ARMN volunteer and Master Gardener Joanne Hutton reports on spring’s largesse in the native plant garden at Potomac Overlook Regional Park (with photos by the author unless otherwise indicated). by Joanne Hutton Spring rains yielded floral abundance this year, and the unfolding of spring at Potomac Overlook Regional Park’s Shady Native Plant Demo Garden was glorious—ifContinueContinue reading “Spring Wonders in Potomac Overlook Regional Park”
Category Archives: Outreach
How to Control Mosquitoes Without Killing Pollinators and Other Important Wildlife
by Susan Gitlin, ARMN member Warm weather and mosquitoes will be here before you know it, leading many of us to look for ways to enjoy the outdoors without being pestered by those annoying little—and sometimes disease-bearing—biters. There is a lot of information being disseminated by health organizations about health risks to humans from mosquitoContinueContinue reading “How to Control Mosquitoes Without Killing Pollinators and Other Important Wildlife”
Bees of Singular Tastes and the Plants They Love
by Sherrie Burson and Brooke Alexander, ARMN Sam Droege, a scientist at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, entertained and educated ARMN volunteers and members of the public on May 11 in a talk at the Arlington Central Library. Droege works on the design and development of status and trends data for U.S. plants and animals. Currently,ContinueContinue reading “Bees of Singular Tastes and the Plants They Love”
ARMN Member Mary McLean Wins Bill Thomas Award
The Arlington Regional Master Naturalists proudly announce that on April 21, 2015, ARMN member Mary McLean was named a recipient of the Bill Thomas Outstanding Park Service Volunteer Award for her work in 2014. McLean is a steward at Tuckahoe Park in Arlington and her specialty is invasive plants. Since the early 2000s, she hasContinueContinue reading “ARMN Member Mary McLean Wins Bill Thomas Award”
An Interview with Stumpy, Arlington County Spokes-turtle
Stumpy, Long Branch Nature Center’s three-legged eastern box turtle, is one of only a few wildlife rescues at Arlington County nature centers that have been given individual names. Most animals on exhibit answer to generic monikers, such as Ms. Owl or Mr. Ratsnake. This is to remind people that the resident animals are notContinueContinue reading “An Interview with Stumpy, Arlington County Spokes-turtle”
Turtle Talks
By Esther Massey … and frogs and toads and snakes. O, my! Showing the Gulf Branch reptiles to the birthday party attendees has been an absolute blast for me. As a former teacher, I really appreciate being able to enjoy the instructional part without the daily toil. Each party is different, as are the parents and the children. The children vary in ages from 3-6 and sometimes their older siblings come along as well. Before the children and parents arrive, I decorate the room with posters and pictures availablable at the center and put up the “Private—Birthday Party” sign. I gather the materials that I intend to use for the talks on a table in the front of the room and place a cloth over them to keep the children from playing with them. The center provides puppets, skeletons, models, and other audiovisual aids to help the kids learn about the life cycle of the different reptiles and amphibians. The one they seem to like the most is the frog croak identifier. Pushing a button elicits the different calls of the specific frog. I let the kids take turns pushing the buttons. Some parents bring activities to start the party, such as assembling binoculars made from toilet paper tubes or string toss toys. At the most recent party, the parents brought in a face painter. The parents bring their own party decorations, delectable snacks, and cake. As the kids arrive, I ask them to make up name tags for themselves so I can call out their names duringContinueContinue reading “Turtle Talks”
Calling All Tree-Loving Master Naturalists
By Nora Palmatier YOU have a great opportunity to get native canopy trees planted in your Arlington neighborhood – last year the Tree Canopy Fund got 515 trees planted, including 61 Nyssa sylvatica, 110 Quercus species, and 45 Betula nigras! All of the information you need to start planning is on the ACE website atContinueContinue reading “Calling All Tree-Loving Master Naturalists”