In response to a request from the staff of Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), ARMN members Melissa Perez and Kasha Helget got their feet (legs, and knees) wet on Friday, May 10th to assist in the reconstruction of a celery grass enclosure on the Potomac River’s Belmont Bay at Mason Neck Park in Lorton.

Perez is a grass grower and Helget is a regional coordinator in CBF’s “Grasses for the Masses” program. In this program, Virginia residents grow underwater celery grass (Vallisneria americana) in their homes or schools during winter, and then plant the grasses during spring in Belmont Bay at Mason Neck Park or in James River. The aquatic grasses filter nutrients and provide important habitat for fish and other aquatic creatures, and help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

The grass plantings take place on several days between mid-May and early June; however, CBF staff was notified that the enclosure at Belmont Bay was destroyed by some errant driftwood and needed to be rebuilt before the grass installations could be done there.

Bare enclosure for celery grass prior to installation of new screening to protect the new plantings. (No, the driftwood in the foreground is not a shark.)

So, a group of seven CBF staffers and volunteers jumped (waded) in to replace screening around the enclosure and anchor it to the sand for better support, and to prevent turtles and other large interlopers from entering the enclosure and destroying the grasses.

Master Naturalist Melissa Perez holds up a support post while awaiting additional cable ties for the screen.

The atmosphere and water temperature were near perfect for accomplishing the enclosure reconstruction.

Master Naturalists Melissa Perez and Kasha Helget take a break in front of the “door” to the grass enclosure.

Master Naturalist Melissa Perez ties rebar to the screening as a base to prevent turtles from entering the enclosure. CBF Staffer Ann Jurczyk and volunteer Craig Metcalf assist.

Despite a few technical glitches, the work proceeded well before high tide forced the team to stop. A CBF staffer would complete anchoring the fence before the first planting on May 18th.

For more information on the program, see: http://www.cbf.org/grasses. Watch for your opportunity to participate in the 2014 growing program late in the year.

Photos courtesy of Peyton Williams.

The Potomac Overlook Park Native Shade Garden is growing up! ARMN members have been carefully tending this little niche, encouraging the natives, discouraging the weeds, and doing battle royale with the deer. This is the garden’s second spring. Volunteers were greeted on Tuesday, April 23 with colorful blooms and  vigorous green shoots as preparations continue for the Open House at PORP on May 11.

It has been fun to watch the progress and evolution of this space, which was created to  provide education for homeowners by showcasing native plants that thrive in the shade. Joanne Hutton, who is one of the the garden’s moms, says that the Packera aurea, commonly known as Golden ragwort, has done a marvelous job of filling in, making a dense patch that keeps out weeds. In fact, ARMN volunteers had to remove some of it from the pathways and surrounds of other desirable groundcovers!

If you visit the site this week, you will be welcomed into the garden with sunny ragwort blossoms gracing the entrance.

Golden ragwort & tools.

Ragwort buds

Ragwort rhizome

Trilliums, spicebush, wood poppies, Virginia strawberry and foamflower are also up and doing well.

Foamflower

Other blooming species for this week include golden alexanders, woodland phlox, wild geranium, green and gold, carex species; woodies in bloom include sweetshrub or calycanthus, hobblebush ( a native viburnum), redbud and of course dogwood.  Get out and enjoy the show!

Calycanthus Floridus

Fragaria virginiana

Even though it’s the end of April, Christine Freidel, Teri Epstein, Celia Denton, Sue Dingwell, and Joanne Hutton were still wearing jackets for this garden-sprucing effort. In addition to clean-up, two new Lonicera semerpvirens were installed in a sunny corner and to help our Master Gardener friends at the park, a flat of sturdy “extras” for their sale was potted up.

Joanne Hutton tending the garden.

We’ll be showing off our demonstration garden when Potomac Overlook Park hosts its annual spring Open House, scheduled for Saturday May 11th, from 1 – 4 pm.  If you’d like to help staff the ARMN general information table at that event, or to help talk about the garden and native plants to other visitors that afternoon, please contact Joanne Hutton at joannerhutton@gmail.com or 703 282-4964.  We could use several hands, and it’s always a fun event with lots of young families.

Photos courtesy of Sue Dingwell

ARMN is featuring three events to celebrate Virginia Invasive Plant Removal Day.  Join us at one of these events and bring your family and friends.

