Want to submit an article?
Got a story to tell? We’re looking for newsletter articles and blog posts that will teach and inspire anyone engaged in our area’s natural world.
What makes a good article or post? A field trip experience, a project you’re doing, a citizen science event, a deep dive into our native flora and fauna, an interesting continuing education presentation, a fascinating book you’ve read: the list is long!
Newsletter articles are typically 300-600 words long; blog posts can be longer. Both usually include photos or other illustrations with captions. (Please bear in mind that current VMN regulations limit published photos of people to ARMN members only, and only with their written permission.)
Tell us your story idea, and we’ll help you get it ready for Notes on Nature. Reach out to us at newsletter@armn.org and we’ll be in touch. Want to write a longer blog post instead? Please contact kasha.helget@outlook.com for questions about the ARMN blog. If you post on our blog, we will then summarize it for the newsletter, with a link to your story.
Cleaning the Bay Starts Here
by Jo Allen Question: What is missing from upper course of Four Mile Run that flows through five contiguous parks that are managed by ARMN Park Stewards after “Clean the Bay Day” on May 2? Answer: An electric scooter, a pair of lawn chairs, two tarps, three tires, an iron…
Keep readingCity Nature Challenge 2026: A Retrospective
Text by Rosemary Jann; photos by Barbara Saffir The City Nature Challenge is now complete for 2026, and the final results are impressive, showing solid increases over 2025 totals. This year the CNC, a global bioblitz that seeks to measure urban biodiversity, included 754 metropolitan areas in 61 countries across…
Keep readingSoldiers2Scientists Rise to the City Nature Challenge at Chinn Ridge
By Terri McPalmer On a chilly Saturday morning in late April, I joined a small group of master naturalists in the Manassas National Battlefield Park to assist Soldiers2Scientists (S2S) as they took part in a City Nature Challenge (CNC) event, an annual four-day global bioblitz. S2S is a non-profit organization that facilitates…
Keep readingARMN’s 2026 Honeymooners Heronry Hike
Text by Anna Dixon; photos by Barbara Saffir, except as noted. On a glorious March morning, about 25 participants gathered at Burke Lake in Fairfax County, VA for The Honeymooners Heronry Hike, a lively walk to Vesper Island’s great blue heron “rookery” (AKA a heronry or nesting colony). Led by…
Keep readingFrom Flush to Four Mile Run: Inside Arlington’s Water Pollution Control Plant
Text and images by Laura Gilmore, except as noted. Early each morning, millions of gallons of wastewater begin an unseen journey beneath Arlington County. Every sink drain, shower, and toilet output of household wastewater eventually converges at one place: the Arlington Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP). During a recent tour,…
Keep readingWood Ducks Love Wetlands
By Nancy Roeper Have you ever wondered how wood ducks got their common name? Wood ducks (Aix sponsa) are among the few waterfowl species that perch and nest in trees (hence, “wood”). They cannot make their own nesting cavities, though, so they rely on dead trees or places where a…
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Pools, Frogs, and Salamanders: A Spring Night at the Outdoor Lab
Text and photos by Laura Gilmore (except as noted) On a cool evening in early March that had begun to feel more like spring than winter, 25 Arlington Regional Master Naturalists (ARMN) gathered at the Arlington Outdoor Lab. This was the third year ARMN members were invited to witness one…
Keep readingJOIN THE 2026 CITY NATURE CHALLENGE
April 24-May 10, 2026 By Rosemary Jann This April 24–27, ARMN members will once again join other naturalists, as well as families, individuals, and/or groups across the greater Washington DC metropolitan area to participate in one of the largest citizen science events in the world: the City Nature Challenge. The…
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It’s FINALLY Spring! A Great Time to Shop for and Install Native Plants
Text and photos by Kasha Helget After a rough winter, we’re experiencing warmer days and the return of birds, bees, and butterflies that depend on native plants to survive and feed their young. Native plants also provide beauty to our pots, yards, and landscapes. Where to find them? Actually, the…
Keep readingThe Evolving Role of Wildland Fire in Virginia
Nature parks in our area are managed to support native plant communities, often the oak/hickory forest type. But some parks don’t much resemble the original landscapes because a key factor is missing: wildland fire. Hundreds of years ago, surface fires burned through many upland areas in Virginia at intervals of…
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The Hidden Helpers of Our Forests: Mycorrhizal Fungi and the Web of Life Beneath Our Feet
By Laura Gilmore When we walk through a forest in Northern Virginia, whether it’s the hardwoods of Potomac Overlook Regional Park or the woodlands of Glencarlyn Park in Arlington, it’s easy to focus on what we can see: towering oaks, spring wildflowers, and calling birds overhead. Yet some of the…
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Geology Walk in Holmes Run Gorge
Text and photos by Hutch Brown. On August 30, 2025, several ARMN members joined local residents for a geology walk in Holmes Run Gorge hosted by the Northern Virginia Mineral Club and Friends of Holmes Run. Holmes Run, part of Alexandria’s Cameron Run watershed, cuts a gorge through the Piedmont…
Keep reading2026 Martin Luther King, Jr., Weekend
