Conserving Wild Flowers and Wild Places
 
 

Conserving Wild Flowers and Wild Places

Northern Neck Chapter of The Virginia Native Plant Society

 
 

Photo by Nick Ferriter

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Events

Events
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May 16
Field Trip to Hickory Hollow NAP

Meet in parking lot by 1:00 pm. Wear sturdy walking shoes and dress for the field with insect repellent, etc. Much of the walk will be on level ground on the White trail but the path down to Cabin Swamp is somewhat steep and narrow.

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May 25
Strawberry Festival at St Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Heathsville

Volunteers Needed at the Strawberry Festival in Heathsville, May 25! Next month we have one of our most influential and fun Outreach Events, the Strawberry Festival at St. Stephen’s Church. This is a widely attended and popular event that attracts hundreds of visitors and is loads of fun.

Articles

Blog
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Betsy Washington
Happy Earth Day, 2024! Celebrate by Planting a NN Native Plant!
Betsy Washington

Plant an Oak for Earth Day... “Oaks are the quintessential wildlife plants: no other genus supports as many species of Lepidoptera thus providing more types of bird food, than the mighty oak... The value of oaks for supporting both vertebrate and invertebrate wildlife cannot be overstated.”

Doug Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home -How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens.”

What can you do to promote Biodiversity on your own property? …

From the April 2024 Newsletter

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Betsy Washington
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Betsy Washington
VNPS Plant of the Year, White Turtlehead, Chelone glabra
Betsy Washington

The 2024 VNPS Plant of the Year is the beautiful White Turtlehead, Chelone glabra. This fall blooming wildflower graces wet areas around the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula. Read more about this beautiful plant at Wildflower of the Year 2024 White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) -Virginia Native Plant Society (vnps.org).

You can order the new VNPS 2024 White Turtlehead Tee shirts at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/vnps/

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Betsy Washington
Scholarship Available from NNVNPS
Tedd Munns
Scholarship Available from NNVNPS
Tedd Munns

The purpose of this scholarship is to recognize an outstanding student graduating from a High School, either public or private in the four Northern Neck Counties: Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond Co., and Westmoreland. The graduating senior must exhibit a desire to continue studies in a recognized College, University or Community College with a focus on the environment, conservation, botany or any discipline that is geared toward bettering our Commonwealth with an emphasis on flora of the Northern Neck.

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Tedd Munns
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Betsy Washington
NEW YEAR’S DAY WALK IN THE WOODS
Betsy Washington

HICKORY HOLLOW NATURAL AREA PRESERVE

LANCASTER, VA

JANUARY 1, 2024, AT 2 PM

New Year’s Day is the perfect day, to get outside for a stroll and start the New Year off naturally and focused on our native flora and fauna. A number of years ago the Northern Neck (NN) Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society began a New Year’s Day Walk at Hickory Hollow Natural Area Preserve in Lancaster County.

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Betsy Washington
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Betsy Washington
SATURDAY PLANT SALE WITH VOLUNTEERS IS CANCELLED
Betsy Washington

In watching more detailed weather forecasts this morning I realize that we need to cancel the Plant Sale on Saturday morning. The Tropical Storm threatens too much wind, rain and dangerous storm surge for our members and volunteers to venture out safely on Saturday. (no matter how wonderful and important our native plants are). Please stay safe and careful and VISIT US ON SUNDAY at Dug In for the final day of our sale.

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Betsy Washington
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Betsy Washington
Our Fall Sale Has Been Extended Throughout The September 23-24 Weekend
Betsy Washington

Our fall sale has been extended throughout the weekend. We will be at dug in farms on both Saturday and Sunday mornings to help folks purchase the perfect palette of plants for their gardens. Yes, we know we are in for a BIG tropical storm and the weather is supposed to be windy and rainy all day long Saturday, so we have extended our sale to all day Sunday. Please join us to shop on Sunday as well as Saturday while the weather let's us! But above all be safe!

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Betsy Washington
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Kevin Howe
NN Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society Press Release 2023 ANNUAL NATIVE PLANT SALE, Sept. 16 & 23
Kevin Howe

Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 16, as the first day of the Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society (NNVNPS) Annual Native Plant Sale. The sale will begin at 9 am Saturday morning and continue through Saturday, September 23. Again, this year, the Native Plant Sale will be held at Dug In Farm on Fleets Bay Rd, off Rt. 3 in White Stone.

