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2019 Wildflower of the Year: New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
2019 Wildflower of the Year: New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
2019 Wildflower of the Year: New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
Photo by Betty Truax
Photo by Betty Truax
Photo by Betty Truax
Mountains with Flame Azaleas
Mountains with Flame Azaleas
Mountains with Flame Azaleas
Photo by Nancy Vehrs
Photo by Nancy Vehrs
Photo by Nancy Vehrs
Eupatorium at Bull Run
Eupatorium at Bull Run
Eupatorium at Bull Run
Photo by Brigitte Hartke
Photo by Brigitte Hartke
Photo by Brigitte Hartke
News & Updates
• Support our Annual Fundraiser: Plant Virginia Natives!
• Register Now for the 2020 Annual Workshop in Charlottesville on Saturday, March 14.
• The 2020 Research Grant Application Period closes on February 14, 2020. View more information and apply.
• VNPS Funded Research Reveals Which Trees are Dying and Why
• Piedmont Chapter Curlyheads Flower T-Shirts are now available for sale! These are beautiful shirts though in limited quantities.
• VNPS Member Harry Glasgow Honored by Prince William Conservation Alliance.
• The VNPS mourns the loss of its founder, Mary Painter, on October 6 2019. View more information and Mary's obituary.
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VNPS Grows Two Virginia Natural Area Preserves
Mount Joy Pond Natural Area Preserve Update: January 24, 2019. Several VNPS members visited our newly-acquired site and the adjacent DCR property. Check out the photo album on our Facebook page! We can’t wait to see what it looks like in the spring. The Virginia Native Plant Society has become a landowner! On October 23, 2018… [Read More]
VNPS Members Honored by Prince William Conservation Alliance
The Prince William Conservation Alliance recently honored two long-time members of the Virginia Native Plant Society, Nancy Vehrs and Jim Waggener, for their service, contributions, and advocacy for conservation. The Alliance works to explore, enjoy and protect our natural areas, and increase community involvement in stewardship opportunities. Nancy Vehrs received the 2018 Heart of Gold Award…. [Read More]
If You Plant It, They Will Come
“If you plant it they will come,” to paraphrase a line from the iconic Kevin Costner film, “Field of Dreams.” That was the hope of John Magee, former Horticulture Chair of the Virginia Native Plant Society. John’s firm, Magee Design, partnered with Ashburn Village in Loudoun County in an effort to revitalize Tippecanoe Lake, one of 8… [Read More]
A Visit to The Cedars Natural Area Preserve Appreciation Days
I’m back from far southwest Virginia, and I have to share. The Virginia Native Plant Society contributed to purchasing land to join together some of the disparate tracts of The Cedars Natural Area. In appreciation, Rob Evans, Natural Areas Protection Manager, Virginia Natural Heritage Program in the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), organized a… [Read More]
New Book: Climate-Wise Landscaping, Practical Actions for a Sustainable Future
Perfect! A book on climate-wise landscaping written by two authors who understand the vital role native plants must play in any future we can both envision and want to live in. What could be more important right now? We don’t want to sit around wringing our hands, say the authors; we want to DO something… [Read More]
A Path Into Natives
My interest in native plants probably arose like it did for many of the VNPS readers. I fell in love with what I found out in the wild places; state parks and national forests and the scraps of nature on the edges of farms and developments. I was fascinated by the presence of those native… [Read More]
There Really is a Pyxie-moss!
Pyxie-moss (Pyxidanthera barbulata) is a diminutive coastal plain endemic found only in the eastern portions of the Carolinas, southeastern Virginia, and the pine barrens of New Jersey and adjacent Long Island. It is adapted to frequent fire and minimizes heat damage by forming dense mats that hug the relatively cool ground. It prefers open, sandy… [Read More]
When the “Good Guys” Go Bad: The Role of Native Fauna in the Spread of Invasive Plants
Humans play a leading role in the spread of invasive species. From accidental introductions, like Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), to intentional planting, like tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), we have done an exceptional job of transporting invaders all over the world. Our cars carry seeds and propagules along highways, our boats… [Read More]
The Root of the Problem: Garlic Mustard
It’s a classic tale of being careful what you wish for. As a high school student in Germany I went hiking with my classmates in the early spring woods. As I unpacked lunch, friends gathered knoblauchskraut at the forest edge, and we then added the native herb to our sandwiches. “Ah,” I thought. “If only… [Read More]
Return of the Natives
My daughter, Chrissy, and I had been watching the 200-acre woodlands for months. First the “Land For Sale” sign went up; later the sign was marked “Sold,” then, most ominously, fluorescent orange flagging-tape marked the trees. The lovely wooded site was about to become a shopping center. The year was 2005, and a year… [Read More]