HOG – 9 am – 11 am

This is the second anniversary of our initial work day in the HOG area – Haley Park/Oakridge Elementary/Gunston Middle School Woods!  We started in 2011 with a big boost from local LDS church members, ARMN members, Master Gardeners, VNPS members and Arlington County.

Our woods is home to foxes, raccoons, hawks and many other birds.  It is also an outdoor classroom for the elementary school and the middle school.  Volunteers may be in time to see the blooming of the Pinxterbloom Azalea and the wild black cherry.  The area has been invaded by many exotic plants, notably Bush honeysuckle and Japanese honeysuckle, Wisteria, English Ivy, Euonymus, Porcelain Berry, Oriental Bittersweet, Multiflora rose, White Mulberry, Ailanthus etc. etc.  On May 4, we’ll focus on garlic mustard, now blooming, English ivy honeysuckle and others.

We especially need knowledgeable volunteers to help direct first-timers.  Wear long sleeves and pants, gloves and stout shoes with good soles.  The terrain is hilly, rough, and has patches of poison ivy and brambles!  Bring a refillable water bottle, and clippers or saw if you have them. The location is 2400 S. Meade St., Arlington VA.

Contact:  Jennifer Frum at 703-300-2496.

Isaac Crossman Park – 9 am to 1 pm

The focus in this park will be multi-flora rose, garlic mustard and English ivy.  Wear sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves and perhaps a hat and bring a water bottle. Bring garden gloves and tools if you have them.  Training and additional tools will be provided.  Volunteers older than 9 years are welcome; a parent or guardian will be needed to sign the volunteer sing-in sheet for those under 18.  We will meet at the park entrance, 1900 Westmoreland St., near N Westmoreland St and 19^th Rd N, Arlington.  Street parking is available. The closest metro stop is East Falls Church Metro Station.

Contact: Sarah Archer (571-237-3085), sarcher@arlingtonva.us.

Gulf Branch Nature Center – 10 am to 12 pm

Volunteers will sweep the park removing every evil garlic mustard plant we find! We are really starting to get it under control and I think this will be the year we turn the corner – so please join us! It’s recommended that volunteers bring water, a snack, sun screen & insect repellant. Wear sturdy shoes, long pants and long sleeves. Also bring work or gardening gloves if you have them. Onsite training will be provided for garlic mustard identification and removal techniques.

Gulf Branch Nature Center is located at 3608 Military Rd., Arlington.  Please park on Military Rd or 36th Rd, as our parking lot can only take a few cars. The nature center is ~150 feet down the driveway. Meet on the upper terrace.

Contact: Jennifer Soles (703-288-3403, jsoles@arlingtonva.us)

In the past month, seven local properties have joined the ranks of homeowners creating a green network for wildlife in Arlington and Alexandria. This critical work is intended to blunt the impact of habitat loss in our area by providing small sanctuaries desperately needed for the survival of wildlife in our increasingly urban environment. The properties range in size and style from a narrow lot in Old Town Alexandria to a wooded ravine and intermittent stream just above Chain Bridge.

The Audubon at Home program seeks to make every home a wildlife sanctuary by certifying that each property works to achieve the goals stated in the Healthy Yard Pledge. The Healthy Yard Pledge is an amalgamation of many of the topics covered in our Master Naturalist Training. The five points of the pledge include:

1. Remove invasive exotic plants.
2. Reduce or eliminate pesticide and fertilizer use.
3. Conserve and protect water, waterways and water quality.
4. Install native plants to support the local food chain.
5. Support wildlife with water, cover and food to the extent possible.

Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) is a great evergreen groundcover for a hot sunny area, shown here on a south- facing slate patio.

In addition to the Health Yard Pledge, participants complete an application which documents the presence of Audubon-approved native fauna species on the property. The final step in completing the certification process includes the scheduling a visit from an “Audubon at Home Ambassador” who discusses and reviews the various elements of the property’s conservation landscape. Upon completion of these steps, the owner’s property will be certified as an Audubon at Home Wildlife Sanctuary. This certification reflects that “the animals decided” that the reviewed property has most of the elements needed to sustain the animal’s lives – a not-insignificant achievement!

Each property has its own unique features, attributes and challenges. In the Old Town example, the property has limited space and overhead wires (representing a challenge for tree selection in the hot, west- facing front yard). The homeowners had just finished removing a reinforced concrete slab from the backyard (by hand!) and were preparing to install a plan they had created at the Master Gardeners Landscape Seminar series. Their plan will direct rainwater away from the foundation and into a small rain garden across the patio from a small meadow. The owners reported that this property had skinks which likely had been living with, and feeding on, the extensive ant colonies found beneath the (former) slabs.

