Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection

10/14/2026

Did you know? RLEP helped design and install the signs at Rappahannock County Park!

The park is a local favorite, treasured by so many of us, and there’s more to discover than you might think. Next time you visit, slow down and read the signs along the way!

- Grab your bearings at the trail map, then follow the Upper, Middle, or Lower Trail toward the Rush River.
- At the Small Stream Alluvial Forest sign, reach down and feel the sandy soil, then listen for the birds and frogs that call it home.
- Stop by the Pollinator Garden to spot butterfly w**d, milkw**d, blue aster, and black-eyed Susans.
- Find the Four Seasons mural, painted in 2023 by more than 150 volunteers.

Learn more about the county park and plan your next visit at: https://www.rappahannockcountypark.org

10/09/2026

Go Nutting! Your Acorns Can Grow Virginia's Next Forest 🌳

The Virginia Department of Forestry needs acorns and walnuts to grow seedlings at its state nurseries, and this weekend is the last chance to pitch in.

You can help!
• Collect whole, uncracked acorns (dark brown or green) and walnuts.
• Keep each species separate.
• Store them in paper bags or boxes in a cool spot.
• Drop off at one of 25 Department of Forestry sites by 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11.

Find the nearest drop-off at dof.virginia.gov, and find more seasonal to-dos in the Rappahannock Almanac. Subscribe at rlep.org/almanac.

10/07/2026

Lights Out for Fall Migration ✨

Right now, millions of birds are passing over Rappahannock County on their way south, and most of them fly at night. A few simple changes at home can help them make the trip safely.

Did you know?
• Most songbirds migrate at night, navigating by the stars.
• Artificial light pulls them off course and into windows.
• Turn off nonessential outdoor lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• You can help them by closing your blinds at night.

Curious to know how many birds flew over Rappahannock last night? Check it out on Cornell's BirdCast: https://dashboard.birdcast.org/region/US-VA-157

Find more seasonal to-dos in the Rappahannock Almanac. Subscribe at rlep.org/almanac.

10/02/2026

Join us for the final Dark Sky event of 2026 on Saturday, October 10 at 6:45 pm at the Rappahannock County Park pavilion, co-hosted with the Rappahannock County Recreational Facilities Authority. This is a free event!

It's a new moon, the darkest night of the month, so faint galaxies and star clusters will be on full display.

🦅 Dark Skies Are Critical to Birds and Our Environment. Tom Blackburn of the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance on how artificial light at night pulls migrating birds off course.
🔭 Astrology: What's the Story? Milt Roney of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club on what the stars can (and can't) tell us.

Then step up to the telescopes with local astronomers as your guides to explore planets, star clusters, and more.

Bring the family, bring a friend, and bring a jacket - we're so lucky to have these beautiful dark skies in Rappahannock County!

📍 Rappahannock County Park pavilion
🗓️ Sat, Oct 10 · 6:45 pm

09/30/2026

Fields of Gold: Walk any Rappahannock field or roadside this time of year, and you'll see a wave of yellow. Yellow crownbeard, ragw**d, and goldenrod all bloom around the same time of year, but are each very different. Swipe to meet each one. →

Yellow Crownbeard: Yellow crownbeard (Verbesina occidentalis) is a native perennial with sunny, slightly scraggly yellow blooms and winged stems. It's often confused with its cousin, wingstem — but it’s all in the leaves: crownbeard's are opposite and broadly oval, while wingstem's are alternate and long, narrow, and sandpaper-rough.

Ragw**d: You can thank ragw**d (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) for your allergies this time of year. It blooms right alongside goldenrod but looks nothing like it. Small, greenish, unshowy flowers built to release pollen into the wind by the billions.

Goldenrod: Goldenrod (Solidago) is often falsely accused of causing hay fever. Its pollen is heavy and sticky, built to travel on insects — not the wind. It's actually a native powerhouse for pollinators heading into fall.

