV in aquatic systems. She will focus her talk on results of studies she conducted on dynamics of submerged aquatic vegetation in the Potomac River over the last few decades, a time when managers have made great efforts to restore the rivers in the Chesapeake Bay. |
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A vernal pool is a form of temporary, freshwater wetland that contains water for a portion of the year and supports a fantastic array of wildlife and plants, some specially adapted for these habitats and many being rare species in Virginia. Vernal pools are often found in the floodplain of a stream, in seasonally-flooded woodlands, as sinkhole ponds, or where rainwater and snow collect in forest depressions. Call them vernal pools, disappearing ponds, or just big puddles, these temporary wetlands are critical habitat for some of our most interesting and mysterious creatures. Mike Hayslett is naturalist-in-residence and director of the Virginia Vernal Pools Program at Sweet Briar College. Mike is also a Virginia Master Naturalist and president of the Central Virginia chapter. His career as a wildlife biologist and conservation educator has focused primarily on his expertise with amphibians and "vernal pool" wetlands. The Habitats of Vernal Pools Thursday, March 24, 7:30 p.m. Green Spring Gardens Green Spring Gardens is located at 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, Virginia. 703-642-5173. VNPS programs are free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary. |
Native Plants and Butterflies Thursday, February 10th 7:30pm Green Spring Gardens |
Thursday, February 3rd 7:30 pm Green Spring Gardens 4603 Green Spring Road Alexandria, Virginia Winter unmasks nature, revealing our local woody plants in their most skeletal form. Elizabeth Rives will present a lecture on how to identify trees and shrubs by studying the bare bones of plants’ branching structure, bark, buds and leaf scar. |
Saturday, February 5 10:00 am - 1:00 pm at Theodore Roosevelt Island Meet at main parking area before crossing bridge onto Island *Inclement weather date: Sunday, February 6, 10:00 am Winter unmasks nature, revealing our local woody plants in their most skeletal form and allowing us to see the forests around us in new and different ways. Elizabeth Rives will present a lecture and follow-up hike on the Chesapeake Bay's forests as the linchpins of watershed health. The lecture will examine the composition of the Cheasapeake's forests past and present, factors of change, ongoing challenges, and the function and importance of riparian buffers. Elizabeth will also share a few winter tree id tips to help identify many of the riparian trees we will encounter on the follow-up hike at Theodore Roosevelt Island. |