Non-Native Milkweed: Helpful or Harmful?

November 20, 2014

  The most recent article about the monarch butterfly in the New York Times has once again raised the question of whether we should be planting non-native milkweed. The milkweed being discussed was the tropical variety most widely available in the usual stores, Asclepias curassavica, known commonly as Scarlet or Tropical milkweed. Ongoing research points…

One Chapter’s Call to Action

November 16, 2014

As far back as last summer, the Potowmack chapter had decided to do something different at its Annual Meeting. Board members would still have to be elected, of course, and a budget passed. After that part of the meeting, the chapter had always in the past offered a field trip or walk, but this year,…

Escape to Poor Mountain

November 9, 2014

Just 15 to 20 minutes from downtown Salem, VA, is Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve, part of the Division of Natural Heritage system that protects special plants, animals, and ecosystems throughout Virginia. Although Poor Mountain is named for its predominantly infertile, acidic soils, it makes a rich destination for the botanically minded. Next time you…

Smile – It’s A Smilax!

November 5, 2014

The genus Smilax is bound to catch your attention one way or another – your eye catches a distinctive green leaf; your nose detects a whiff of something slightly ‘off;’  your skin or clothes catch on sharp prickles as you walk down the trail. Those prickly Simlax  have common names that include the words Greenbrier or…

Coastal Barnyard Grass

November 4, 2014

Fall is a great time of year for grass ID! Echinochloa walteri, member of the Poaceae family, is an annual herb that can reach six feet. According to the the Flora of Virginia it is frequent to common in the estuarine and maritime zones of the Virginia’s Coastal Plain. The flowers are only a few…

VNPS Annual Meeting Field Trip to False Cape

October 17, 2014

For the first time, two all-day field trips were added to the rooster of choices for the VNPS Annual Meeting in order to allow more time for travel into places not readily accessible. A trip to Cypress Bridge involved boats. A trip to False Cape State Park today required a drive by tram through a…

Botanical Excitement in Lexington’s Backyard

October 14, 2014

Well, not in Lexington, but they might as well be. A series of unexpected rock outcrops barely on the Rockbridge side of the line provides a case study in plant disjunction and unexpected botanical discovery. * * disjunct – separated geographically, especially the population of a restricted area lying outside a main range These bedrock…

Giant Natural Gas Pipelines Proposed for Virginia

September 25, 2014

On September 2nd, Dominion Resources, along with its partners Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and AGL Resources, announced its intention to move ahead and build a major 42 inch pipeline that will stretch 550 miles across three states. It will begin in Harrison County, West Virginia and end in eastern North Carolina. Approximately 450 miles…

A Tale of Shale: Virginia’s New Violet

September 21, 2014

The Virginia shale country has offered up yet another major botanical surprise. In a corner of the state already renowned for its botanical oddities, the winding path leading to this discovery illustrates the value of field work, curiosity, and research in its most literal sense. In 1936, while exploring shale barrens and woodlands in Douthat…

In the Field With Tom Wieboldt: Botetourt County

September 14, 2014

VNPS members from several different chapters converged upon Botetourt County on August 2nd to explore three different plant communities under the guidance of Tom Wieboldt. Tom is well known as curator of Massey Herbarium, vice-president of Virginia Botanical Associates and contributor to the Flora of Virginia (to list just a few of his accomplishments). His…