July-August 2022 Wild News!

See All Our
Summer Updates
in the July-August
Wild News

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

May-June 2022 Wild News!

Read the latest
May-June Wild News

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Read the March-April 2022 Wild News!

View the March-April 2022 Wild News !

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Read the January-February 2021 Wild News!

Don't miss the January-February, 2022 Wild News

Manassas Battlefield Photo by Nancy Vehrs

Night Sky with Figures - Evolution Title

Evolution for Naturalists with Lois Montgomery
March 4, 2021

VIEW PRESENTATION
Ferns in the January 2021 Wild News
Read about Ferns & Fern-Allies
in the January, 2021Wild News

Photo by Brigitte Hartke

Monarch Caterpillar on Milkweed

Photo by Jacopo Werther, License CC BY 2.0

Insects and the Milkweed Community
With Judy Gallagher
View Presentation
previous arrow
next arrow

News & Updates

• Don't miss Marion Lobstein's presentation on July 7: “The Fascinating Milkweeds and Relatives of Northern Virginia." See more information and register.

Did you miss Dr. Cindy Smith's presentation May 4 on "Collectively Building Biodiversity"?  Watch the recorded Zoom video now. 5-11-2022

• Browse the May-June issue of the Wild News: reports from the Bluebell Festival at Merrimac, Stone Bridge Walk, and Garden Tour; news about the PWWS plant sale on May 7; updates on Dwarf Crested Iris; upcoming chapter events, and more. 4-29-2022

• View Ian Caton's March 3 presentation on Vimeo: "Super-Tough Native Plants for Difficult Situations". 3-10-2022

• Check out the January-February 2022 Wild News: the challenges of 2021, enjoying winter Hepatica, lots of native plant websites, upcoming events, and more. 12-31-2021

• Did you miss Warren Laws' presentation "The American Chestnut: The Tree That Made America" on November 4? Watch the recorded Zoom video now. 11-7-2021

• Read the November-December Wild News: reports from our 2021 Annual Meeting in September, invasive plant removal activities, updates on Witch Hazel and woody plant species taxonomic changes, upcoming chapter events, and more. 10-28-2021

• 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.

Join

Become a Member:
Support Our Mission.

Donate

Support VNPS with
your donation today.

Upcoming Events

Find Field Trips, Meetings, Programs and Plant Sales.

Find a Chapter

Get involved in your
local VNPS chapter.

The Curious Pawpaw
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter The Pawpaw, Asimina triloba, is a handsome small tree that is as fascinating as it is curious. Pawpaw is a member of the Custard-Apple Family, the Annonaceae, a large family of tropical and subtropical species. Ranging from Florida and Texas north to New York and Southern Ontario, Pawpaw is…... Read more
May 29, 2022
The Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly, Its Host Plants, and the New Threat They Face
By Mary Lee Epps A new non-native fungus and the beetle that carries it may soon severely impact sassafras, spicebush, and most other members of the Laurel family in the United States. Sadly, since these are the main host plants of the spicebush swallowtail butterfly, which is now common throughout most of the Eastern U.S.,…... Read more
April 29, 2022
Magical Mexican Dogwoods: What Should We Call Them?
By W. John Hayden, Botany Chair Who knew? Cornus florida, the 2018 VNPS Wildflower of the Year and State Tree of Virginia, has a cousin living in the mountains of eastern Mexico! Mexican Dogwoods have been found in the states of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz. They are, manifestly, close relatives of the familiar Flowering…... Read more
March 29, 2022
Partridge-berry Is Bright All Year
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Partridge-berry (Mitchella repens) is a handsome evergreen vine that creeps along the ground reaching only 2” high. Its long trailing stems can reach 12” long but it develops roots at nodes along the stem wherever it touches the ground, creating large dense colonies. Widespread across eastern North America, it…... Read more
February 17, 2022
Native and Invasive Plant Legislation in the 2022 General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly convened January 12, 2022 and three bills were introduced in the House of Delegates that deal with native and invasive plants. The first step is to assign the bills to committees, then to subcommittees. Bills must pass the committee to be referred to the House for a full vote. View the Virginia…... Read more
January 17, 2022
Wildflower of the Year 2022 Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Buttonbush is a shrub or small tree commonly attaining heights up to about 6 m, occasionally twice that size. Leaves are opposite or whorled, elliptic to ovate, 2-8 cm wide, and 6-15 cm long; margins are entire and apices are acute or cuspidate, i.e., with an abrupt, short, tooth-like point. Triangular stipules, 2-3 mm long,…... Read more
January 1, 2022
Baldcypress: Towering Virginia Icon
By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter Baldcypress, Taxodium distichum, our November Plant of the Month, is an unforgettable sight all year. But in late fall when its soft foliage turns vibrant shades of copper-orange, it lights up the entire landscape. These trees are called “bald” because, unlike most other conifers, they are deciduous and lose…... Read more
November 21, 2021
My Journey With the Flora of Virginia
By 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…... Read more
September 16, 2021