VNPS John Clayton Chapter

Coastal Prairie Restoration Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:21:00 +0000

Coastal Prairie Restoration Talk and 25th Anniversary Party

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Professor Doug Gill of the University of Maryland will present "A FIELD OF DREAMS: Restoration of Atlantic Coastal Prairie for Native Grassland Plants, Birds and Butterflies" during the annual chapter meeting and 25th anniversary celebration party of the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Gill reports that this picture of him was taken on Makira Island in the south Solomons on March 30th of this year - part of a 5 week expedition with 43 out-of-control fanatic birders studying the seabirds in the SW Pacific, searching successfully for thought-to-be-extinct species, and discovering new species this picture taken being welcomed by former cannibals!

A raffle will take place with proceeds going toward funding campers to Nature Camp in the George Washington National Forest.

Time: 7pm

Location: Williamsburg/James City County Community (Recreation) Center located at 5301 Longhill Road in Williamsburg.

Free and open to the public.

757-564-4494 or www.claytonvnps.org.

For Upcoming Fieldtrips and Events and Photo Gallery please visit www.claytonvnps.org.

__________________

Upcoming Fieldtrips - John Clayton Chapter

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:06:00 +0000

Please note that the dates published in The Bulletin were incorrect for our upcoming fieldtrips. The correct dates are listed below.

For more John Clayton Chapter events visit our web site at www.claytonvnps.org.

Saturday, May 2, 10 am – Native Plant Walk at Gloucester Tripetala Site
We're hoping to see the beautiful blooms of the Umbrella Magnolia (Magnolia tripetala) along with maidenhair fern and the state champion mockernut hickory. There are no maintained trails on this site so be prepared for an adventurous walk. Photo of umbrella magnolia by Phillip Merritt.

Please register by calling 804-693-3568 or 757-604-1026 or by emailing claytonsnatives@yahoo.com.

Saturday, May 9, 10:00 am – Native Plant Walk at York River State Park
Take a walk along marshes flowing into the York River with the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Plants that may be in bloom include mountain laurel, partridge berry, and trailing arbutus. The walk will be about 1 1/2 miles, fairly rugged and hilly. The York River State Park is located on York River Park Road, off of Riverview Road near Croaker. Meet in front of the visitor's center at the end of the road. There is a park entrance fee of $3.
Please register by calling 757-604-1026 or by emailing claytonsnatives@yahoo.com.

Saturday, May 21, 5:00 pm – Native Plant Walk/Picnic at New Quarter Park
Join us for a short walk and our annual potluck picnic. Mountain laurel is expected to be in bloom. The event is free and open to plant lovers. Please bring a dish to share. New Quarter Park is located in Williamsburg (near the Queens Lake area of York County). For more info visit www.claytonvnps.org or call (757)566-3646.

More Plant Walks coming... check our web site for updates.

Iceland Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:12:00 +0000

Iceland Talk

January 15, 2009 Chapter Meeting - John Clayton Chapter

Helen Hamilton, president of the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, presents a photo-illustrated talk on the habitat, the history, the people, and the plants of Iceland during the chapter January 15 meeting. Iceland is a land of steam vents, roiling mud holes, lava landscapes, glaciers, waterfalls, snowfalls, and yes, green agricultural lands as well as a great variety of flowering plants tolerant of arctic winters. All are invited to hear about Hamilton’s many adventures, including a visit to Leif Ericson's home, a Saga Museum, whale-watching, rift zones, and an airplane ride to the Westman Island which underwent a five-year addition to the landscape from a long-running lava flow.

Location: York County Library, Rt. 17 and Battle Road, Yorktown

Time: 7-9pm
Information: (757)564-4494 or http://www.claytonvnps.org/.

FOR MORE CHAPTER NEWS AND EVENTS,

visit www.claytonvnps.org

Plant Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:09:00 +0000

Plant Sale features Virginia Spiderwort

Saturday, April 26

12 noon to 4pm

Plants Galore, the annual plant sale sponsored by the John Clayton Chapter and the Virginia Cooperative Extension JCC/Williamsburg Master Gardener Association, will feature Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana), the VNPS Wildflower of the Year. Also available will be native and ornamental plants including flowers, ferns, vegetables, herbs, shrubs, small trees, and house plants. Seeds, gardening supplies and blue bird houses will also be sold. Please, no early birds - the doors open to the public at 12 noon!