Nature Volunteering Events ARMN and other local environmental groups are hosting several events in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. between Jan 16 and 19, 2026. Here is a list of opportunities to work with fellow community members to remove non-native invasive plants and clean up our area’s beautiful parks…
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Citizens Help Gauge the Health of Alexandria’s Streams
Volunteers sort through a stream sample for macroinvertebrates. Photo by Jennifer Fletcher, City of Alexandria Communications. By Devin Reese Urban streams get dirty—from trash, discharges, and street runoff. Yet, they have the potential to be the lifeblood of communities, offering a place for fishing, boating, picnicking, biking, birdwatching, and various…
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Fossils Along Our Local Creeks
Text and photos by Hutch Brown. I was walking along Four Mile Run in Arlington’s Barcroft Park when I found the rock at the right (5” X 5”, with loupe for scale) on a gravel bar. I’ve seen others like it near other local streams, including Long Branch and Lubber…
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What’s Eating You, Emerald Ash Borer?
By Roderick Mackler Most of you have at least a passing familiarity with the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis). The bright green beetle is decimating the ash trees on the eastern half of North America, from Ontario to Virginia. Females lay their eggs in the crevices in the bark of…
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Fall Migration: Not Just for the Birds!
By Colleen O’Hara Fall is a great time to spot migrating birds in our area, thanks to Arlington’s location along the Atlantic Flyway—a major route for migratory birds. But birds aren’t the only things on the move. The monarch butterfly, common green darner dragonfly, American eel, and the Eastern red…
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Autumn 2025 Native Plant Sales: The Best Time of Year to Install New Natives!
Text and photos by Kasha Helget Think you have to wait till next spring to purchase native plants? Think again!! Below are locations where you can purchase the perfect plants to benefit local wildlife and spruce up your yard, too. Autumn is the best time to install new perennials, trees,…
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Seeing Air Pollution by Reading the Leaves: ARMN Ozone Bioindicator Garden 55+ Event
Text by Barbara Hoffheins, photos by Jon Bell. On a warm Monday morning, July 21, 2025, ARMN Ozone Team members Jon Bell, Anne Doll, and Barbara Hoffheins discussed the purpose of the ARMN Ozone Bioindicator Garden for members of the “55+” community at the Walter Reed Community Center. The Ozone…
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Reading the Land: Aldo Leopold’s Conservation Legacy
Text by Hutch Brown; photos from Wikimedia Commons. Believe it or not, we once faced a timber crisis in the United States: by the late 1800s, we were logging forests much faster than they could regrow. Warning of a “timber famine,” President Theodore Roosevelt launched a national campaign to conserve…
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Many Hands Make Light of Heavy Work in Mt. Jefferson Park
Text and photos by Devin Reese unless otherwise noted Mt. Jefferson Park and Greenway in Alexandria is a remnant right of way for the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad train line from a time when Potomac Yard was still a wetland (see 1945 map). Once defunct, the railway left a…
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Digging into the History and Mystery of an Arlington Streambank
Text and photos by Hutch Brown. As county volunteers, my son Alex and I routinely monitor Arlington’s streams for water-polluting bacteria (E. coli). Our current site is upper Lubber Run in Woodlawn Park, a small urban park in a relatively flat part of Arlington. While taking water samples in spring…
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Reading the Rocks: A Look at the Geology of Long Branch
Text and photos by Hutch Brown. The Long Branch Nature Center is a popular destination for exhibits, classes, and events. It is also the kickoff point for nature walks of all kinds along Long Branch creek in Glencarlyn Park. As you follow the paved road down to the creek’s confluence…
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Leading a Nature Walk Can be a Walk in the Park
Text by Paige Edwards; photos by Toni Genberg. On a warm and breezy Saturday in March, ARMN volunteers gathered at the Jerome “Buddie” Ford Nature Center in Alexandria for a nature walk in the neighboring Dora Kelley Nature Park to learn tips for leading their own walks. Although it seemed…
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It’s Spring! A Wonderful Time to Shop for and Install Native Plants
Text and photos by Kasha Helget Warming days and the return of birds, bees, and butterflies provide a perfect opportunity to install native plants on which they depend. They also provide beauty to our pots, yards, and landscapes. So, please consider adding a few—or several native plants to your garden,…
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Join Us in April for Citizen Science Month
By Rosemary Jann In April, take the opportunity to join people worldwide to assist scientific research and be counted as part of SciStarter.org’s “One Million Acts of Science” campaign. SciStarter is a global organization committed to encouraging people to learn about, participate in, and support scientific research on real-world problems.…
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2025 Martin Luther King, Jr., Weekend Nature Volunteering Events
Although the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service coincides with Inauguration Day in 2025, there are many volunteer events to help heal our environment during the weekend of Jan 18-20, 2025. Below are nearby opportunities to remove non-native invasive plants and help restore natural ecosystems, while enjoying time outdoors…