One Arlington couple is successfully removing numerous invasive plant species from their own property (but unfortunately have a neglected adjacent property providing a constant seed, vine and rhizome source for new invasive plants). Another challenge they face (as do many of us) is converting a traditional landscape to one using native plants and a softer look while blending with the existing homes in the area. Repetition of several types of plants and the use of multiples of each species helps to avoid the somewhat messy “one of each” look that is common in many native plant gardens. Additionally, multiple plants of each type provide a much better buffet for pollinators.

Lesser Celandine is also blooming now. It is very difficult to eradicate without herbicides.

Golden Ragwort is a beautiful plant in flower and makes an effective groundcover even in dry shade conditions.

Another Arlington property is sited on a hilltop in the Chain Bridge neighborhood. This site has to contend with more of an exposed, drier location than many others. It also suffered major tree losses in last year’s derecho. One of the most unique features of this site is the presence of many mature and immature Sassafras trees which the homeowner has retained in the planting of the gardens (hugely beneficial to migratory birds).

A second Chain Bridge area property is presented with a huge challenge by virtue of being the recipient of stormwater from almost four acres of surrounding homes. The site has a ravine with an intermittent stream that runs the length of the property. The homeowners are successfully addressing some erosion issues with native plants purchased from Earth Sangha, including Wild Rye (Elymus), Red and Black Chokeberry (Aronia) and Alder (Alnus), among others. Structural additions, such as logs to create water pools, are planned to help mitigate the force of the stormwater during rain events. Additionally, the owners seek to create habitat specifically for Herps (lizards, frogs, snakes) for the enjoyment of, and study by, their child.

The fox den found on another Arlington site (not far from Tuckahoe Elementary School) was a happy surprise.

Fox den in hillside.

This property has a steep slope in the rear, anchored by azaleas, where several large den entries are located.

Rear hill with Azalea, Mountain Laurel and many species of Ferns.

The lower half of the property contains a system of stream channels dug by the previous owner which directs runoff from rainstorms. The moist site provides for an abundance of many types of mature ferns, wildflowers and cultivated plants near the lower end of the rear yard. Lesser Celandine is a big problem for this property as it blankets most of these same moist areas. These owners intend to add meadow plants and vegetables to their current front yard (which now contains mostly turf).

In all, each of these sites represents a concerted effort at conservation of natural resources – soil, water, flora and fauna. Animals do take notice. As the nascent, yet burgeoning “green networks” promoted by the Audubon at Home program demonstrate, no part of the network of life is too insignificant.

On March 16 a sturdy group of volunteers participated in the March Habitat Restoration of Tuckahoe Park.The volunteers warmed up in the cold, damp morning by pulling up English Ivy. Along with ARMN members, volunteers include young women from Arlington’s Career Center’s ROTC unit, Yorktown’s NHS, and Marymount University. Volunteers rescued 25 mature White Oak, Red Oak, and a young Beech tree from being strangled by English Ivy.

YOU NEED TO KNOW:
If English Ivy is allowed to grow up a tree it can cut off nutrients and light from a tree eventually killing it. Once high enough, English Ivy will flower which results in unwitting birds transporting this nuisance vine throughout a neighborhood. Tree Stewards recommend at least a two-foot area around a tree be cleared to keep the ivy from continuing to climb.

If you have English Ivy threatening your trees or flowering you can take action. Information on proper removal can be found:

http://armn.org/choking-hazard/

http://armn.org/2012/04/09/what-can-i-plant-after-removing-english-ivy/

ARMN members launched a new Nature Club this spring at  Campbell Elementary School for first and second graders who attend the school’s Extended Day program. Campbell, which is adjacent to Long Branch Park, installed a wonderful new wetland last year, and the Nature Club seemed like a great way to keep a focus on the importance of this newly created resource.

As you can see, fun is the main goal! The children are enjoying a mix of science and artistic expression, with time for exploration and enjoyment of the natural world. They are observing, collecting, recording, experimenting, hypothesizing, and collaborating while they learn about the wetlands. Last week the children released tadpoles from Long Branch Park into one of the ponds.