Rain or shine. Cash and checks only.

Location: Williamsburg Community Building, 401 N. Boundary St. (across from the Williamsburg Regional Library)
Parking: The parking garage next to the Community Bldg. offers free parking. Members, we need your help! Attend one or all of the potting parties. Volunteer to help the day of the plant sale. John Clayton members and Master Gardeners are to arrive at 8am for set up and stay until 5pm for clean up.

Please see chapter website for details: www.claytonvnps.org.

Photo: Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) by Jan Newton

May Wildflower Walks - John Clayton Chapter

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:53:00 +0000

May Wildflower Walks

Please check chapter website for added walks and events: www.claytonvnps.org .

Spring Wildflower Walk - Saturday, May 3 at 1:00 pm – See native plants used in the landscape, as Jan Newton leads a walk through the Habitat garden at the Stonehouse Elementary School located at 3651 Rochambeau Drive in Williamsburg. Over 70 native species of small trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, grasses and ferns. Wild bleeding heart, bluestar, Jamestown (Atamasco) lily, coral honeysuckle, John Clayton honeysuckle, blanket flower and wild columbine are expected to be in bloom. The event is sponsored by the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Wheelchair accessible. Free to the public. Call (757)566-3646 to register.

Native Plant Walk/Picnic – Sunday, May 4 at 1:00 pm. The John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society hosts its annual picnic and plant walk at the New Quarter Park (near Queens Lake subdivision in York County). White fringetree and wild comfrey are expected to be in bloom. A potluck will be followed by a short meeting and plant walk. Please bring a dish to share. Drinks will be provided at pavilion #1. This picnic and walk is in place of the usual meeting time for May. Free and open to plant lovers. Info at (757) 564-4494. For more info visit www.claytonvnps.org.

Spring Wildflower Walks and Plant Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:34:00 +0000

Check the John Clayton Chapter website, www.claytonvnps.org, for current fieldtrips and events and meeting information.

Spring Wildflower Walks:

-Saturday, March 22 at 10:00 a.m. – A woodland walk to see trailing arbutus, jack-in-the-pulpit and many other spring delights and curiosities. Trip leader Mary Hyde Berg expects to see about 25 species. Gloucester County. Sponsored by the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Please call (804)693-3568 before 8:30 p.m. to register and get directions. Rain date: Sunday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m.

-Saturday, April 12 at 10:00 a.m. – A woodland walk to see lady slippers, birds and much more in Gloucester County. Trip leader Mary Hyde Berg expects to see about 30 species. The event is sponsored by the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Free and open to public. Please call (804)693-3568 before 8:30 p.m. to register and get directions. Rain date: Sunday, April 13 at 2:00 p.m.

-Saturday, April 19 at 10:00 a.m. – A native plant walk to see blooming trees of shadbush clinging to banks of Poropotank Creek, vistas of greening freshwater marsh, and mosses and ferns lining long-traveled trails of an old King and Queen County home site. The event is sponsored by the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Free and open to public. Please call (804)693-3568 before 8:30 p.m. to register and get directions. Rain date: Sunday, April 20 at 2:00 p.m.

Photo: Shadbush/Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) taken by Phillip Merritt

Annual Plant Sale: Plants Galore

Saturday, April 26, 12 noon - 4:00 pm

The John Clayton Chapter and the Virginia Cooperative Extension JCC/Williamsburg Master Gardener Association will sell native and ornamental plants including flowers, ferns, vegetables, herbs, shrubs, small trees, and house plants. Seeds, gardening supplies and blue bird houses will also be sold. Please, no early birds - the doors open to the public at 12 noon!

Location: Williamsburg Community Building, 401 N. Boundary St. (across from the Williamsburg Regional Library)

Parking: The parking garage next to the Community Bldg. offers free parking.

Members, we need your help!
Attend one or all of the potting parties.
Volunteer to help the day of the plant sale. John Clayton members and Master Gardeners are to arrive at 8am for set up and stay until 5pm for clean up.

