Virginia Master Naturalists - Central Virginia Chapter

05/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1fZX84Ab6v/

Scroll down to see our booth!

05/01/2026

Strawberry bush found after we cleared the Autumn olive at Ivy Creek Park. Blooming today! May 1 2026. There are numerous seedlings of this native plant but the deer over browse has really pushed this species out of view. It could be as abundant as the invasives if only the deer would be under control.

05/01/2026

Putty Root orchid found at our invasive plant patch at Ivy Creek Park. Blooms after the leaves die off!
Our patch has crane fly orchid which bloom in late July or early August as well as leaves from showy orchis. Maybe these will bloom this year.

05/01/2026

Look below the ginger leaves along our local trails to find these spring flowers!
Asarum reflexum or canadense? Our iNaturalist friends say A. reflexum. Very abundant in huge patches along our blackwater creek trails.

The North American species called Ginger do have a remarkable fragrance however they are not a culinary species. Do not forage them. They are considered carcinogenic.

04/30/2026

https://med.virginia.edu/brpc/wp-content/uploads/sites/274/2025/12/final-draft-reviewed-11-19-final.pdf

The Claudius Project book as well as the other two The Socrates Project and the Cleopatra Project are free to read.

04/30/2026

The Lyrid meteors peaked April 22. They originate out of the constellation Lyra. The lyre or harp. Coincidence???

Look to the northeast before sunrise to find this constellation.

04/30/2026

Seen any Cicada skeletons lately? Note the red eyes. But haven't really heard them yet.

Apparently these are the 17 year species but they sometimes have a few come out in the wrong year. This would be year 14.
This answers our question how do they know when 17 years is up? Well some of them don't.

04/16/2026

Our work made the news. One of the pics is our area!!!

Across Lynchburg, invasive plants are spreading quickly, crowding out native species and damaging our ecosystems.

02/12/2026

The Great Backyard Bird Count begins tomorrow! Click the link to learn how you can participate - from anywhere - in as little as 15 minutes.

Participating is easy, fun to do alone or with others, and can be done anywhere you find birds. Simply watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days and tell us what you see!

12/18/2025

Our anniversary shirts are in! Hope everyone likes them.