Buckeye Butterfly on Mountain Mint
Snowberry Clearwing Moth – Native Honeysuckle
Heading Layer

Snowberry Clearwing Moth – Native Honeysuckle by E.M. Truax

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Great Spangled Fritillaries On Butterfly Weed
Heading Layer

Great Spangled Fritillaries On Butterfly Weed by Mary Lee Epps

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Skullcap Clearwing Moth
Heading Layer

Skullcap Clearwing Moth by E.M. Truax

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) at Saunders-Monticello Trail
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Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) at Saunders-Monticello Trail

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Falling Spring Falls near Covington, Virginia
Heading Layer

Falling Spring Falls near Covington, Virginia

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Birdfoot Violet (Viola pedata)
Heading Layer

Birdfoot Violet (Viola pedata)

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Eupatorium at Bull Run

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

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News & Updates

• Don't miss reading the Spring, 2022 Declaration newsletter! News about our chapter's upcoming plant sale on April 24, new threats to the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly, upcoming chapter events, and more.  3/10/2022

• Just published: the Summer, 2021 Declaration newsletter!  Read about earthworms, a "new" orange caterpillar on milkweed, White Snakeroot, our spring virtual plant sale, upcoming chapter events and more. 8/29/2021

• The Winter, 2021 Declaration newsletter is now online!  Learn about Common Buckeye Butterfly, the Ivy Creek Pollinator Garden, upcoming chapter events and more. 3/4/2021

• Are you looking for a fun family activity while social distancing? Check out November’s Ivy Creek virtual plant walk with Ruth Douglas. 11/21/2020

• Enjoy the Summer, 2020 Declaration newsletter. Learn all about the stamens, Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly, and upcoming plant walks and meetings. 8/28/2020

• Learn about the Mourning Cloak, a late winter butterfly; Pawpaws in the limelight; and our Native Plant Sale in the Winter, 2020 edition of the The Declaration newsletter.

•  Update your calendar for upcoming local meetings, presentations, lectures, and other events described in the Jefferson Chapter Events Calendar.

•  And keep up with Jefferson chapter activities and discussion on our Facebook Page!

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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
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
Magical Mexican Dogwoods: What Should We Call Them?
By W. John Hayden, Botany Chair Who knew? Cornus florida, the 2018 VNPS Wildflower of the Year and State Tree of Virginia, has a cousin living in the mountains of eastern Mexico! Mexican Dogwoods have been found in the states of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz. They are, manifestly, close relatives of the familiar Flowering…... Read more
March 29, 2022
Partridge-berry Is Bright All Year
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Partridge-berry (Mitchella repens) is a handsome evergreen vine that creeps along the ground reaching only 2” high. Its long trailing stems can reach 12” long but it develops roots at nodes along the stem wherever it touches the ground, creating large dense colonies. Widespread across eastern North America, it…... Read more
February 17, 2022
Native and Invasive Plant Legislation in the 2022 General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly convened January 12, 2022 and three bills were introduced in the House of Delegates that deal with native and invasive plants. The first step is to assign the bills to committees, then to subcommittees. Bills must pass the committee to be referred to the House for a full vote. View the Virginia…... Read more
January 17, 2022
Wildflower of the Year 2022 Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Buttonbush is a shrub or small tree commonly attaining heights up to about 6 m, occasionally twice that size. Leaves are opposite or whorled, elliptic to ovate, 2-8 cm wide, and 6-15 cm long; margins are entire and apices are acute or cuspidate, i.e., with an abrupt, short, tooth-like point. Triangular stipules, 2-3 mm long,…... Read more
January 1, 2022
Baldcypress: Towering Virginia Icon
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Baldcypress, Taxodium distichum, our November Plant of the Month, is an unforgettable sight all year. But in late fall when its soft foliage turns vibrant shades of copper-orange, it lights up the entire landscape. These trees are called “bald” because, unlike most other conifers, they are deciduous and lose…... Read more
November 21, 2021
My Journey With the Flora of Virginia
By Marion Lobstein My interest in plants goes back to my childhood exploring and earning Girl Scout nature badges. As an undergraduate at Western Carolina University in the 1960s, I took my first plant identification class and really got hooked. Later, At UNC-Chapel Hill, I had the opportunity to take a plant taxonomy class with…... Read more
September 16, 2021
Narrow-leaf Mountain Mint: Pollinator Magnet
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter All of the species of Mountain-mints are virtual pollinator and butterfly magnets! They are always “humming” with butterflies and pollinators and their handsome foliage and long-lasting flowers make them summer garden stars. Of the twelve species in Virginia, Narrow-leaf Mountain-Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) is certainly one of the most attractive…... Read more
September 1, 2021
Tom Wieboldt: Profile of a Virginia Botanist
An Interview with Tom Wieboldt by Nancy Vehrs Tom Wieboldt retired five years ago as the longtime curator for the Massey Herbarium at Virginia Tech. He grew up on a farm near Covesville in Albemarle County and currently lives in Giles County just west of Blacksburg with Ali, his wife of 38 years. They have…... Read more
August 18, 2021
Showy Swamp Rose
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter June is always an exciting month in the many freshwater wetlands in the Northern Neck and beyond as many plants come into bloom. And one of the showiest blooms belongs to our beautiful Swamp Rose, Rosa palustris, an upright, deciduous shrub typically reaching 3 – 6’ high and wide,…... Read more
July 4, 2021
Blue-Eyed Grass Blooms for Bees and Butterflies
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Narrow-leaved Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) is a lovely small perennial typically reaching only 6 – 12” high and wide but in late spring it lights up the landscape wherever it grows. This is a “grass” only in name as it is a member of the Iris family, with linear,…... Read more
May 17, 2021