Please see chapter website for details: www.claytonvnps.org.

2007 VNPS Annual Meeting/Conference: "Where the Water Meets the Land," Sept. 14-16

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:08:00 +0000

Registration Form at bottom.

The 2007 VNPS Annual Meeting/Conference is being co-hosted by the John Clayton Chapter and the College of William and Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and will take place at the VIMS campus in Gloucester Point.

Teta Kain will lead daily paddle trips down Dragon Run, a unique river in Eastern Virginia. Lined with massive bald cypress trees and deep swamps, it is one of the most pristine waterways to be found anywhere in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Forming the boundary lines of four counties of the Middle Peninsula, it stretches 35 to 40 miles from King & Queen and Essex counties to the Piankatank River. The entire length of the river is privately owned and only a few roads cross the river making it almost completely inaccessible to canoe and kayak enthusiasts. Friends of Dragon Run owns several parcels of property along the middle reaches of the river, and it is from this area that the kayak trips will be conducted for the purpose of showing people first-hand how unique this waterway is and why the Friends of Dragon Run organization is dedicated to preserving it in its unspoiled state. For more information about Dragon paddle trips, including what to bring, wear and expect, visit the John Clayton web site at www.claytonvnps.org and click on "2007 State Conference" and then click on "Dragon Run Info." The Dragon Run trips are full.

To help celebrate the 400th Anniversary of Jamestown, a trip to Jamestown Island has been scheduled on Friday afternoon. Botanist Donna Ware will lead a walk to Black Point, where unusual oak species, as well as swamp plants and coastal grasses will be identified, including cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda), will be identified. A Jamestown interpreter will also tell about the use of native plants by the colonists. The Jamestown Island trip is full.

Friday afternoon will also feature three presentations given by speakers from VIMS: “Living Shorelines,” “Current Phragmites Research,” and “Wetlands Research at VIMS.” In addition, Wesley Greene, Colonial Interpreter and Garden Historian with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, will give a talk titled “John Custis and the Transatlantic Plant Trade.” At 7:30 pm on Friday evening Keynote Speaker Dr. Jim Perry will present “Using Native Plants of the Mid-Atlantic States for Shoreline Planting and Stabilization.”

Saturday morning will begin with walking tours of VIMS Teaching Marsh, Coastal Forest Walkway, and Shoreline Management Structures. The Teaching Marsh is a small freshwater and tidal saltmarsh demonstration wetland constructed for water quality and educational purposes. The Coastal Forest Walkway is a short boardwalk through the plant community surrounding a small freshwater pond. The tour will also include a look at a living shoreline treatment of the boat basin entrance canal.

Rebecca Wilson, the Chesapeake Bay Region Steward for the Department of Conservation and Recreation, will lead a trip to the Grafton Ponds Natural Area Preserve on Saturday morning. Grafton Ponds represents Virginia’s best remaining example of a coastal plain pond complex. The many ponds here were formed by dissolution of the underlying calcareous marine deposits of the Yorktown Formation. This wetland complex supports several rare plants and animals for Virginia including Harper's fimbristylis, pond spice, Cuthbert turtlehead, Mabee's salamander and barking treefrog. The site is owned by the City of Newport News. The Grafton Pond trip is full.

Also on Saturday, a tour and chance to buy plants at Sassafras Farm native plant nursery and trips to Mary Berg’s properties in Gloucester County will be offered. Mary’s morning tour on her homestead “Summerfield” will feature many native plants; this conservation habitat is an upland mixed hardwood forest with sandy soil. The afternoon trip to “Tripetala” features a mountain disjunct species, Magnolia tripetala. The 14-acre site is a ridge leading more than 30 feet in elevation down a calcareous ravine to a seep area with a slow moving stream. Fossil shells from the Yorktown Formation are exposed in this ravine. Expect to see a wide variety of native plants, including shadow witch orchid (Pontheiva racemosa), which is expected to be in bloom.

