News & Updates
• What can we do to make room for nature? In his video presentation on January 14, Charles Smith reviews current data on the state of the earth, the importance of plant communities to include keystone species, and concepts from restoration science and efforts described by Doug Tallamy and others. 1-15-2021
• At the Potowmack Chapter Annual Meeting on November 15, chapter officers were elected, the 2021 annual budget was approved, and members approved several bylaws changes. 11-16-2020
• Potowmack members Bob Dinse and Cathy Ledec have been honored by the Fairfax County Park Authority. 11-18-2020
• Did you miss Dr. Andrea Weeks' presentation on "Recovering Native Plant Diversity in the Piedmont" at the Potowmack Chapter Annual Meeting on November 15? Watch the recorded video: https://vimeo.com/479619470. 11-17-2020
• Check out the November-December Potowmack News. Read about native wildflowers found on summer and fall visits to Conway Robinson Memorial State Forest; learn about thorns, spines, and prickles; and try a quiz on identifying native trees from their seeds. 10-25-2020
• Read the new Fall Potowmack News to learn about our chapter flower and logo, new chapter members, and our upcoming Annual Meeting on November 15. 9-7-2020
• Did you know the Potowmack Chapter is the chapter sponsor for seven VNPS Registry Sites in our area, including Great Falls and Turkey Run National Parks? 8-10-2020
• Now online: A History: Potowmack Chapter 1982 - 2002. 7-15-2020
• New Video: Marion Lobstein and Sally Anderson present an Overview and How To on the Flora of Virginia Mobile App. 7-13-2020
• New Blog Post: Rediscovering Barbara Stewart's Potowmack Chapter Logo. 7-11-2020
• Due to COVID-19 all Potowmack chapter in-person group events, including walks, are cancelled until further notice. View our chapter event calendar for more information.
• Potowmack chapter Member Toni Genberg's home "Ecological Oasis" was featured in a recent Yes! Magazine article.
• The Winter 2020 edition of the Potomac News has just been published. Read about "Love and Stiltgrass," our new email discussion group and forum at Groups.io, and lichen at Fraser Preserve.
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Our Garden Journey with Jeanne Kadet and Mike Perel
Do you need a reminder of how wonderful a springtime Native Garden can be during this cold winter? Look no further than Jeanne Kadet and Mike Perel’s “Garden Journey” story and videos created for the 2020 Northern Virginia Sustainable Garden Tour. Start the tour by clicking on any photo and be sure to scroll through…
Potowmack Members Honored by Fairfax Park Authority
Potowmack Chapter members Bob Dinse and Cathy Ledec will be honored on November 20, 2020 with Elly Doyle Park Service awards by the Fairfax County Park Authority. The Elly Doyle Park Service Awards were established by the Fairfax County Park Authority in 1988 in recognition of former Park Authority Board Chairman and member Ellamae Doyle’s…
Rediscovering Barbara Stewart’s Potowmack Chapter Logo
You’ve probably seen the VNPS Potowmack chapter logo in publications or online over the years. Did you know this beautiful drawing of Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) and Common Violet (Viola sororia) was created by Barbara Stewart in the early 1980s and adopted as the Potowmack chapter logo in 1985? With some research and lots of…
Watch Out for Spotted Lanternfly!
I recently attended a workshop focused on early detection of Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF) in Fairfax County. Speakers represented the Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Virginia Department of Forestry, and the Fairfax County Urban Forest Management Division. Spotted Lanternfly is native to China, and has also been found in India, Vietnam, and Japan. Introduced in Korea…
Meet the Plants of Dyke Marsh: Plants of Value to Wildlife in Winter
Many of the plants that grow in Dyke Marsh are of value to wildlife, providing one or more of the animals’ basic needs: food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young. This article highlights just a few of these plants that help support wildlife in winter. Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). In late summer…
The Furlough and the Graupel
By Susan Jewell Of all the negative aspects of my furlough from the Department of the Interior under the Federal government shutdown, one event will make me smile whenever I think of it. On Day 19 (January 9), I took a rare weekday hike with a furloughed friend from the State Department. Destinations to choose…
Notes from the Understory
June 2018—Leaps and bounds The next wave of flowers have bloomed, adding small dashes of yellow, white, pink, and purple to the vivid green of the leaves that dominate now. Each species seems to have its own personality. Some protect their flowers by closing up every evening: the Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) balances its purple…
Notes from the Understory
Recreating woodlands in your backyard Our (under)story For the past several years, we have been working on a garden inspired by the natural community that might have been here before residential development—probably a Piedmont Oak-Hickory Woodlands. The idea was to use native plants to help support wildlife, from the microbiome all the way up to the…