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Wildflower Walks at Ivy Creek
The third Saturday of every month, meet at the parking lot kiosk at 9AM. Check Upcoming Events for more information.
Fire Ecology in the Southeastern US
Marie Norwood, a PhD Student in Dr. Carla Staver's lab in the Princeton Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, shared ways that fire shapes, and is shaped by, vegetation, climate, and land management.
Methods for Ecological Restoration at Home
Piedmont Discovery Center team shares hands-on ecological restoration methodologies.
Corpse Botany
Virginia Working Landscapes’ Botany Technician, Natalie Izlar, helps us identify dormant plants.
The Basics of Nature Journaling
Carolyn Duckworth shares the basics of nature journaling for both personal enjoyment and programming and education opportunities.
Calculating the Impact of Leaving Leaves
Interesting article on the current science regarding leaving fallen leaves on your lawn and garden.
Milkweed in Virginia: Identification Guide

Check out this great new resource from Virginia Working Landscapes.
Find more chapter meeting videos at our showcase.
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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Plant Sale 2025 — Podophyllum peltatum

March 31, 2025

Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple) is a perennial woodland plant that likes rich moist soils in partial to full shade. The stalks have either one or two large palmate lobed leaves. The blooms are only found on those with two leaves. The plant produces only one white flower which is about an…

Plant Sale 2025 — Lindera benzoin

March 28, 2025

Lindera benzoin (Spicebush) is a shrub that grows 6 to 12 feet tall. The more sun it gets the brighter the fall foliage but will tolerate even full shade where it will grow wider and airier. It blooms in March, sporting yellow (with a hint of green) clusters before the…

Plant Sale 2025 — Erythronium americanum

March 27, 2025

Erythronium americanum (trout lily) common name refers to the mottled appearance of its leaves. It prefers woodland soils that are moist and rich. It blooms in the early spring, appearing under deciduous trees before they leaf out. When young, Erythronium americanum only has one leaf but once it matures it…

Plant Sale 2025 — Sedum ternatum

March 27, 2025

We plan to offer Sedum ternatum (Wild Stonecrop Sedum) at our April 27th native plant sale. It is a low growing semi-evergreen succulent groundcover that forms large mats covering rocks, tree roots or mossy areas near streams. This plant flourishes in part to full shade in thin moist soils and…

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Redring Milkweed, Asclepias variegata

By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society Milkweeds are wildly popular in many gardens but most of us grow only two or three species, including Butterflyweed and Swamp Milkweed and possibly Common Milkweed. There are thirteen species of milkweed in Virginia and one of my favorites blooms in late May and June, Redring or…Read more

Common Blue Violet, Viola sororia/communis

By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society The cheerful flowers of our native Common Blue Violet are one of the most anticipated signs of spring, bringing joy to both gardeners and pollinators alike. Blooming from March to June, with occasional rebloom in fall, our Common Blue Violet reaches only 3 – 8” tall with…Read more

Plantain-leaved Pussytoes, Antennaria plantaginifolia

By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society Plantain-leaved Pussytoes is one of our most charming perennial groundcovers and begins blooming this month with fuzzy white, tufted flower heads that resemble the toes or paws of kittens. Other names for this appealing groundcover are Pussytoes, Everlasting, Mouse Ears, Ladies’ Tobacco, and even Dog Toes. Who…Read more

Hepatica Heralds Spring

By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society Chapter One of the earliest signs of spring is the bloom of the Round-lobed Hepatica or Liverleaf, Hepatica americana. The lovely small flowers of this woodland wildflower look fragile but this hardy perennial blooms in the face of winter often as early as February. An array of…Read more

American Hazelnut, Corylus americana

By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society Our February Plant of the Month, American Hazelnut or Filbert, Corylus americana, is one of our earliest blooming native shrubs, a true harbinger of spring often flaunting its flowers as early as February. As a member of the Birch (Betulaceae) family, American Hazelnut is monoecious, meaning it…Read more

Wildflower of the Year 2026: Ghost Pipes (Monotropa uniflora)

Coming soon: VNPS offers Ghost Pipes artwork on T-Shirts and other apparel. Visit our Online Store to order. Ghost Pipes are herbaceous perennial plants that lack chlorophyll; they obtain their nutrients via mycotrophy, i.e., by parasitizing the fungi present in their roots. The plants are commonly white at flowering but, in rare instances, may be…Read more

Ebony Spleenwort, Asplenium platyneuron

By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society Ebony Spleenwort is a charming small, evergreen fern that grows in dense tufts with dark green narrow fronds with a distinctive, wiry dark reddish brown shiny main stem (stipe). In fact, it gets its common name, Ebony, from this very distinctive dark shiny stipe. The narrow fronds…Read more

Flat-branched Tree-clubmoss, Dendrolycopododium obscurum

By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Native Plant Society Common Tree-clubmoss—often called Princess Pine, Common Ground-pine, or Flat-branched Tree-clubmoss—is appropriately named, as each plant looks like a miniature pine tree and a colony resembles a miniature forest. Club mosses are ancient plants and evolved over 400 million years ago and reproduce by spores produced in “club-like”…Read more