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Kevin Howe
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Betsy Washington
2023 ANNUAL NATIVE PLANT SALE
Betsy Washington

The Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society (NNVNPS) is holding our Annual Native Plant from Friday, Sept. 15 through Saturday, Sept. 23 at Dug In Farm in White Stone, Virginia.

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Betsy Washington
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Betsy Washington
New sign about the importance of the native plants incorporated in the Town Centre Park
Betsy Washington

The Kilmarnock Town Centre Park is a regional asset is so many ways -the Dog Park, the Half Shell Stage, the Splash Pad, the River Play kids water feature and all the events it hosts but one that is often overlooked is the sustainability merged in the park’s construction.

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Betsy Washington
Tedd Munns
Scholarship Criteria for Student Application For Northern Neck Chapter of The Virginia Native Plant Society
Tedd Munns

The purpose of this scholarship is to recognize an outstanding student graduating from a High School, either public or private in the Northern Neck.

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Tedd Munns

Plant of the Month

Blog
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Plant of the Month April 2024: Lyre-leaf Sage

A few weeks ago, driving north from Florida, we passed mile after mile of waves of lavender-blue flowers gracing the highway shoulders in South Carolina.  We were thrilled to see Lyre-leaf Sage, Salvia lyrata, creating a gorgeous spectacle along an otherwise barren straight stretch of road.

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Plant of the Month March 2024: Trailing Arbutus

Trailing Arbutus is one of our earliest blooming wildflowers and has been considered a “herald of spring” with its extremely fragrant clusters of pink to white flowers blooming from late February to April in our area.

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Plant of the Month February 2024: Rattlesnake Plantain

One of my favorite sights while walking in winter woodlands are the beautiful evergreen leaves of Downy Rattlesnake Plantain, Goodyera pubescens. This eye-catching beauty is one of our most common woodland orchids and instantly recognizable by its exquisitely etched leaves with an intricate network of fine white veins on either side of a broader white midvein.

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Plant of the Month January 2024: Eastern Red Cedar

The January Plant of the Month, Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana, goes by many names such as Eastern Juniper, Red Cedar or even Pencil Juniper. This widespread handsome native tree is found from Nova Scotia and Ontario south to northern Florida and Texas and west across the Great Plains and is extremely cold and heat tolerant.

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Plant of the Month December 2023: River Birch

As I write this in early December, most of the fall leaves have fallen from our deciduous trees and their architecture and bark has taken center stage helping to brighten the landscape. Birch trees are known for their colorful bark and our River Birch, Betula nigra, is no exception with its exquisite pale pink to salmon exfoliating bark making it one of our most stunning and picturesque trees.

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Plant of the Month November 2023: Sassafras

Sassafras, Sassafras albidum, is one of our most distinctive and colorful native deciduous trees. Its brilliance is especially vibrant in fall when its leaves ignite into a glorious kaleidoscope of reds, golds, oranges and even purples. Even in summer, the blue-green leaves of Sassafras are distinctive with three different leaf shapes on a single tree.

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Plant of the Month October 2023: Slender Flat-top Goldenrod

Slender Flat-top Goldenrod is a beautiful deciduous, perennial closely related to goldenrods and is an underused but superior pollinator plant. Its nectar-rich flowers bloom over a long period from September into late fall, often lasting into November or even December.

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Plant of the Month September 2023: Bushy Bluestem

Bushy Bluestem, also called Bushy Bluebeard, is a compact, beautiful native grass often reaching only 2 – 4’ high, with attractive foliage and distinctive dense, feathery inflorescences that glow silvery white with pinkish tints in the fall light.

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Plant of the Month August 2023: Spotted Beebalm

Spotted Beebalm or Eastern Horsemint is an eye-catcher with plenty of charm when it blooms from late July to September and is easy to fall in love with.  The flowers are not quite as large and impressive as some other Beebalms but they make up for it with intricately beautiful and showy flowers.

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Plant of the Month July 2023: Pickerelweed

Pickerelweed is a standout in any garden pond, or freshwater coastal stream or river when its showy lavender­blue flowers are held above the foliage on tall stems. This perennial grows in shallow water where it tolerates up to 2’ of occasional flooding but prefers less than one foot of water.

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Featured

Presentation, Resources and Handouts for native plants and their Pollinators by Betsy Washington

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resources from the Plant Sale by Betsy Washington

Brochures and Lists with More Information

Slideshow photos and text
by Betsy Washington

 

Initiatives