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A note about our programs:
We hold most programs rain, snow, or shine, unless we notify you otherwise. If you cancel your registration seven days or more prior to the program date, we’ll refund your fee in full. If you cancel within seven days of the program date, we are unable to refund your fee. If the Foundation of the State Arboretum cancels a program for any reason, we will refund your fee in full. Programs open to children/youth require an adult to attend with them and the adult is responsible for their supervision for the duration of the program. Advance registration is required for all programs. Space is limited.
Riparian Buffer and Soil Conservation Workshop for Landowners: Funding Opportunities
6:00-7:30 PM Wednesday, March 4th
Take home a free tree whip!
Join the Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District, the VA Department of Forestry, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Piedmont Environmental Council for a workshop on riparian forest buffers and soil conservation programs. Learn how buffers can improve water quality in our local watersheds and explore sources of funding for implementing buffers on your property.
This event is informal and designed for landowners to learn from each other’s experiences and engage with the presenters. Residential and rural landowners with a water resource of any size on their property (e.g., a river, stream, pond, wetland, etc.) are encouraged to attend.
We hope attendees will come away with a greater understanding of how they can improve water quality on their land AND go home with a native tree or shrub to plant!
What to expect: A talk in the Blandy library.
Audience: This program is designed for adults, but all welcome. Minors must be accompanied by a caregiver at all times.
What to bring: Materials to take notes, if you wish.
Where to meet: Meet in the library at the Quarters building.
Photo credit: Hugh Kenny
Registration required.
Registration link to Riparian Buffer and Soil Conservation Workshop for Landowners
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Science Night!: Virtual Talks from Blandy Environmental Science Graduate Students
7:00-8:00 PM Thursday, March 12th
7:00-8:30 PM Tuesday, March 17th
Did you know that Blandy is home to a vibrant research community? It's true! Find out what Blandy's amazing ecology and environmental science graduate students are up to in this series of short and sweet virtual talks.
How to “tune in”: Expect to receive a link to the Zoom meeting during the week of the program through the email used in Eventbrite at registration. Can’t find it? Check your spam folder, or email public programs coordinator Ariel Firebaugh (alf7f@virginia.edu) to request a new link. Still having trouble? We hope to livestream the program on Blandy’s Facebook page.
Registration required.
Registration link to Science Night!
Thursday, March 12th
- Ethan Skuches- Tupelo Tree Restoration Ecology. It’s no secret that the Earth’s climate is changing. In response to global changes, our forests are changing too. We’re seeing plant species ranges shift in response to a warming and changing temperature regime. What do these changes mean for how we think about restoring a landscape? Join Blandy graduate student Ethan Skuches to learn about his research in restoration ecology and restoration genetics. Ethan specifically works with the tupelo tree, and he spent this past fall collecting over 3000 tupelo tree seeds across its native range in eastern North America. Join us to learn about the plan for all these seeds, and what we hope they can tell us about the future of restoration projects!
- Kim Union- Planes, Drones, and Automobiles. There are many different ways to look at ecosystems, whether it be from the ground, or overhead. As scientists, have all sorts of different cameras to collect data by hand, by satellite, and everything in between! Join UVA grad student Kim Union to learn about how we monitor vegetation throughout its life cycle, and the synthesis of multiple tools to do so.
Tuesday, March 17th
- Willow Lovecky- Adventures with Native Nesting Bees. We know bees eat pollen and nectar from flowers, but where do they live? What do they make their nests out of? Join Blandy graduate student Willow Lovecky to hear about all the weird, innovative, and fascinating materials bees use to build their nests. She will tell us about bees that live at Blandy, like the chimney bees that live in the Bee Wall! We hope to see you there.
- Mia Murray- Going on a Butternut Hunt: The Quest to Save Virginia’s Remaining Butternut Trees. The native Butternut tree (Juglans cinerea) is a tree that was never dominant on the landscape but has served as an important ecological, cultural, and medicinal staple in the eastern forests of the US for centuries. Since the 1960s, populations have been decimated by an invasive fungus known as the Butternut Canker Disease. Despite the ongoing research efforts that have gone on across much of its native range, knowledge on Virginia butternut’s distribution, health, and potential resistance is poorly understood. Join Blandy graduate student Mia Murray to learn more about how she plans to tackle these questions and how you can join her efforts in the search of butternut trees across Virginia!
- Stephanie Petrovick- Nutrient Cycling in Grasslands. Join Blandy grad student Stephanie Petrovick to learn about grasslands and how they are shaped by nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. This talk will detail how the different amounts of varying nutrients can impact plant growth and populations, as well as the encroachment of invasive plant species. How these interactions can relate to conservation efforts, and how human activity comes into play, will also be explored.
