The morning began with John spending about 40 minutes at the picnic grounds giving us a lively lecture and summary of his knowledge about butterflies and moths as well as the preferred host plants of the often seen and rarely seen butterfly species in our part of Virginia. He had excellent enlarged photos of species…
In May, members of the Virginia Master Naturalists and the Friends of the Middle River teamed up to offer members of the current training cohort and other certified naturalists to have a hands-on experience learning about macroinvertebrates at the Sandy Bottom Park in Bridgewater. Andrea Dono (VMN) and Pete Cooper (FoMR), both certified water monitors,…
On a beautiful Saturday morning, April 11, HMNs and community members installed around 30 native plants and weeded in the City of Harrisonburg pollinator garden on North Liberty Street across from the L&S Diner. Through this event, and more like it in the future, we hope to demonstrate public support for Harrisonburg’s Pollinator Friendly City…
For more about how Virginia Master Naturalists are contributing to vernal pool monitoring and salamander conservation (as well as the work of local conservation photographer Steven David Johnson), see the feature in this month’s issue of Virginia Wildlife, a publication of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Walking carefully among the undergrowth and dodging greenbriers…
On February 19, Rob Beaton and Wick Fary joined members of the Rivanna Chapter and American Chestnut Foundation staff and volunteers at the Virginia Department of Forestry Crimora Nursery, to plant some 800 stratified chestnut seeds. The Virginia Chapter of TACF maintains a greenhouse at the nursery, where select hand-pollinated seedlings are grown for a year before…
The Veterans Garden of Augusta County is building a garden where veterans grow food, connect with one another, and find healing. Located in Augusta County, Virginia, the Veterans Garden of Augusta is growing based on input from local veterans, who want a space not only for gardening, but also for learning new things such as…
Elaine Smith and Peggy Plass enjoying the presentation. Photo by Cheryl Shull. On Friday, November 14, four members of the Headwaters Master Naturalists visited Project Owlnet’s local research station at Highland Retreat Camp. This station is one of many located throughout Canada and the United States that work to track owl migration. Bird banding is…
The group looking at various beds of sandstone with a few thin coal seams in the Price formation. Photo by Malcolm. On Thursday, November 13, a beautiful fall day, two other HMN members and three friends joined me in Stokesville for a tour of notable rock outcrops in the Stokesville, North River Gorge, and Staunton…
Lora Steiner conquers an invasive. Photo by Cheryl Shull. Work continues on removing invasive plants from the Natural Chimneys Wildlife Trail. On November 14th, Lora Steiner, Wick Fary, Art Fovargue, and Cheryl Shull helped clear a large stand of Chinese privet from one section of the trail. There is still much work ahead, but these…
Eunice and Leslie prepare for Floppy Hour. Photo by Ann V. Murray. On Thursday, October 30th, Leslie Sturges from Bat Conservation and Rescue, along with VMN President Eunice Sill and other volunteers, delivered an engaging and educational program at Ciders From Mars in Staunton. Leslie showcased a Big Brown Bat, which she enlarged on a…
