by Louis Harrell Every year, Discover Life invites citizen scientists of all levels to identify the calls of crickets and katydids in the District of Columbia, the Baltimore area, and Northern Virginia. This year’s annual “cricket crawl” will be on the evening of August 21, 2020, any time after 8:30 pm. It is a particularlyContinue reading “DC/Baltimore/N. VA “Cricket Crawl,” August 21st: A Fun Citizen Science Project for the Whole Family!”
Tag Archives: education
Sam Droege: Bee Mythbuster
by Catherine Howell ARMN members, Master Gardeners, and others who had the good judgment to attend an information session at Fairlington Community Center on October 10 were rewarded with two hours of advanced training––and a lot of bee-themed standup, courtesy of Sam Droege. Droege, a wildlife management expert with the USGS Bee Inventory and MonitoringContinue reading “Sam Droege: Bee Mythbuster”
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 shootsContinue 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 increasinglyContinue 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 wholeContinue 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.
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, willContinue reading “Join ARMN for MLK National Day of Service events”
Rod Simmons on ecological restoration
By Monique Wong How useful is the idea of planting on public lands as a part of ecological restoration? How do we create a solid conservation agenda for a natural area that is degraded in various ways? How do we know that we are getting it right? What are the pitfalls of using cultivars? What are theContinue reading “Rod Simmons on ecological restoration”
Top 10 Tips for Holiday Waste Reduction
By Kent Taylor 1. Reuse foam peanuts. Most packaging materials for shipping can be used more than once. 2. Compost your leftover food. It’s easy and makes for a great fertilizer! 3. Wrap creatively. Use comics, old maps, sheet music, fabric/wallpaper scraps. And use fun tins and food boxes you crush and recycle for giftContinue reading “Top 10 Tips for Holiday Waste Reduction”
Arlington is the “South” for Many Migratory Birds
By Monique Wong Did you know that Arlington is the “south” for many migratory birds? Welcoming Winter Birds in the Winter-2013 Snag E-newsletter tells us which species share their winter with us. If you are new to birding, Aududon Society of Northern Virginia offers these start to bird tips for beginners. Learn all about birds from The CornellContinue reading “Arlington is the “South” for Many Migratory Birds”