Blandy at 100: A century of scientific and community contributions
Spark: From a Virginia Farm to a University Field Station
2:00-4:00 PM Sunday, March 15th
One hundred years ago, a farm 90 miles north of Charlottesville became a University of Virginia biological field research station. How did that happen? In this program, we’ll explore the beginnings of Blandy Experimental Farm as a research arboretum and community resource. We’ll imagine what the property and the surrounding landscape might have been like a century ago, hear personal accounts from the first “Blandy Farmers”, and consider the challenges they may have faced as they pursued pioneering plant genetics research in a sleepy little corner of Clarke County. Join Clarke County Architectural Historian Maral Kalbian and Blandy Director Dave Carr for this peek into the past.
What to expect: Talks followed by a discussion in the Blandy library. Time and weather permitting, we may also go on a short walk outdoors to see points of interest featured in the talk. Light refreshments provided (it’s a birthday celebration, after all!).
Audience: These programs are designed for adults.
Where to meet: The library at the Quarters building.
Can’t make it? Recordings of the program will be available online--- hopefully livestreamed on the Blandy Facebook/Youtube page.
Registration required.
Registration link to Spark: From a Virginia Farm to a University Field Station
Early Migrants Bird Walk
8:00-10:00 AM Friday, March 27th
Join Blandy Director and birding enthusiast Dr. Dave Carr to hunt for tree swallows, eastern phoebes, migrating waterfowl, and more!
What to expect: An outdoor program. We will walk around 1.5 miles over lawn and gravel paths with gently rolling terrain.
Audience: Adults and children aged 12 and up. Minors must be accompanied by a caregiver at all times. No pets, please!
What to bring: Dress for the weather! Wear comfortable walking shoes that can withstand a bit of morning dew from the grass. Bring your own binoculars or borrow a pair from Blandy.
Where to meet: Meet at the flagpole at the front parking lot close to the “Arboretum Information” kiosk.
Registration required.
Blandy at 100: A century of scientific and community contributions
Unruly: When Nature Goes Wild and Doesn't Fit in A Box
2:00 - 4:00 PM Sunday, April 19
Science is neat, orderly, and predictable. Right?
Arboreta, botanical gardens, and field research stations are places where people try to understand the complexities of the natural world. We look for patterns and put things into categories. We plant maples over here and mahogany trees over there. We classify these bees as generalists and those bees as specialists. Sometimes this pattern-seeking unlocks amazing insights. Other times, nature refuses to be put into neat little boxes not matter how hard we try.
In this program, we’ll hear stories about trees with identity crises, squirrely research projects, and the quirkiest Grove at Blandy. Join us for three tales from the bizarre, perplexing, and intriguing side of the biological sciences, featuring Blandy Curator T’ai Roulston, Director of Scientific Engagement Ariel Firebaugh, and Blandy graduate student alumna Clare Rodenberg.
What to expect: Talks followed by a discussion in the Blandy library. Time and weather permitting, we may also go on a short walk outdoors to see points of interest featured in the talk.
Light refreshments provided (it’s a birthday celebration, after all!).
Audience: These programs are designed for adults.
Where to meet: The library at the Quarters building.
Can’t make it? Recordings of the program will be available online.
Registration required.
Neotropical Migrants Bird Walk
8:00 - 10:00 AM Thursday, April 23
Spring (migration) has sprung! Join Blandy Director and birding enthusiast Dr. Dave Carr in search of early breeding warblers (e.g., Pine, Yellow, Palm, and Yellow-rumped) and other neotropical migrants.
What to expect: We will walk ~1.5 miles over lawn and gravel paths with gently rolling terrain.
Audience: Adults and children aged 12 and up. No pets, please!
What to bring: Dress for the weather. Wear comfortable walking shoes that can withstand a bit of early morning dew on the grass. Bring your own binoculars or borrow a pair from Blandy.
Where to meet: Meet at the flagpole at the front parking lot close to the “Arboretum Information” kiosk.
Registration required.
Wildflower Walk at the Thompson Wildlife Management Area
1:00-3:00 PM Tuesday, April 28th
Hunt for spring ephemeral wildflowers on the Trillium Trail with a plant expert!
Learn to recognize our spring wildflowers in their native habitat. Scout for trilliums, orchids, and other spring wildflowers alongside Blandy’s Assistant Curator for the Native Plant Trail Jack Monsted.
What to expect: We will walk ~1.5 on hiking trails with occasional steep uphill and downhill sections, stopping frequently to observe flowers.
Audience: This program is designed for adults and children aged 12 and up.
What to bring: Wear comfortable walking shoes, dress for the weather, and bring a full water bottle. Bug spray suggested (gnats). If you’d like, bring materials to take notes and a favorite wildflower field guide or smart phone identification app (e.g., iNaturalist).
Where to meet: Meet at the Thompson Wildlife Management Area Trillium Parking Lot (directions provided following registration).
Registration required.