Christmas fern is so named because the leathery fronds are green throughout the winter and have been used as holiday decorations. Children enjoy imagining the leaflets represent Santa’s boots, as each leaflet broadens into a boot-like top where it attaches to the scaly stalk. Few garden plants are so accommodating to growing conditions; while this fern prefers…

Most evergreen trees in the Coastal Plain have needle-like leaves.  The magnolias are exceptions and so is Swamp Bay, which has narrow, dark green leaves.  They are strongly aromatic, somewhat leathery, and wedge-shaped at the base.  Shiny on top and pale green beneath, the leaves have upright rusty-colored hairs on their midveins.  Swamp Bay closely…

A single leaf above the leaf litter marks the location of this little native orchid in the winter.  When flowers appear in May and June, there is no sign of the leaf.  While not very common in our area, now and then in rich woods a green-and-white-striped, pleated leaf can be seen lying flat on…

The John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society is now considering candidates for scholarships for the Summer 2016 sessions of Nature Camp at Vesuvius, Virginia in the George Washington National Forest. Nature Camp is a coeducational, academic camp that emphasizes education in natural history and environmental studies. It is intended for those seeking a…

From the Atlantic coast to the spruce-fir forests at more than 5,700 feet elevation on Mount Rogers, the landscape of Virginia encompasses an extraordinary range of landforms, topography, and biological habitats. In this presentation, “The Ecological Regions and Natural Communities of Virginia”, Gary P. Fleming will explore the large-scale environmental and biotic gradients that influence…

Callicarpa americana. This shrub is truly spectacular in early fall, with clusters of glistening rose-purple berries spaced with opposite leaves on long stems that achieve a curved or weeping form as they age. Birds love this plant—mockingbirds will perch on the branches and eat the fruits one at a time. If not all consumed, these…

Hamamelis virginiana. Usually grown for its flowers, this low-branching shrub or small tree can furnish year-round interest. The plant is in bloom from late fall and into winter, October through December. Fragrant bright yellow flowers, each with four crinkly, ribbon-shaped petals, grow in clusters close to the stem.  Broad, slightly pointed dark green leaves cover…

Eupatorium capillifolium. Tall plants with lacy fernlike leaves line roadsides and woodland edges, usually in drifts, in late summer.  The leaves are narrow and very finely divided. In early fall from September through November, the tiny daisy-like white flowers are replaced by small red berries.  As the fruits age, the seeds develop hairs, like those…

Bidens bipinnata. This native late-summer plant is called Spanish Needles because the needle- like dry fruits will stick to anything passing by. In summer the plant has small yellow flowers, at the ends of slender stems, growing 1-4 feet high, depending on growing conditions. Bright green leaves are fern-like, divided many times and sit opposite…

Smallanthus uvedalia. This is a large, coarse plant growing 3-10 feet tall on stems that are often hairy. Huge leaves, to over a foot long, are cut into several lobes and somewhat resemble the foot of a bear, suggesting the other common name “Bearsfoot.” The plant is usually known as “Leafcup” because the leaves are…