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 timing is excellent because thereContinueContinue reading “It’s FINALLY Spring! A Great Time to Shop for and Install Native Plants”
Tag Archives: community outreach
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, and shrubs with warmer soilsContinueContinue reading “Autumn 2025 Native Plant Sales: The Best Time of Year to Install New Natives!”
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 many of the park’s inhabitantsContinueContinue reading “Leading a Nature Walk Can be a Walk in the Park”
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 park steward with a knackContinueContinue reading “Spring into Action: Admiring and Protecting Our Spring Ephemerals”
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 ground level-ozone air pollution onContinueContinue reading “ARMN Ozone Team Hosts Event for the International Day of Clean Air”
Potomac Overlook Park Native Shade Garden’s Second Spring
By Sue Dingwell 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 shootsContinueContinue reading “Potomac Overlook Park Native Shade Garden’s Second Spring”
Homeowners save wildlife by creating a green network across Northern Virginia
By Leigh Pickering 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 increasinglyContinueContinue reading “Homeowners save wildlife by creating a green network across Northern Virginia”
Woodfrogs at Potomac Overlook Regional Park
By Joanne Hutton 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 wholeContinueContinue reading “Woodfrogs at Potomac Overlook Regional Park”
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”
Join ARMN for MLK National Day of Service events
Throughout the year, ARMN volunteers contribute to a myriad of service activities that benefit our neighborhoods and communities. For Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, ARMN inivites you to join our dedicated volunteers to honor Dr. King’s legacy by participating in two of our focus service projects to restore habitat in Barcroft Park and in Tuckahoe Park. Barcroft Park January 19th at 9:30 am Our main focus will be to clear ivy off the trees so that IPC (Invasive Plant Control), Arlington County’s contractor, willContinueContinue reading “Join ARMN for MLK National Day of Service events”