Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for a walk through the beautiful fall foliage of a local Willowsford Conservancy trail, led by the Virginia Native Plant Society’s Carrie Blair. Observe the brilliant hues of fall and take in the sounds and sights as the forest inhabitants prepare for winter. Recommended for adults. Registration required. Questions: Contact info@loudounwildlife.org.

Vol. 21 Issue 3, Fall 2016 By Brian Balik The Eastern Red Cedar is one of the most outstanding trees in Loudoun County, especially in winter. It is a type of juniper and stays green throughout the whole year. It is a beautiful species, and one that is critical to the survival of some of […]

Vol. 21 Issue 1, Spring 2016 By Kerry Bzdyk After the subdued colors of a long and snowy Virginia winter, there is no more welcome sight along the roadsides and woodland edges of Loudoun County than the beautiful color of the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). Just as the landscape begins to look more hopeful, and […]

Vol. 17 Issue 1, Spring 2012 By Bonnie Deahl, The Care of Trees It is no secret that the size of our forests is diminishing. The value of the deep forest as a habitat goes beyond what we see on the surface. As we lose forests to development and urban progress what is truly lost […]

Vol. 17 Issue 1, Spring 2012 By Kerry Bzdyk Those of us who make a habit of observing the natural world in great detail have all had the experience of seeing something on a plant or tree that looks alien and at the same time looks like it belongs there. These strange formations on plants […]

Vol. 17 Issue 1, Spring 2012 By Liam McGranaghan With the death of the American Chestnut in the early 1900s, the White Oak rose to prominence as America’s most valuable tree. This newfound value, however, was not in its wood—that fact had been established when the first colonists settled in this country—but rather as the […]

Vol. 16 Issue 2, Summer 2011 By Nicole Hamilton The trees were cleared. The wetlands were filled and graded as if they never existed. The houses went up. Fescue, oh, sorry, lawns were rolled out. Two trees and seven bushes per lot — species that had genes of Asia pumping through their veins —were planted. […]

While different states celebrate Arbor Day on different dates based on tree-planting weather, here in Virginia, it falls on the last friday in April (today!) The Arbor Day Foundation has some great information on the history of Arbor Day – including an interactive history book – as well as educational materials that can be used […]

Cathy Mayes, Virginia Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation, provided us with a great talk on the American Chestnut Tree last night. I posted a few photos to our Facebook album. Did you know that up until the 1930s, the American Chestnut was the dominant tree in our forests? and because of it’s towering height, […]

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) was one of the first native shrubs that I learned when I moved to Loudoun.  We have it in various places just growing wild through our back yard area and I was curious about their bright red berries. It turns out, Spicebush is a wetland plant that often grows alongside Sassafras in moist […]