Riverine Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists

By Sheryl Smith There are many posts on social media talking about converting lawn to native plants. Some people support herbicides. Others support tilling. Both leave behind bare soil and the opportunity for unwanted seeds to germinate. Some suggest planting natives right in the lawn, letting the new plants overpower the lawn grass. I think […]

By Cindy Andrews Dragonflies and damselflies, from the order Odonata, really spark my imagination and love of learning. I spend countless hours “hunting” and photographing them from early March through November each Year. Odes have a fascinating life cycle. When mating, adults often form a mating “wheel” with the male attaching his abdomen to the […]

They may be pretty. They might have started out in a garden. But the ornamental thugs of the plant world have become menaces to Virginia’s parks and natural spaces. Fortunately, many Riverine Master Naturalists are committed to take back our wild places, removing invasive plants and trees and allowing the native plant life to return. […]

While it might seem voyeuristic to peek into another’s home, Riverines’ work monitoring Eastern Bluebird nesting boxes provides important citizen science data on these little lovelies. During spring and summer, our bluebird monitors check on nest boxes in a variety of RVA sites, noting mating and nesting activity, eggs, chicks and fledglings. “It is so […]

“O Oysters, come and walk with us!” The Walrus did beseech. “A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk, along the briny beach….” Yes, as the Walrus knew, oysters are delicious, but they also are vital to the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its contributing waterways. Think of them as stationary Roombas for the sediment in […]

How many miles could you fly this year? How big is your wingspan? Would you rather live in a cave, a riverbank or a tree house? Why are you, if you’re a boy, so much more colorful? If you were a second grader fortunate enough to be in “Birds and Art,” an after school program […]

Once a month, Randy Smith takes his bucket and tools and heads to the Pamunkey River to check the water quality. What he’s also doing is celebrating the world around him: “I get to actively do something for nature, something that, in my small way, is helping save the planet. ” What Randy and other […]