Saturday afternoon will include a trip to both the water-wise garden at the Human Services Building and to the Ellipse Garden, a demonstration garden of the Williamsburg Botanical Garden, both in James City County. A canoe trip to the Catlett Islands Reserve will be led by marine science field educators from the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia. The Catlett Islands encompass 690 acres of salt marshes, shrub wetlands, forested high ground, tidal creeks, and beaches on north side of York River in Gloucester County. In Donna Ware’s words, "the trip is a great opportunity to see a hard-to-get-to place!" The Catlett Islands trip is full.

Informative talks will be presented on Saturday, concurrently with fieldtrips and tours. These include the following topics: “Coastal Plain Wildflowers” featuring slides by Hal Horwitz (Pat Baldwin), “Promoting Native Plants Through Conservation Landscaping” (Carol Heiser, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and Susan Voigt, VA Cooperative Extension Master Gardener), “Distribution of Mountain Plants in the Coastal Plain” (Donna Ware), “The Archaeological Quest For John Clayton” (Bob and Lisa Harper), “Native Ornamental Grasses in the Home Landscape” (Helen Hamilton), “Native Trees for the Landscape” (Linda Johnson).

A party on Saturday evening will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the VNPS at the Freight Shed, on the York River waterfront. The evening will begin with a self-guided plant walk along the Riverwalk and a self-guided tour of historic Yorktown, and continue with a buffet dinner, the VNPS annual meeting, and a silent auction of native plant related items.

The conference will close on Sunday with the VNPS board meeting in the morning, and more great fieldtrips, including a native plant and bird walk at Beaverdam Park in Gloucester County (full) with another chance to see shadow witch orchid, another trip down the Dragon (full), a native tree and shrub walk at Colonial Williamsburg (full) and another tour of Sassafras Farm. See below for added Sunday trips.

Added trips for Sunday, September 16:
Bethel Beach Natural Area Preserve 9:00am-12:30pm Added Trip! Open A sandy, southward pointing finger that separates the eastern side of Winter Harbor from Chesapeake Bay. The preserve is home to a rare plant, the sea-beach knotweed (Polygonum glaucum). The site also provides protection for the federally threatened northeastern beach tiger beetle and high quality habitat for nesting and breeding birds, including the rare Least Tern. Habitats include beach, offshore bay waters, tidal lagoons, salt marsh, shrubby swamp, and deeper channels. Trip includes a visit to view the New Point Comfort lighthouse via a boardwalk over the marsh with history plaques and an overlook. This Natural Heritage site is located in Mathews County. Trip leaders are Patrick Richardson and Joyce McKelvey. Limit: 20 people. Easy. For more info click here> Bethel Beach Natural Area Preserve.

Freedom Park 9:00am-12:30pm Added Trip! Open A walk along wide paths through wooded uplands and along ravines where more than 18 species of ferns and "fern allies", fifteen species of orchids and many species of fungi have been spotted. Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), Indianpipes (Monotropa uniflora L.), and Maryland golden aster (Chrysopsis mariana), blue lobelia (Lobelia puberula), as well as several species of goldenrod and boneset are expected to be in bloom, and possibly shadow witch orchid (Ponthieva racemosa) and autumn coral root (Corrallorhiza odontorhiza). Trip includes a walk through the Ellipse Demonstration Garden at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden which features many native plants. Trip leader is Carolyn Will. Limit: 15 people. Easy.

For Registration Form (for VNPS/VIMS participants) click the following link:

vnps_07anl_mtg__revised_registrationform9_07.pdf

Please Note: Some fieldtrips are filled. Please check detailed schedule for availability.
More fieldtrips have been added to the Sunday schedule. See above for details.
Registration opens to General Public on September 1.

For a Detailed Schedule of the Conference visit http://www.claytonvnps.org/ and click on "2007 State Conference" and then click on "Detailed Schedule."

Please Note: Send Registration Forms to: VNPS Annual Meeting, 400 Blandy Farm Lane, Unit 2, Boyce, VA 22620

For questions about conference contact Jan Newton at jnewton110@cox.net or (757)566-3646 or Helen Hamilton at helen44@earthlink.net (757)564-4494. For registration questions call Karen York at VNPS at vnpsofc@shentel.net or (540)837-1600.