Requested Recipe: Sugared Cranberries

November 12, 2015

At our November 11, 2015 Chapter Meeting Betty Truax served Sugared Cranberries and several people asked how to make them.  They are easy to make!   Put them in a jar with a pretty ribbon and bring as an unusual and tasty hostess gift.  — Enjoy!       2 1/2 cups sugar plus extra…

Viola pedata (Birdfoot Violet)

May 6, 2014

Viola pedata is commonly called Birdfoot violet because the daintily divided leaves are deeply cleft into three to five parts that resemble a bird’s foot. Standing from 3-6 inches tall, this violet has few if any pubescence (hairs). Viola pedata blooms from mid to late spring as well as occasionally in the…

What We Saw on the VMI Bluffs Field Trip (04/19/14)

April 28, 2014

  On April 19, 2014 Jefferson Chapter had a wonderful trip to the VMI bluff and Maury River floodplain.  Ruth Douglas led 18 of us to see the many unusual plants there.  The area has a wonderful combination of limestone soil; a cool and moist north facing slope, too steep…

Plants being offered at our 2014 Plant Sale

April 18, 2014

Jefferson Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society’s ANNUAL NATIVE PLANT SALE  NATIVE PLANT SELECTION (Partial Listing) April 27 (Sun.), 2014, 1:00 – 3:00 PM IvyCreek Natural Area, Barn 1780 Earlysville Rd., Charlottesville Plants listed have been potted by the Jefferson Chapter members from propagated plants (not collected from wild areas).  Many…

Plant Sale Profile: Aquilegia Canadensis

April 15, 2014

Native throughout the piedmont and most counties in Virginia, Aquilegia Canadensis (Wild Columbine, Eastern Red Columbine) can be found in dry forests, woodlands, barrens, and rock outcrops; shell-marl slopes, bluffs, and shell middens in the Coastal Plain. Although most numerous on subcalcareous, calcareous, and mafic substrates, in the higher mountains…

Plant Sale Profile: Trillium grandiflorum

April 14, 2014

Native to Greene and Nelson, Trillium grandiflorum known as Large-Flowered Trillium or Great White Trillium, is one of the showiest trilliums in Virginia.   It grows in cove forests, mesic to dry-mesic slope forests, northern hardwood forests, Northern Red Oak forests, and seepage swamp hummocks; most characteristic of and numerous in…

Plant Sale Profile: Chrysogonum virginianum

March 26, 2014

Another plant being offered at our native plant sale this spring is Chrysogonum virginianum.  Common names for this plant are Goldenstar, Green and Gold, and Golden Knees.  Chrysogonum virginianum is a nice groundcover that actually will tolerate some light foot traffic. With golden yellow blooms (1- 1.25 in wide) from…

Plant Sale Profile: Pycnanthemum muticum

March 24, 2014

We will be offering Pycnanthemum muticum, sometimes called broad-leaved mountain-mint, clustered mountain-mint or short-toothed mountain mint for sale at our plant sale this spring (check out the events link to find details).   Native to several counties in Virginia including Albemarle, Greene, Orange and Fluvanna, Pycnanthemum muticum is found in fens,…

Plant Sale Profile: Lobelia cardinalis

March 23, 2014

Lobelia cardinalis, commonly called Cardinal Flower was the Virginia Native Plant Society’s Wildflower of the Year in 1991.  This is one of the showiest of the red blooming native plants in Virginia, blooming from July to October.  It is found throughout the state, including the entire piedmont. Lobelia cardinalis is…

Plant Sale Profile: Claytonia virginica

March 15, 2014

Claytonia virginica is a member of the family Montiaceae (formally Portulacaceae – in case you’re looking for information regarding this plant in an older reference). The genus is named for John Clayton, 1694-1773, who was a Colonial plant collector and tobacco farmer in Virginia. Common names are Spring Beauty, Virginia…