Virginia Working Landscapes

Virginia Working Landscapes Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Virginia Working Landscapes, Nonprofit Organization, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA.
(1)

Virginia Working Landscapes, a program of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute promotes the conservation of native biodiversity and sustainable land use through research, education, & community engagement.

Two more interns have joined the VWL Team for the summer! Conservation Storytelling Intern Emma Montgomery will help do...
06/02/2026

Two more interns have joined the VWL Team for the summer!

Conservation Storytelling Intern Emma Montgomery will help document our field work and share our conservation messages through photography, filmmaking, and science communication.

Grassland Plant Ecology Intern Kara Reed will be assisting with our biodiversity surveys that seek to explore the impact of various landscape management and restoration practices on grassland plant ecology.

Please join us in welcoming the two of them and wishing them all the best for a successful and fulfilling internship experience!

05/28/2026

We are thrilled to introduce The People Behind the Practices, a new video series sharing the stories of landowners and managers putting conservation into action on working lands.

Through personal experiences and practical management, this series explores how everyday decisions can shape healthier, more resilient landscapes for wildlife and people alike.

Our first episode focuses on forest management and the role active stewardship can play in supporting healthy forests from the canopy down to the understory.

Watch the first episode and learn how these practices can support thriving ecosystems across our region.

This season you might see Black cherry blooming! Native to much of North America, black cherry trees burst into bloom i...
05/26/2026

This season you might see Black cherry blooming!

Native to much of North America, black cherry trees burst into bloom in late spring with long clusters of small white flowers that support a wide variety of pollinators. Later in the season, their dark fruits become an important food source for birds and mammals alike.

Black cherry is also a host plant for several butterfly species, including eastern tiger swallowtails and red-spotted purples, making it an important part of the food web far beyond its blossoms.

Young black cherry trees can often be identified by their smooth bark marked with horizontal lines, while older trees develop dark, scaly bark often compared to burnt potato chips.

photos by Charlotte Lorick

Bobolinks are back! After spending the winter in South America, these long-distance migrants have returned to Virginia’...
05/22/2026

Bobolinks are back!

After spending the winter in South America, these long-distance migrants have returned to Virginia’s grasslands for the breeding season.

Male bobolinks are hard to miss this time of year, flashing black-and-white plumage as they sing over open fields. Their bubbling song is one of the defining sounds of late spring in grassland habitats.

Though they may only stay for a few months, their return marks the beginning of another season in the grasslands.

Our bluebirds have been busy this season! Led by VWL Research Fellow Allison Huysman, our team is studying the ecosystem...
05/20/2026

Our bluebirds have been busy this season!

Led by VWL Research Fellow Allison Huysman, our team is studying the ecosystem services provided by cavity-nesting birds on working lands. So far, the team has documented more than 50 hatched Eastern Bluebird nests!

This study will help us better understand how birds interact with agricultural landscapes and the role they play in these ecosystems.

(Note: All handling of wild birds for our studies are conducted by trained professionals under a federally authorized banding permit).

Conservation at home: bird-friendly glass Each year, billions of birds migrate across North America, including through u...
05/18/2026

Conservation at home: bird-friendly glass

Each year, billions of birds migrate across North America, including through urban corridors like Washington, D.C. During these journeys, glass windows pose one of the most serious and often invisible threats to birds. Reflections of trees and sky can look like open habitat, causing birds to collide with glass at full speed.

The encouraging news is that glass collisions are highly preventable. Simple, low-cost solutions such as adding patterned decals, applying tape in visible spacing, or using external screens, can help birds recognize glass as a barrier.

During peak migration seasons, small changes at home can make a meaningful difference, helping ensure birds complete their journeys safely across the landscapes we share.

Photo of the Bird House at the National Zoo outfitted with bird-friendly glass! Photo by Skip Brown, Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute

05/14/2026

Discover Your Backyard: Philadelphia Fleabane

Philadelphia fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) is one of those wildflowers you’ve likely seen without realizing it, blooming along roadsides, fields, and meadows across much of the United States.

A member of the Aster family, this native species stands out with its delicate, threadlike ray flowers ranging from white to pink, and leaves that clasp the stem. Multiple blooms per stalk and nodding buds give it a distinctive look, helping to set it apart from similar fleabanes like daisy or annual fleabane.

Though often found in overlooked spaces, Philadelphia fleabane supports an impressive range of pollinators, including beetles, sweat bees, and syrphid flies. It’s also a larval host for the rare Northern Metalmark butterfly, just one more reason to look twice at this roadside bloomer!

Today is Give Local Piedmont, a day that celebrates local nonprofits working toward the long-term well-being of our comm...
05/12/2026

Today is Give Local Piedmont, a day that celebrates local nonprofits working toward the long-term well-being of our communities and landscapes.

At Virginia Working Landscapes, our research doesn’t happen in isolation; it’s developed in partnership with farmers and landowners. Together, we’re exploring how working lands can support both agricultural production and biodiversity.

And it’s work that depends on steady support—across seasons, across years.

Sustainable funding leads to sustainable landscapes.

Today, we’re inviting our community to take part by starting a monthly gift. Even a small recurring donation helps sustain year-round research, fieldwork, and the translation of science into practical solutions for farmers and landowners. Learn more and donate here: https://www.vaworkinglandscapes.org/support-us/

05/11/2026

Some of the most effective conservation solutions take years to develop.

One example is the research led by Dr. Bernadette Rigley, which focused on understanding the nesting and fledging success of grassland birds. By tracking how birds respond to different management practices over time, this research helped clarify when farming activities are most compatible with nesting birds.

That kind of insight doesn’t come quickly. It takes seasons of data, careful observation, and the ability to follow patterns over time.

As a result, thousands of acres are now managed in ways that support nesting grassland birds, translating years of careful research into action on the ground.

This is what long-term research makes possible.

And it’s why consistency matters. This kind of impact isn’t built in a single season or supported by a single moment of giving. It comes from showing up, year after year.

This Give Local Piedmont, consider becoming a monthly supporter of Virginia Working Landscapes. Your support helps sustain the research and partnerships that turn science into action on working lands.

Learn more and donate here: https://www.vaworkinglandscapes.org/support-us/

The work of conservation doesn’t happen all at once. It unfolds across seasons. In spring, our team trains volunteers, w...
05/10/2026

The work of conservation doesn’t happen all at once. It unfolds across seasons.

In spring, our team trains volunteers, welcomes interns, and begins biodiversity surveys. By summer, we’re in the field nearly every day, studying birds, plants, and working lands across Virginia. Fall brings soil surveys and outreach. Winter is a time for analysis, landowner reports, and translating research into action.

Each season builds on the last, year after year.

That steady rhythm is what allows us to turn science into meaningful conservation outcomes.

This Give Local Piedmont, we’re inviting our community to support this work in a sustainable way by starting a monthly gift. Even $10–$25 a month helps sustain year-round fieldwork, research, and conservation partnerships.

Sustainable funding leads to sustainable landscapes. Learn more and donate here: https://www.vaworkinglandscapes.org/support-us/

Address

1500 Remount Road
Front Royal, VA
22630

Telephone

+15406350038

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Virginia Working Landscapes posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Virginia Working Landscapes:

Shortcuts

Share

Category