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BODACIOUS BALD EAGLES: The Largest Gathering on the East Coast
Text and photos by Barbara J. Saffir, unless otherwise noted. The East Coast’s largest gathering of bodacious bald eagles is just a dash up I-95 at Maryland’s Conowingo Dam. More than a hundred of these ravenous raptors can hunker down at the dam on the Susquehanna River near the head…
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Saving Birds by Reducing Window Strikes
By Colleen O’Hara Birds are beautiful and fun to watch. Did you know they are also beneficial? A lot of bird species spread plant seeds and pollinate plants. They are also predator and prey, and good indicators of how well an ecosystem is doing. The overall bird population in North…
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Leaving a “Legacy on this Planet”: A Collaborative Tree-planting Event and Demonstration
by Devin Reese (text and photos) Saturday, September 28th was an unusual day in Alexandria’s Mt. Jefferson Park. A four-part collaboration (between the City’s Urban Forestry department, Tree Stewards of Arlington and Alexandria, Alexandria Beautification Commission, and Arlington Regional Master Naturalists) inspired more than two dozen people to lend a…
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October: A Perfect Time to Plant a Tree or Create a Bird Sanctuary
By Elaine Kolish As green tree leaves change to crimson, orange, and yellow and our evenings become cooler, our thoughts turn to autumn and its glories. For some, pumpkin spice dominates the season, while for me, apples, in particular apple crisp and cider, fill my thoughts. Apples in turn make…
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Native Plant Sales Galore!
Planning Your Wildlife-Friendly Garden This piece is an excerpt from the September 2024 Capital Nature Newsletter about the transition from summer to fall. It highlights upcoming fall native plant sales and activities to support and protect wildlife in yards. Enjoy! Native plant sales abound in September and October. See our…
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Deer Exclosures in Gulf Branch and Glencarlyn Parks in 2024: Are they working?
By Jeff Elder, Steve Young, and Kasha Helget The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) impact on local forests has grown, with the loss of many native trees and shrub seedlings to deer browse. ARMN provides detailed information about these adverse impacts in its “Learn About” feature entitled, Deer Population and Forest…
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2024 Update on the ARMN Ozone Bioindicator Garden: A Wonderful Climate Tool Right in Our Backyard
By Barbara Hoffheins Overview The ARMN Ozone Bioindicator Garden continues for a fourth year at Walter Reed Community Center (WRCC). ARMN has been working with Arlington County, NASA, and the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Science Education in building and maintaining the bioindicator garden as part of a nationwide project…
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News from the Jerome “Buddie” Ford Native Plant Garden
Text and photos by Dan Huddleston It’s been a couple of years since we last reported on the native plant garden at the Buddie Ford Nature Center. Three years ago, we started revitalizing a native garden that had been strangled into submission by Porcelain berry and other invasive plants. After…
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News about American Chestnut Tree Seedlings Installed Eleven Years Ago
By Kasha Helget In late 2013, volunteers installed dozens of American chestnut tree saplings (Castanea dentata) in Arlington and Alexandria parks and public sites. These young trees were propagated by the Earth Sangha nursery from seeds collected mainly in the northern Blue Ridge area (https://armn.org/2014/02/05/seeds-of-hope-american-chestnut-replanting/). The hope was that the…
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The Mulberry Conundrum
by Devin Reese Mulberry Season It’s that time of year when mulberries are fruiting all around Northern Virginia. Sidewalks are dotted with squashed, blackberry-like fruits; and local animals are having a feast. Mulberries are eaten by a bevy of native birds—blue jays, mockingbirds, goldfinches, and robins, among others. Mammals such…
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Reestablishing Itea virginica at Little Hunting Creek
By Matt Bright Founded in 1997, the Earth Sangha operates a volunteer-based ecological restoration program for the greater Washington, DC, region. The program is designed to conserve and restore the native plant communities that are essential to the region’s ecological health. At the heart of the program is our Wild…
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Spring into Action: Admiring and Protecting Our Spring Ephemerals
By Ajani Simmons Unveiling the World of Spring Ephemerals Spring ephemerals—ever heard of them? Don’t worry if you haven’t; I was in the same boat until recently. Picture this: you’re on a nature walk in Ft. Bennett Park, guided by Mary McCutcheon, a local nature guru, ARMN master naturalist, and…
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Night at the Arlington Outdoor Lab: Salamander/Amphibian Exploration
Text by Mary McLean Photos by Toni Genberg and Simon Willig During the waning weeks of winter, I joined a group of ARMN members in driving to the Arlington Outdoor Education Association’s Outdoor Lab (Outdoor Lab) in Broad Run, VA, about 40 miles from Arlington. The Outdoor Lab is a…
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Owl Prowl at Potomac Overlook Park: A Real Hoot!
