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Tufts PhD candidate looking for wasps!
Julie Pilowsky is looking for sites for her wasp survey. She is studying the Northern Paper Wasp and geographic variation in their cooperative breeding. For more information or to suggest a site,...
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Virginia Working Landscapes is looking for volunteers
They are working on recruiting citizen scientists for the upcoming field season: POLLINATOR SURVEYS Training includes information on pollinator life history, survey collection protocols in the field,...
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Spring Newsletter published!
The spring copy of the newsletter was just published: Spring 2016 Newsletter Inside find a memories of Casey Crichton a beloved member who recently passed away. Also it contains a member profile of...
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Sunflowers Galore!
One of our favorite places to visit in the middle of the summer is actually in Montgomery County, Maryland. Just across the river, near Poolesville, is McKee Beshers WMA. They have a wonderful set...
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Upcoming VMN Training Class Schedule published
The Banshee Reeks chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist program just published its upcoming class schedule. The What You’ll Learn section of the Virginia Master Naturalist website provides a good...
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2nd Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas
Today, we attended a workshop at Riverbend park sponsored by the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia that trained us on survey techniques for the Breeding Bird Atlas project. The breeding bird survey...
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Bluebird box monitoring
For the last several years, we have been monitoring a bluebird trail in Loudoun. It is a great volunteer opportunity. It gets you outdoors on a regular basis; you get to watch the whole lifecycle of...
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Get your free trees! – Stream buffer planting
One of the places that we visit frequently is a private 370 acre park, called Horsepen Run. It’s part of the Countryside HOA, so to visit you need to be part of the HOA or a guest of a member of the...
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Read this! Access to Banshee Reeks
Beginning on Wednesday, July 27, there will be NO access to Banshee Reeks via Evergreen Mills Rd. ALL access will be via Gleedsville Road. Road Closure at Banshee Reeks starting 7/27/2016
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Summer Newsletter published!
Your VMN Banshee Reeks Newsletter has just been published. Interesting articles on Ovenbirds and your mind on nature are inside!
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Red-footed Cannibalfly
I’ve been taking a lot of pictures of dragonflies recently; Not only are they beautiful, but it really helps to have a picture when trying to ID them. Recently, I was a Horsepen Run, when I came...
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Adventures of a First Time Beekeeper: Part 1 – Getting Started
By Liz Dennison Queen Bee with Blue Mark When my husband and I moved to Philomont, we knew we wanted to do something useful with our property. We considered raising goats that could be leased to clear...
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Newsletter article and Facebook submission guidelines
By Leslie Ashman / Someone asked me recently about article submission guidelines. I thought it might be helpful to share how the Communications Committee, VMN Banshee Reeks Chapter views its current...
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2016 VMN Banshee Reeks picnic!
On August 14, 2016, VMN Banshee Reeks chapter held its annual picnic. This picnic was special because it was the 10th anniversary of the program. Frank cut the birthday cake with chapter president...
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Stewardship: Where Science Meets the Heart
By Leslie Ashman “I’ll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm and the avalanche. I’ll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I...
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Book Review: Feathers, the Evolution of a Natural Miracle
By Sheila Montalvan Feathers, the Evolution of a Natural Miracle. By Thor Hanson. New York, NY: Basic Books. 2011, 336pp. Recently I heard about an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in...
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As Fall approaches
By Anne Owen As Fall approaches, many of us will be thinking about ‘tidying up’ the yard ready for Winter – and for most, that will mean cutting down dead flowers, raking up fallen leaves and piling up...
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Fall 2016 Native Plant Sale – September 10, 2016
Held at Morven Park from 9am to 3pm on Saturday. More details available here.
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Adventures of a First Time Beekeeper: Part 2 – Raising Bees and Making a Meadow
Part 2a – Raising Bees By Liz Dennison Bees exist in the wild without assistance from beekeepers. As beekeepers, we provide a healthy environment, food and water when necessary, and protection from...
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What do YOU Know About American Chestnut Tree Restoration?
By Larry Johnson Question– Is an American Chestnut tree growing on BRNP property? Question– Does a wild (native survivor) American Chestnut tree exist in Loudoun County? Answers at end of article....
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