2024 GINKGO WATCH- SHOW'S OVER
The Ginkgo Grove undergoes a magical transformation each Fall as the leaves transition from green to gold. Here's what the Ginkgo Grove look like November 11th, 2024. Most of the leaves have fallen and are no longer bright yellow in color.
The best time to see golden ginkgoes at Blandy is usually late October - early November.
The Foundation of the State Arboretum (FOSA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Anne Marie Chirieleison as Director on September 9, 2024. Anne Marie leads FOSA in supporting Blandy Experimental Farm and its research and educational goals, enhancing Blandy's value as a public institution, and helping to maintain and grow the Arboretum's many collections.
Don't miss our 2nd Festival of Art and Nature. Visit Blandy to witness nearly 100 artists paint your favorite scenes Plein Air, September 18th - 20th. Then join us for our public festival September 21st complete with an art show and sale, food trucks, music, family art tables. Learn more!
Each summer, undergraduate and graduate students, and university faculty gather for a program of focused study on a diversity of research projects in an environment that few other institutions can offer. At the conclusion of the summer season, students share their work at the Annual Summer Research Forum.
Pictured: Caroline Speidel and Hannah Russel, 2024 Tom Callahan Research Award recipients
Caroline Speidel and Hannah Russel, students in this summer’s Undergraduate Research Program, have been recognized with Tom Callahan Undergraduate Research Awards given in memory of former FOSA Board Member and National Science Foundation (NSF) researcher Tom Callahan. The students presented their research findings at the Blandy Research Forum in August, where an anonymous panel of impartial judges selected award winners.
While the native plant trail has always featured plants that are native to Virginia at large, we’re looking forward to sharing a new interpretive space that goes one step further: the recently planted Locally Sourced Garden. In addition to their “native” status, all the plants are sourced from local wild populations. Every plant in the new garden was grown from seed collected in the mountain or piedmont areas surrounding Blandy, rather than being purchased from a nursery. Learn More!
When you walk into the newly redesigned and interactive Information Center at Blandy, you’ll be greeted by a giant 3D ginkgo tree replication in its full golden glory. Beneath the tree, a few intriguing questions, with answers under movable discs, will whet your appetite for some of the engaging natural features that await you outside the center. On one wall, a huge watercolor inspired map will help you acclimate to your position at the Arboretum and plan out the rest of your visit.
We tend to make a pretty big deal about milkweed here at Blandy Experimental Farm. During the growing season, you will likely see several posts from us featuring this group of plants and their amazing ability to support pollinators. Milkweed attracts more than just pollinators to Blandy, though. Scientists interested in milkweed ecology also flock to Blandy in the summer to take advantage of the field station for their research. One such researcher, Cameron Morris, an undergraduate from the College of William and Mary, shares their approach to the questions they hope to answer this summer.
The University of Virginia seeks a full-time director of the Foundation of the State Arboretum (FOSA). The FOSA Director develops and implements fundraising strategies to support the mission of Blandy Experimental Farm and the State Arboretum of Virginia, while ensuring the proper administration and financial oversight of FOSA. Learn more.
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!
Thursday, March 20th
Virtual program featuring a Blandy graduate student! Visit our website for more information and to register: https://blandy.virginia.edu/content/programs-workshops-walks
Thursday, March 27th
For more information, visit: https://blandy.virginia.edu/book-club
Virtual talk featuring a Blandy grad student! Visit our website for more information and to register! https://blandy.virginia.edu/content/programs-workshops-walks
Tuesday, April 1st
To learn more, send an email to blandyphotographyclub@gmail.com
Thursday, April 3rd
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, April 24th
For more information, visit: https://blandy.virginia.edu/book-club
