John Clayton Chapter November Meeting: Crow's Nest Talk

Thursday, November 16, 2006 at 7:00 pm - the John Clayton Chapter will meet at the York County Public Library on Route 17 and Battle Rd., Yorktown. Nancy Barker, Environmental Manager for the consulting firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. in Williamsburg, will share the wonders of the Crow’s Nest. This Stafford County property is a large land parcel located on a peninsula surrounded by 700 acres of tidal marsh and is yet to be touched by urbanization. The public is invited to learn about the habitats, animals and rare plants of this botanical paradise and the current efforts to protect it from development. Refreshments served. For more information call (757)566-3646.

John Clayton Chapter Celebrates Birthday!

The John Clayton Chapter celebrated its 22 birthday during its Annual Meeting and Potluck held at the Freight Shed in Yorktown on September 21, 2006. Guest speaker Teta Kain, also known as the 'Queen of the Dragon,' gave a presentation of the plants and animals of Dragon Run, a river located on the Middle Peninsula. Kain leads kayak expeditions along the river and notes that spring and fall are particularly good times to visit the Dragon. Guided expeditions fill up quickly, so register far in advance. Two student scholarship recipients and participants in Nature Camp, Cody Adams and Victoria Respess, gave presentations of their camp experiences from this summer. Pictured above at left, are chapter president Helen Hamilton (on left) and Kain; at right, Respess and Adams.

John Clayton Chapter Annual Meeting: Awards Presentation

During the annual meeting of the John Clayton chapter on September 21, prestigious awards were given to several members. The John Clayton Cup was awarded to Lorna Wass for devoted service to the chapter since its inception in 1984. John Clayton Botany Awards were given to Ralph and Carolyn Will and to Ingrid Jahn for rescuing native plants that are endangered by development and relocating them into gardens where they enrich lives through their educational and aesthetic values. A John Clayton Botany Award was also given to Lisa and Robert Harper for their archaeological excavations in search of colonial botanist John Clayton's homesite. Pictured (on left) are Wass and presenter Sid Sterling; (center) chapter vice-president Donna Ware and Carolyn and Ralph Will (Ingrad Jahn, not pictured); and (on Right) Lisa and Robert Harper with Patrick Baldwin, chapter historian.

Winner of John Clayton Chapter Logo Contest

Congratulations to Lucile Kossodo, the winner of the logo design contest! The Board received several entries and would like to thank all logo contest participants for submitting beautiful designs and drawings.

John Clayton Chapter: Events

VIMS Teaching Marsh walk to be rescheduled. Information will be posted on this website and announced in newspapers when finalized. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Cancelled Due to Rain and Flooding: Oct. 7 (Sat.), 9 am Native Plant Walk, VIMS Teaching Marsh located under the US 17 Coleman Bridge on the Gloucester Point side. The walk will be led by Denise Greene, landscape designer and John Clayton member, and Karen Duhring, marine biologist with the Wetlands Program at the Center for Coastal Resources Management at VIMS (Virginia Institute of Marine Science). The event is free and open to the public. Participants should park in the public parking lots provided at Gloucester Pt. beach park, then walk under the bridge to the Boat Basin gate. (757)566-3646 or (804)642-0923.

Oct. 21 (Sat.), 1 pm Presentation on native ornamental grasses led by John Clayton chapter president Helen Hamilton, followed by a botany walk with Dr. Harold Cones at 2 pm. The chapter will be giving away seed packets. The events are part of Noland Trail anniversary celebration at Mariner’s Museum Park in Newport News beginning at 10 am. The park is located at 100 Museum Drive (near the corner of Warwick and J. Clyde Morris Blvd.).

JCC's 2006 Wildflower of the Month List:

May: Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

June: Baptisia (Baptisia australis)

July: / Blazing star (Liatris spp.)

August: Meadow beauty (Rhexia mariana; R. virginica)

September: Ironweed (Vernonia spp.)

October: Maryland Golden Aster (Chrysopsis mariana)

Photo by Phillip Merritt