Blandy Experimental Farm

06/03/2026

October Greenfield, Wildlife Habitat Program Manager for Piedmont Environmental Council, spoke about the conservation efforts to provide nesting habitat for American Kestrels at another great Blandy public program yesterday. Participants visited one of the three nesting boxes at Blandy as October checked on the new chicks and banded them for future tracking before they begin flying the nest in just a few weeks. Learn more about Blandy’s public programming. https://blandy.virginia.edu/programs-workshops-walks

05/29/2026

It's going to be a beautiful weekend to come take a stroll along the Native Plant Trail. On Sunday, you can catch our Virginia's Amazing Vultutres program with the Blue Ridge WIldlife Center. https://amazingvultures.eventbrite.com

05/28/2026

The third lecture in our 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒚 𝒂𝒕 100 𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 is now available to watch on YouTube. 𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒓𝒖𝒎: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 features Blandy K-12 Director Harrison Jackson, current Blandy students, and citizen scientists as they talk about the vibrant research and education community over the past 100 years. Hear stories about the power of learning together about the natural world.

Communities of science impact Blandy on a daily basis. What can the State Arboretum of VA offer to elementary students, graduate researchers, and our neighbo...

05/26/2026

School is out, but the discovery can continue. Check out Blandy's 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟔𝐭𝐡 -𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬. Campers explore nature with friends, have opportunities to interact with UVA scientists and participate in inquiry-driven crafts and activities all in the beautiful backdrop of the State Arboretum of Virginia in Boyce! Limited number of spaces available. Learn more and register today. https://ecoexplorerscamp.eventbrite.com

05/25/2026

Come discover Blandy.

05/22/2026

Did you miss our second lecture in our Blandy at 100 Centennial Series? No worries, 𝑼𝒏𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚: 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒙 is now available to watch on YouTube. This lecture features Blandy’s Curator, T’ai Roulston, joined by Blandy’s Director of Scientific Engagement, Ariel Firebaugh, and former post-graduate researcher, Clare Rodenberg, sharing stories about trees with identity crises, squirrely research projects, and Blandy’s quirkiest grove.

Blandy’s Curator T’ai Roulston is joined by Ariel Firebaugh and Cla...

05/20/2026

It's World Bee Day! Pictured are a few celebrities from our Pollination Garden. (Please note that some are a little camera shy and hid in the flowers rather than say, "Pollen!" and smile for the camera.)

World Bee Day https://www.fao.org/world-bee-day/en was created to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators for the ecosystem.

Bees are important for maintaining biodiversity and preserving ecosystems. They (along with flies, moths, beetles, butterflies, and others) help to support forests, meadows, and other habitats by pollinating wild plants. Those wild plants then produce seeds which, in turn, support and build habitat for numerous other organisms.
We will be celebrating bees all summer long as many of our resident and visiting scientists will be researching wild bee species and their ecological interactions.

What can you do to support bees?
Plant native plants species
Mow your grass less (such as No Mow May)
Avoid pesticide use

Happy World Bee Day!

05/15/2026

05/13/2026

Our PK-12 educational programming is going strong through the end of the school year!
This week, kindergarten students studied trees as habitats, 3rd graders discovered the variety of snakes living in Virginia, and 2nd grade students investigated insect adaptations. We are taking registration requests for next school year. Use this link https://blandy.virginia.edu/sign-field-trip to request a program. And stay curious!

05/12/2026

Our buildings team recently replaced our on-the-ground upward facing flag pole lights with a new solar-powered downward facing light. Since we are closed to visitors after dark, this upgrade is for the bugs! The new lighting reduces light pollution and is less distracting for insects. As a bonus, removing the bulky old lights has really given the area a fresh look!