09/29/2026

NEW EVENT: "Bee" Curious About Bees with T'ai Roulston

Bee curious instead of cautious! Virginia is home to more than 450 species of bees, and many are in decline. Join us as T'ai Roulston of UVA's Blandy Experimental Farm and the State Arboretum of Virginia introduces us to these hardworking pollinators, with a special focus on the fuzzy, famously gentle bumblebee.

🗓️ Monday, October 26 | 6:30 pm
📍 Rappahannock County Library, 4 Library Road, Washington, VA

Register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bee-curious-about-bees-tickets-2001890876501?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/25/2026

Know Your Invasives: Japanese Barberry

While beautiful in the fall with its fiery red foliage and berries, Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) can destroy other important understory plants. Introduced as an ornamental in the 1870s, it can spread fast by seed (birds love the berries) and by rooting wherever its branches touch the ground.

Left unchecked, it crowds out native spring wildflowers and other understory plants. It’s also known to host deer ticks — its low, dense growth creates a humid microclimate ticks seem to love.

So how do you tell it apart from our native look-alike, American Barberry (Berberis canadensis)? The easiest tell is the spines, aka thorns. Japanese barberry has single spines, while American barberry’s are three-pronged. Japanese barberry will also have smooth leaf edges, while American barberry has serrated leaves. Swipe through to see the difference between these plants!

Small infestations can be hand-pulled (please use heavy gloves!), but for bigger patches, cutting and treating the stems is usually the most effective approach. Our friends at Penn State explain the full ID and treatment timeline in detail — link in our bio.

Want more local land tidbits like this? Subscribe to our monthly RLEP Almanac — link in bio.

LandStewardship

09/25/2026

REMINDER TO REGISTER: All About Dragonflies with Bert Harris

Did you know Virginia is home to 144 dragonfly species and 55 damselfly species? Join us as Bert Harris, Co-Director of the Clifton Institute, dives into these dazzling aerial acrobats — from their mosquito-eating superpowers to what actually separates a dragonfly from a damselfly.

🗓️ Monday, September 28 | 6:30 pm
📍 Rappahannock County Library, 4 Library Road, Washington, VA

Register for the event here:

Join the Rappahannock County Library and RLEP to learn all about dragonflies!

09/23/2026

Rappahannock County is known for its apples, but did you know there's another delicious fruit growing right in our backyards?

Meet the pawpaw (Asimina triloba) — North America's largest native fruit, tucked into the understory of our woodlands.

Come fall, the pawpaw tree is loaded with fruit that tastes like a cross between banana, mango, and pineapple, with a custard-like texture that you can’t find at the grocery store. Rewind to spring, and the same tree looks completely different: deep maroon, bell-shaped flowers dangle beneath bare branches weeks before the leaves even emerge. Pawpaws aren't just a treat for us, either. They're a host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly.

Once you've got the fruit, the kitchen possibilities are endless. Swap it into your favorite banana bread recipe, blend it into ice cream, or take a page from our friends at Penn State, who've even got a pawpaw cocktail recipe. Pawpaw cocktail, anyone?

Want more local nature tidbits like this? Subscribe to our monthly RLEP Almanac — link in bio.

Photos by: Mike Wenger & Joyce Harman

09/18/2026

What’s a soft landing, you ask?

When caterpillars finish feeding in the canopy, many drop to the ground to pupate. But if all they find is a mowed lawn, they have nowhere to go. Right here in Rappahannock, a “soft landing” is a layer of native plants tucked beneath a tree, specially a keystone tree like the oaks, willows, cherries, and poplars that are already part of our landscape — giving caterpillars the leaf litter and shelter they need to complete their life cycle.

The payoff reaches far beyond the butterflies and moths themselves. Soft landings feed the birds who rely on caterpillars, build healthier soil, and cut down on mowing.

To build your own soft landing:
- Smother turf with cardboard and wood chips or leaves. Don’t dig it up!
- Plant a few feet back from the trunk
- Use small plugs and a hand trowel, tucking around roots
- Mulch lightly, but keep it off the trunk

What to learn more? Check out what our friends at Homegrown National Park Homegrown National Park are doing.

If you’re looking for more info on best seasonal practices in your own Rappahannock back yard, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, the RLEP Almanac — link in bio.