BRWS Summer 2022 Newsletter
In the BRWS
Fall 2022 Newsletter

Upcoming Field Trips and meetings, Franklinia - the Franklin Tree, BRWS Fountain Dedication, member profiles, Annual Meeting to elect officers on October 24,
And More...

Photo by Kaye Brandt

BRWS Summer 2022 Newsletter
In the BRWS
Summer 2022 Newsletter

Wildflower Sale Blooms Into More Than Money
May Field Trip to Quarry Gardens at Schuyler
Field Trip to Bee Sanctuary
Annual August Picnic
And More...

Welcome to the Blue Ridge Wildflower Society!
Heading Layer

Welcome to the Blue Ridge Wildflower Society!

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Skunk Cabbage
Heading Layer

Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Welcome to the Blue Ridge Wildflower Society!
Heading Layer

Welcome to the Blue Ridge Wildflower Society!

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

previous arrow
next arrow

News & Updates

• Don't miss our Annual Meeting & Election October 24: We elect new officers every two years at the October meeting. Please plan to attend. Our speaker will be Brent Wills from Bramble Hollow Farms, telling us about "Biological Farming and Soil."

• Spring is Coming! The Spring, 2022 BRWS Newsletter is hot off the presses. Learn some ways plants endure winter and check out our chapter's schedule of upcoming events. 2/7/2022

• The BRWS 2022 Spring Plant Sale will be held on Saturday, May 28 from 9am to noon at the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs. View more information. 2/7/2022

• Hello Fall! Read the Fall, 2021 BRWS Newsletter to see our schedule of upcoming events, a special message from President Jessica Fleming, and details about Pirate Bush, found only in our region. 9/26/2021

• Goodbye Winter! The Spring, 2021 edition of the BRWS Newsletter is now available. Read a message from our president, plan for many upcoming chapter events, and learn about American beautyberry. 2/13/2021

• See the list of newly elected BRWS Officers and Board Members. 11/4/2020

• Check out our chapter's Fall 2020 Newsletter: online election for new officers, our summer plant sale success, and suggestions for wildflower walks on your own! 8/30/2020

• The Blue Ridge Wildflower Society Spring, 2020 Newsletter has just been published! Read about upcoming Field Trips and programs, Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) , and Radford's white basswood.

Join

Become a Member:
Support Our Mission.

Donate

Support VNPS with
your donation today.

Upcoming Events

Find Field Trips, Meetings, Programs and Plant Sales.

Find a Chapter

Get involved in your
local VNPS chapter.

Wildflower of the Year 2023 Hollow Joe-Pye-Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)
Hollow Joe-pye-weed is a perennial herb that may grow as tall as 35 dm (about 11.5 feet). Stems are frequently purple and, when young, are covered with a thin, glaucous, layer of wax. Cross sections of stems will reveal the presence of hollow cavities in the central pith region. Leaves are whorled, 3-7 per node;…... Read more
February 1, 2023
Source: VNPS Blog
Wildflower of the Year 2023 Hollow Joe-Pye-Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)
Hollow Joe-pye-weed is a perennial herb that may grow as tall as 35 dm (about 11.5 feet). Stems are frequently purple and, when young, are covered with a thin, glaucous, layer of wax. Cross sections of stems will reveal the presence of hollow cavities in the central pith region. Leaves are whorled, 3-7 per node;…... Read more
February 1, 2023
Source: VNPS Blog
Wax Myrtle Sparkles in Winter
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Our evergreen Wax Myrtle or Southern Bayberry (Myrica cerifera) is handsome in every season of the year but it particularly sparkles in the winter after the leaves of deciduous trees have fallen leaving a gray and brown landscape. Not only are Wax Myrtles a beautiful native evergreen (large shrub…... Read more
December 17, 2022
Source: VNPS Blog
Blue-Stemmed Goldenrod Lights Up Woodlands
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter At our recent fall native plant sale a number of shoppers requested shade tolerant perennials that bloom in shady woodland gardens in late summer and fall, long after spring bloomers have faded. The October Plant of the Month, Blue-stemmed Goldenrod, Solidago caesia, fits the bill beautifully and like other…... Read more
October 21, 2022
Source: VNPS Blog
Enchanting Blue Vervain
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) enhances any landscape in which it grows. It is one of my favorite mid to late summer native perennials for any number of reasons. The beautiful purplish blue flowers atop tall stems provide a striking vertical accent contrasting with more typical mounded plants and flower…... Read more
August 28, 2022
Source: VNPS Blog
Turk’s-Cap Lily Stuns in Summer
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Turk’s-cap Lily (Lilium superbum) is one of our most spectacular wildflowers in eastern North America. Its stunning flowers bloom right now in July and August. Native to wet meadows and rich moist cove forests and bogs from New Hampshire south to Georgia and Alabama, it is found in most…... Read more
July 20, 2022
Source: VNPS Blog
The Curious Pawpaw
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter The Pawpaw, Asimina triloba, is a handsome small tree that is as fascinating as it is curious. Pawpaw is a member of the Custard-Apple Family, the Annonaceae, a large family of tropical and subtropical species. Ranging from Florida and Texas north to New York and Southern Ontario, Pawpaw is…... Read more
May 29, 2022
Source: VNPS Blog
The Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly, Its Host Plants, and the New Threat They Face
By Mary Lee Epps A new non-native fungus and the beetle that carries it may soon severely impact sassafras, spicebush, and most other members of the Laurel family in the United States. Sadly, since these are the main host plants of the spicebush swallowtail butterfly, which is now common throughout most of the Eastern U.S.,…... Read more
April 29, 2022
Source: VNPS Blog