A winter scene with trees and snow
A winter scene with trees and snow

New Winter StoryWalk(R)!

Update: This StoryWalk® was removed at the end of February. Stay tuned for more seasonal StoryWalks® in the future!

For the next few weeks, you can enjoy a good book and learn about wintertime wildlife while you walk along the Native Plant Trail!

Blandy's new winter StoryWalk® consists of a series of signs spaced at regular intervals. Each sign bears one page of Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner. You and the young naturalist in your life can read the book a page at a time as you walk along the trail.

Arboretum Project Begins

January 31, 2022 -- Stephanie.Swaim

A very large section in the eastern end of the arboretum fell out of active management in the 1980s, and has since become covered in invasive buckthorn and autumn olive trees that provide little food for wildlife and crowd out all other plant life. In late January, we began removing 2.5 acres of these trees, beginning the long process of transforming this degraded part of the arboretum into a beautiful, diverse forest.

Backyard Conservationists will Benefit from Blandy Program

Blandy Partners with the Clifton Institute for Local Plant Conservation

Most native seed suppliers carry only the most common and showy native wildflowers, which is just a small subsection of our incredibly diverse flora. In most cases, commercially available plants are sourced from only a few areas and shipped to other parts of the country – a framework that doesn’t preserve local varieties of plants and often produces an inferior product for customers (a milkweed adapted to Minnesota weather might not do well in the warmer climates of Virginia).

Be careful with Boxwoods

Plant Experts from Blandy Experimental Farm Caution Against Using Boxwood Clippings in Holiday Decorating

Plant experts from Blandy Experimental Farm are advising Virginia residents against using cuttings from boxwoods, one of the most popular evergreens for holiday decorating, due to boxwood blight.

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Spotlight

A Community Forest Becomes An Actual Forest

In 2011, a group of bicycling arborists paused at the Arboretum and planted 35 trees in an hour. That planting kicked off our Community Forest, a multi-year community tree planting to expand the forest for wildlife near the front entrance. See the forest today! 

Events

Today

  1. Blandy Sketch Group
    • Start time: 12:30pm
    • End time: 03:30pm

    • The Blandy Sketch Group is a dynamic group of artists who work in the visual arts and who all share a love of the natural world as inspiration for their artwork. The Blandy Sketch Group is open to any artist, beginner or professional.  This month, we will be meeting in the Blandy LibraryVisit our website for more info- https://blandysketchgroup.wordpress.com/

Thursday, March 20th

  1. Virtual program: Duplex or apartment complex? Can we build a better “bee hotel” to help protect solitary bees from parasites?

Thursday, March 27th

  1. Blandy Book Club
  2. Virtual program: It's not salty enough!

Tuesday, April 1st

  1. Blandy Photography Club Meeting

Thursday, April 3rd

  1. Blandy Sketch Group
    • Start time: 12:30pm
    • End time: 03:30pm

    • The Blandy Sketch Group is a dynamic group of artists who work in the visual arts and who all share a love of the natural world as inspiration for their artwork. The Blandy Sketch Group is open to any artist, beginner or professional.  This month, we will be meeting in the Blandy LibraryVisit our website for more info- https://blandysketchgroup.wordpress.com/