Powhatan Indian Native Plant Uses: 1607-2007

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 01:36:00 +0000

Thursday, March 15 at 7:00 pm: Guest speaker Lisa L. Heuvel of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation will present a program on “Exploring the Powhatan Indian Landscape: 1607-2007” during the John Clayton Chapter March meeting. The presentation will discuss seventeenth-century Powhatan Indian plant uses from both colonial and modern perspectives. Among the native plants she will discuss are tuckahoe (Peltandra virginica), groundnuts (Apios americana), and bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadense).

Ms. Heuvel works in educational media for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and was previously employed by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. She received her MA in American Studies from the College of William & Mary in 2005. Her current doctoral research in the William and Mary School of Education is in educational policy, planning and leadership, with an emphasis on Indigenous Studies.

The meeting is free and open to the public and will be held at the York County Library on Rt. 17 and Battle Rd in Yorktown. Refreshments will be served. For info call (757)564-4494 or visit www.claytonvnps.org.

John Clayton Chapter's Website

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 05:21:00 +0000

The John Clayton Chapter has its own Website now! Check it out at www.claytonvnps.org.

Tree Leaf Shape to be topic of January 18 Meeting – John Clayton Chapter

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 05:09:00 +0000

The John Clayton Chapter will meet on Thursday, January 18 at 7:00 pm at the York County Public Library on Rt. 17 and Battle Rd., Yorktown. Guest speaker Dr. Stewart Ware, Biology Professor at William and Mary, will lead a workshop on Tree Leaf Shape. Participants will look at garments that nude trees cast aside and learn how leaf shape is not purely decorative and how it can help us in tree identification. Refreshments served. Free and open to public. A follow up Nude Tree Walk to take place in James City County will be scheduled in February; details will be published at a later date. Information can be found at www.claytonvnps.org or by calling (757) 565-0657.

John Clayton Chapter Plant Walk: November 25, 2006

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 01:48:00 +0000

Native Plant Walk: Saturday, November 25 at 10:00 am. Chapter president Helen Hamilton will lead a walk at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden and Freedom Park located at 5535 Centerville Road in Williamsburg. Helen will focus on native grasses and other plants of fall interest. Please call 757-564-4494 to sign-up .

Photo: American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) by Helen Hamilton

John Clayton Chapter November Meeting: Crow's Nest Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:12:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 22:55:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 18:28:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 17:31:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 00:28:00 +0000

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:

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Newton) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 00:18:00 +0000

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

Chapter Meeting and Field Trips

noreply@blogger.com (VNPSWebmaster) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 18:57:00 +0000

June 2006 Newsletter

Chapter Meeting

Garden Designer George McClellan to Speak on Native Rhododendrons. George Keen McClellan knows rhododendrons inside and out. He will be sharing information gained from his extensive experience both studying and growing native rhododendrons at our meeting July 20th, 7 pm at the York County Public Library on Rt. 17 and Battle Rd. George is an active member of the Rhododendron Society and the Holly Society and is a longtime member of the John Clayton Chapter of VNPS. In addition to designing gardens for others, he is currently rescuing his own garden, (adjacent to the Ware River), from the devastation wrought on it by Hurricane Isabel. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about the taxonomy, ecology, and cultivation of our native rhododendrons, including both the evergreen-leaved and deciduous leaved (azalea) members.

Field Trips

Butterfly Walk: Wednesday, July 12 at 4:00 pm. Join us for a butterfly walk in the Pocahontas garden at Summerfield in Gloucester. Mary Berg will identify native flowers covering all of nature's colors -- red, orange, yellow, purple, blue and possibly white. Easy walking. Individual and group walks, as well as walks in August, can be scheduled upon request. Please call Mary Berg at (804)693-3568 before 8:30 pm to register and get directions.

Butterfly Walk: Wednesday, July 26 at 4:00 pm. Join the John Clayton chapter for another butterfly walk in the Pocahontas garden at Summerfield in Gloucester. See native flowers that butterflies love, and you may too! New plants in bloom. Easy walking. Individual and group walks, as well as walks in August, can be scheduled upon request. Please call Mary Berg at (804)693-3568 before 8:30 pm to register and get directions.