Jul 6th, 2021

Birdfeeders: Take Down Your Feeders

UPDATE 12.31.21 The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has retracted the temporary ban on feeding activities, so people can resume normal activity. However, they are recommending frequent (i.e. at least […]

Read More
Jun 17th, 2021

Planting for Pollinators

Something serendipitous happens when a bee or a beetle, a bird, a bat or a butterfly rummages through the bright bloom of a flower in search of food. Lured by […]

Read More
Jun 15th, 2021

Native Bees, Bumble Bees & Honey Bees

Bees, bees, bees! Recently there’s been a lot of talk about saving the honeybees. Many articles explain the importance of honey bees as pollinators, and their declining numbers due to […]

Read More
May 27th, 2021

Unicia Buster:
Human Cecropia

My love of moths continues as I channeled the spirit of the Hyalophora cecropia Linnaeus or Cecropia moth, the largest native North American moth for my latest work of art. […]

Read More
Apr 30th, 2021

Frog Blog: Frogs in the Conservatory

Have you ever walked through the Conservatory and heard melodic chirping or deep croaks that sounded like the grunts of a monkey? You might be surprised to know that those […]

Read More
Apr 28th, 2021

Elizabeth Fogel: Designing for Tomorrow

Senior Horticulturist Elizabeth Fogel studied the latest theories for sustainable and regenerative landscapes by visiting 10 eco-focused botanical gardens over the past two years. Her cross-country travel and hands-on research […]

Read More
Apr 25th, 2021

Building Biodiversity

Landscaping in Layers Nature loves a layer. She cements courses of sediment into solid stone. She laminates an annual succession of circles into living trees. She layers an onion in […]

Read More
Apr 19th, 2021

English Ivy: A “Dirty Dozen” Plant

Have you ever looked along a highway and observed all the trees covered in vegetation from trunk to branches? It was most likely English ivy (Hedera helix), the final of […]

Read More
Apr 9th, 2021

Feed the Birds with Native Plants

Whether you enjoy bird watching or you like to feed the birds, native plants are a great way to attract them to your yard! Should We Use Bird Feeders? So […]

Read More