News & Updates
• Did you miss Rod Walker's presentation on invasive plants and Blue Ridge PRISM on September 2? Watch the recorded Zoom video now. 9-10-2021
• Check out the new September-October Wild News for information on our September 2 Annual Meeting & Program, a visit to a local wildflower meadow, updates on the Aster species, and upcoming events you won't want to miss. 8-29-2021
• Be sure to attend our PWWS 2021 Annual Meeting and Program on Invasive Plants with Rod Walker on Thursday, September 2 at 7:30pm.
• Did you miss the latest updates on the Flora of Virginia presented by Marion Lobstein on July 1? Watch the recorded Zoom video now. 7-3-2021
• It's time for Harbinger-of-Spring! Read about this early sign of spring in the March-April Wild News and more, including upcoming events and the planned Spring Plant Sale. 2-26-2021
• The first Wild News of 2021: Check the January-February issue for many events scheduled in the next few months; review ferns you can see in winter; learn about taxonomic changes for vascular plants, and more.
• New Wild News: The September-October issue has two articles all about milkweed and upcoming events including "Botanical Art with Elena Maza Borkland."
• New Video: Marion Lobstein and Sally Anderson present an Overview and How To on the Flora of Virginia Mobile App. 7-13-2020
• Would you like to help maintain the fabulous pollinator planting at the Dale City I-95 Rest Stop? Contact our chapter president, Nancy Vehrs. 7-9-2020
• View or download the May-June, 2020 PWWS WILD NEWS. Learn about member work at the I-95 Rest Area pollinator beds, the beauty and history of mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), and enjoy a video tour of the region's Spring Wildflowers. 5-26-2020
• Read about PWWS Member Harry Glasgow recently honored by the Prince William Conservation Alliance.
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Virginia Native Plant Society Blog
- My Journey With the Flora of Virginia September 16, 2021By 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…VNPS Communications
- Narrow-leaf Mountain Mint: Pollinator Magnet September 1, 2021By 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…VNPS Communications
- Tom Wieboldt: Profile of a Virginia Botanist August 18, 2021An 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…VNPS Communications
- Showy Swamp Rose July 4, 2021By 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,…VNPS Communications
- Blue-Eyed Grass Blooms for Bees and Butterflies May 18, 2021By 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,…VNPS Communications
- Marsh Marigold: A Spring Tonic April 26, 2021By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Today, the first day of April, has dawned cold with rain and winds after a week of mild weather, and I seek solace in the first harbingers of spring. A hike to Cabin Swamp in Hickory Hollow Natural Area Preserve is just the spring tonic needed. Sure enough, the…VNPS Communications
- Redbud is Ready for Spring March 26, 2021By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter As signs of spring fill the air, I find myself eagerly anticipating the vibrant magenta pink blooms of one of our most beautiful flowering trees, the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). This small tree is a common sight along roadsides, woodland edges, and old fields in Virginia in late March…VNPS Communications
- Beyond the Field – Enter March 9, 2021By Nicola McGoff, Jefferson Chapter You drive by it every day, without notice. It is just a field. An ordinary everyday field. Square shaped or almost anyway, with very defined boundaries. Manmade boundaries stretching back through time. The sedentary, fallow field. Static and uninviting for most. A place where utility trumps esthetic. Perchance, one day…VNPS Communications
- Phasing Out the Sale and Use of Invasive Plants February 19, 2021Virginia House Joint Resolution 527, approved unanimously in 2021, calls for a study that will explore options for phasing out the sale and use of invasive plants in Virginia’s horticultural industry, and to promote the sale and use of native plants. The study may include potential legislative action to be brought to the 2022 General…VNPS Communications
- Skunk Cabbage Secrets February 18, 2021By Nancy Sorrells On this winter weather Valentine’s Day I decided to journey back into the forest behind our property to the secret place I know where the globally rare Swamp Pink (Helonias bullata) grows. Today’s visit was not to see Swamp Pink, which is still sleeping and will not send up its amazing pink…VNPS Communications