On a recent delightful mid-March evening, Potomac Overlook Regional Park hosted a group of adults excited to learn about the owls in the park and hopefully, see some. Roving Naturalist Matt Felperin did not disappoint. First, he shared some basic information about owls: Owls are carnivorous raptors (from the Latin…
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It’s Spring! Time to Shop for and Install Native Plants
With longer daylight hours, warming soils, and the return of birds, bees, and butterflies, it’s time to think about gardening, and preferably, installing native plants in your pots and/or yards. Our local animals depend on them, AND they provide beauty to our landscapes. So, please consider a few—or several native…
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Wacky Winter Wildflower
Text and photos by Barbara J. Saffir Care to eyeball one of the wackiest wildflowers on the planet? No need to blaze a trail to Borneo or Brazil. Exotic-looking native Eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) thrives practically in our own backyards in Northern Virginia. Not only is Eastern skunk cabbage Virginia’s earliest…
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2024 Martin Luther King, Jr., Weekend Nature Volunteering Events
Volunteer to help heal our environment on Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service Weekend, Jan 13-15, 2024. There are many nearby opportunities to remove non-native invasive plants and help restore natural ecosystems, while enjoying time outdoors with community members in our area’s beautiful parks and spaces. Consider participating…
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Seasons of Care for Arlington Central Library Gardens
Text and photos by Devin Reese, unless otherwise noted. If you take a walk around the Arlington Central Library, you can’t miss the gardens. Even on a fall day when deciduous plants have let go their leaves and annuals have died, the mosaic of trees and shrubs marked with botanical…
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It Takes a Community to Nurture a Habitat
Text and photos by Jackie Rivas Our natural world is under siege by invasive plant species that outcompete native species for sunlight and water, quickly overwhelming the native habitat and eliminating food and shelter for birds, butterflies, and other pollinators. We have a biodiversity crisis, and these invasive species are…
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Nature’s Notebook Recognizes ARMN Citizen Scientists
By Rosemary Jann, Phenology Program Leader For the second year in a row, ARMN’s phenology project has been recognized as a top contributor of observations for Nature’s Notebook’s “Nectar Connectors” campaign. Nature’s Notebook, the database tool of the USA National Phenology Network, enables volunteer citizen scientists to submit observations that…
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ARMN Ozone Team Hosts Event for the International Day of Clean Air
By Barbara Hoffheins ARMN’s Ozone Bioindicator Garden at Walter Reed Community Center (WRCC) in Arlington was recently the site of an event to commemorate the International Day of Clean Air. This occasion corresponded wonderfully with the objective of the ozone garden: to collect data on the impact of tropospheric or…
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Bluebirds Find New Homes in Barcroft Park
By Liz Macklin Early this spring in Arlington’s Barcroft Park, in clearings far from busy athletic fields, volunteers installed two boxes for nesting Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis). Painted white to minimize heat from the sun, the boxes sat atop tall metal poles with baffles attached to prevent hungry snakes and…
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Meet Virginia’s Three Venomous Snakes, and a Common One That’s Harmless
By Colleen O’Hara Photos by John White/Virginia Herpetological Society Snakes love summer’s heat, so you’re more likely to spot them these days while out on a hike or even in your yard. But don’t worry: There’s typically nothing to fear from these encounters. Of the 34 snake species and subspecies in Virginia,…
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