Two members of the 2015 basic training class were joined by a few other chapter members for a wildflower-focused walk around the Hone Quarry Recreation Area with Headwaters Master Naturalist and botanist Chris Bowlen on Friday morning, May 8, 2015. RoxAnna Theiss took some notes about what was presented. Elaine Smith kept a list of…
We were truly fortunate to have Dr. Eric Jones address our class on April 16. If enthusiasm is the hallmark of a great teacher, he is the best. Here are some things he taught us about exploring for wildflowers: There are clues about natural settings that will help us determine what we can expect to…
Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird by Bruce Barcott I had this book in my possession for a good six months before picking it up to read, encouraged by a fellow birder who said it was a great story. And although it was published in…
Poseidon’s Steed: The Story of Seahorses, From Myth to Reality by Helen Scales, PhD Seahorses, the modern day ‘poster child’ of healthy oceans, are fascinating creatures that have captured the human imagination for millennia. Although they are not a keystone species, the author answers the question of why they matter because they “…..offer insights into…
Untamed: The Wildest Woman in America and the Fight for Cumberland Island by Will Harlan Carol Ruckdeschel grew up along the Chattahoochee River in Georgia and immersed herself in nature from a very early age. She became the ultimate extreme naturalist, learning to eat D.O.R. (dead on the road) critters, constantly exploring and searching and…
Just how did the phrase, ‘talk turkey’ or ‘let’s talk turkey,’ originate? As with many phrases, there are quite a few versions but one that was recorded in an 1872 publication of phrases states that to ‘talk turkey’ was to talk in a silly, foolish way because of the way a male gobbles during courtship. …
by Stephanie Gardner Hurray for Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), recently succeeding Redbud as Virginia Wildflower of the Year (WOY)! Coral honeysuckle was voted WOY 2014 by the Virginia Native Plant Society Board of Directors after consideration of all wildflowers nominated this year by Virginia Native Plant Society members. Coral honeysuckle is one of three native…
