The Quarry Gardens at Schuyler

The Quarry Gardens at Schuyler A conservation landscape showcasing the intersection of restoration ecology and cultural resource management around two abandoned soapstone quarries.
(1)

These 40 acres, with trails through native plant communities around a group of retired soapstone quarries, are a private garden for public enjoyment and learning. Visits are by appointment only. Reserve a free guided tour at quarrygardensatschuyler.org.

06/12/2026

The Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is a terrestrial reptile that lives in the woodlands and forest edges of eastern North America.

Each box turtle has a unique pattern on its top shell (carapace). This abstract pattern mimics dappled light falling on the forest floor and serves as effective camouflage.

Eastern box turtles generally have a home range of 750 feet or less. They may travel outside of this range to find a mate or a suitable spot to lay their eggs.

If you spot a box turtle on your home grounds, take a picture! Then if you ever see the same one again, you will recognize it!

06/03/2026

Apocynum cannabinum (h**p dogbane)!

Pollinators go crazy for this native milkweed family plant.

Let it live in your home landscape! You will love it too when you see how much life it can support 💚

Join us on Saturday, June 13th to celebrate and learn about our native pollinators! FREE EVENT

PDC Pollinator Festival and Second Saturday Music Series
Saturday, June 13th, 12:00-8:30 PM
1643 Salem Rd. Schuyler, VA 22969

12:00-2:00 Displays by Virginia Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists

1:00-2:00: Native Bees and Basic Pollination Ecology: A Classroom Presentation by Dr. Douglas Burkett

2:00-3:30: Bees and Wasps Walk with Drew Chaney

3:30-5:00: Butterfly Walk with Devin Floyd

5:00-6:00: Caterpillar Walk with Courtney McLaughlin

5:00-8:30 music by The Dapper Tramps and Uncle Henry’s Favorites in the picnic pavilion!

06/02/2026

Meet Courtney McLaughlin, our resident caterpillar expert!

Courtney is permitted to collect and rear caterpillars found at Piedmont Discovery Center for research and educational purposes. We don't recommend doing this at home!

If you want to learn more about the caterpillars of Virginia, join Courtney on June 13th for a walk around the Gardens during our Pollinator Festival!

Parasa indetermina, or the stinging rose moth, is a moth species known for its beautiful but "please don't touch me" caterpillar, which has stinging spines. Found across the eastern and central United States, its larvae feed on a variety of woody species including dogwood, oak, and maple.

Although a generalist, the stinging rose moth is considered imperiled in some parts of its range due to threats to its preferred habitats, like fire-maintained woodlands.

Happy Fungi Friday! Charlie Aller here, with a nice find that will hopefully lead to more! Stropharia rugoso-annulata, a...
05/29/2026

Happy Fungi Friday! Charlie Aller here, with a nice find that will hopefully lead to more! Stropharia rugoso-annulata, aka the Garden Giant or Wine Cap mushroom, is a fairly common decomposer of plant debris. It can be found in heavily disturbed areas, and in terms of natural sites I would say it’s most common in riparian areas subject to flooding. Debris piles and dead grass stems seem to be the food source in those cases. It can also occur in upland areas at the edges of woodlands where leaves and sticks accumulate. What makes this find interesting is that our naturally occurring populations at the Piedmont Discovery Center have always been in the open meadow formed by a former beaver impoundment, and this is the first time I’ve found it naturalizing into the woodchips we use to combat erosion on our trails. I will be transplanting this mushroom into more trail areas, so hopefully it will become a regular inhabitant alongside the natural communities we steward here in Schuyler! The two pictures following the video are finds from the beaver meadow earlier this season, and are good examples of the key identifying features. Have fun(gi) and stay safe out there!

05/27/2026

Dr. Douglas Burkett collecting native bee specimens for identification in Piedmont Discovery Center's Quarry Gardens.

Dr. Burkett obtained his PhD in Medical Entomology from the University of Florida in 1998.

He then enjoyed a long career as an Environmental Biologist with the United States Department of Defense.

Dr. Burkett is an avid naturalist who spends much of his free time studying the plants and insects near his home in Nelson County, Virginia.

We are so pleased that he has joined the Piedmont Discovery Center Board of Directors!

Come see his presentation, Native Bees and Basic Pollination Ecology, for PDC's Pollinator Festival on June 13th!

05/26/2026

Volunteer, Gareth Hunt, has been monitoring the bluebird boxes at QG for many years. Rachel followed him on his rounds on Friday, May 8th.

Listen as he explains his process in this video.

Every Friday, after checking the boxes, Gareth sends an email update.

Here is his last bluebird box update:

Summary 2025/05/22
6 Bluebird chicks fledged (30 this season)
10 Bluebird eggs in 2 nests
16 Tree Swallow chicks in 3 nests
6 Tree Swallow eggs hatching in 1 nest
1 Full nest (Bluebird?)

Thank you, Gareth, for taking such good care of the nest boxes at PDC's Quarry Gardens!

05/24/2026

Marvelous Megachile!

Learn all about native bees and other pollinators like butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, wasps, and bats!

Saturday, June 13th, 12:00-8:30

1643 Salem Rd.
Schuyler, VA
22902

Party in the rain! Charlottesville's LGBTQ+ social club, Out and About, will be enjoying the light rain and cool temps a...
05/22/2026

Party in the rain! Charlottesville's LGBTQ+ social club, Out and About, will be enjoying the light rain and cool temps at QG tomorrow evening (Saturday, May 23rd).

Caterpillar Hunt at 5:00

Puzzles and games 6:00-8:30 (in the covered picnic pavilion or inside the visitor center)

Fun tunes will be playing on the Block Rocker and Albemarle CiderWorks will be on site pouring locally made hard cider!

This event is free and open to the public. Please stop by!

Want to learn more about dragonflies and damselflies? Join us at PDC's May 30 for our second annual Dragonfly Symposium...
05/21/2026

Want to learn more about dragonflies and damselflies? Join us at PDC's May 30 for our second annual Dragonfly Symposium for a full day of presentations, guided walks and exploration! Virginia is home to 199 species of dragonflies and damselflies, more than any other state besides Texas, so we're sure to see lots! Link in bio.

RSVP here: https://quarrygardensatschuyler.org/event/dragonfly-symposium-3/

Address

Schuyler, VA

Website

Alerts

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

Shortcuts

Share

Category