Read the newsletter!
What’s in Bloom | Tulip-poplar
May 17, 2021 Tulip-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) is among the tallest deciduous hardwood trees in North America, between 60-150 feet tall.Native to the eastern USA and Canada.Common name was inspired by yellow-orange tulip-like flowers, blooming May-June. However, it belongs to the family magnoliacea. Has a long history of use by people, primarily for its wood.Provides an abundant food source for native pollinators Tulip-poplar […]
What’s in Bloom | Wild Geranium
May 5, 2021 Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) is a woodland perennial herb native to Eastern North America. It spreads via self-ejecting seeds and thick underground rhizomes. It belongs to the genus Geranium, named after Greek word geranos, crane, due to the beak-like seed pod. Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), also known as cranesbill, is a woodland perennial herb native to eastern North America, […]
What’s in Bloom | Mayapple
May 4, 2021 Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) is a perennial herb that can be recognized by its distinctive peltate, or umbrella-like, leaves. It is found in rich woodlands and will form large colonies by sprouting new plants along its creeping rhizomes. Young plants will only have one leaf, while mature plants will have two leaves borne on a Y-shaped stem. Mayapples are named for their single, sweet-smelling, apple-blossom-like flowers that bloom from the center of their Y-shaped stems from March through May. Benefits to Biodiversity | […]
What’s in Bloom | Black Cherry
May 27, 2020 Black Cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) The black cherry tree is native to large areas of North America with populations scattered from Mexico to Canada. This tree belongs to the rose family (Rosaceae). There are multiple species variations depending on geographic range. The trees can grow to be about 100 feet tall and flower in late spring. The […]
What’s in Bloom | Philadelphia Fleabane
May 18, 2020 Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) Philadelphia fleabane can be spotted blooming throughout spring along roadsides, clearings, fields and meadows throughout a good portion of the United States. In some parts of Virginia it blooms as early as March. A member of the Aster family, this fleabane is native to Virginia along with a few other fleabanes in the […]
Black Willow
May 13, 2020 Black Willow (Salix nigra) Black willow is a fast-growing tree that grows 30 to 60 feet tall. It is native to the eastern United States and Canada. It is the most common willow in Virginia, and flowers across the state in early spring. Like many other willow species black willows have narrow, lance-shaped, alternately arranged leaves with […]
What’s in Bloom | Golden Ragwort
May 6, 2020 Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea) Golden ragwort, also known as heartleaf ragwort, golden groundsel, and butterweed, is a member of the aster or sunflower family (Asteraceae). Of the 8 packera species native to Virginia, golden ragwort is one of the more common. Its bright golden flowers begin to bloom in our region of northern Virginia in early April […]