Photos courtesy of Sue Dingwell

If you are interested in joining in for a day (Wednesdays) to see what it’s like, or just to help out with another set of hands, please drop a line to:

Pat Findikoglu – Patfin2@aol.com
Sue Dingwell – sue@dingwell.net

Join us for the next Barcroft Park Habitat Restoration Work Party on Saturday morning April 20^th at 9:30 am. For the first time, we will focus on tagging invasive shrubs for treatment by Arlington County’s contractor, IPS.  We will have an opportunity to use and learn plant ID skills to identify the invasive shrubs that have escaped earlier treatment. This event is sponsored by the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists.

We will meet at the picnic pavilion in Barcroft Park at 9:30 am. If you park in the Barcroft recreational area parking lot, walk past the soccer fields, bear right and then cross the stream on the wood and steel bridge. Wear long pants and long sleeves. Bring gloves and field guides if you have them. We will also supply gloves and tools, and garbage bags for trash pick-up.

This project needs you! Every pair of hands makes a difference for this valuable ecological site. Enjoy the satisfaction of clearing invasive plants to encourage growth of native plants which provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see the results of the work done so far in Barcroft Park, and observe a park on its way to natural health. If you have worked with us in the past come see the results of your hard work and the significant investment by Arlington County. If you are new to Barcroft join us to see the park that has been designated as a top priority for Arlington due to its unique habitat.

If you have questions, please contact Marion Jordan at mcjordn@verizon.net.

I began writing this article to discover more about the West Virginia White Pieris virginiensis (WVW) and its conservation.  I know that many ARMN members spend a lot of time pulling garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). I thought you might think about how much you are helping WVW when you start attacking garlic mustard this spring.

West Virginia White, Pieris virginiensis

The WVW is negatively impacted by garlic mustard. WVW lay their eggs on garlic mustard which is in the same family as the toothworts; however, the garlic mustard is toxic to the caterpillars. Removal of garlic mustard from woods with this butterfly or large toothwort populations is highly recommended. Forest fragmentation due to timbering and development encourages the spread of garlic mustard.

(Travis Anderson is a graduate of the Spring 2009 ARMN Basic Training Course. He lives in Pennsylvania.)

From armneditor:  Check out a wonderful guide on Garlic Mustard Treatment Options published by The Woodland School of The Aldo Leopold Foundation.

Mark your calendar for May 4, 2013 for the Invasive Plant Removal Day. Details forthcoming.

If you had been out volunteering with Meet Me on a Sunday on this glorious afternoon, you too might have enjoyed the chorus of woodfrogs spawning at the pond and in vernal pools.

Thanks to Sherry McDonald for the great shot and for throwing herself into the Master Naturalist enterprise with whole heart!

Meet Me on a Sunday (MMOAS): Instituted summer of 2012, volunteers help set up and staff information or interest-area tables in Potomac Overlook Regional Park on Sunday afternoons for two hours, from 1:30 – 3:30, just outside the Nature Center. Volunteers work alongside Nature Center staff, and you are welcomed to set up your own display on a topic of your interest, or to use a range of interpretive materials already there. Most park visitors are families with young children. The Native Plant Garden is a new addition to the park, and ARMN has created a box of information and display materials on invasive and native plants to help with that.

Willing to talk with the public about most any subject of interest to you?
Want to help develop children’s activities to supplement our box?
Want to lead short nature hikes for mixed audiences – e.g. to see wood frogs in action?

If so, this activity could be for you!

Join us for the next Barcroft Park Habitat Restoration Work Party on Saturday morning, March 16th at 9:30 am. Our focus will be to clear ivy off the trees and the ground in an area that the county’s contractor will not cover. Join us and enjoy the satisfaction of clearing one of the final areas infested with ivy in the park. This event is sponsored by the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists.

We will meet at the picnic pavilion in Barcroft Park at 9:30 am. If you park in the Barcroft recreational area parking lot, walk past the soccer fields, bear right and then cross the stream on the wood and steel bridge. Wear long pants and long sleeves. Bring gloves as well as handsaws and pruners if you have them. We will also supply gloves and tools, and garbage bags for trash pick-up.

This project needs you! Every pair of hands makes a difference for this valuable ecological site. Enjoy the satisfaction of clearing invasive plants to encourage growth of native plants which provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Come back to Barcroft and see a park on its way to natural health. If you have worked with us in the past come see the results of your hard work and the significant investment by Arlington County. If you are new to Barcroft join us to see the park that has been designated as a top priority for Arlington due to its unique habitat.

If you have questions, please contact Marion Jordan.