Orange-eye butterfly-bush--a newly added species to Virginia's invasive plant list. Photo by Gary P. Fleming. 13 species added to Virginia’s invasive plant list
Contributed by Emi Endo, Senior PR and marketing specialist for Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Thirteen more species that pose a threat to the state’s ecosystems have been added to the Virginia Invasive Plant Species List.
The additions include:
- Italian arum (Arum italicum) - Competes with spring ephemerals due to early emergence, extremely difficult to remove, toxic to mammals if ingested, causes skin irritation
- nandina (Nandina domesticum) - Frequently escapes from plantings, fruit is a rare but significant threat to birds such as Cedar Waxwing due to cyanide poisoning, invades forest understory
- orange-eye butterfly-bush (Buddleja davidii) - Shrub grows to 10 feet in height, can escape plantings, provides nectar to pollinators but does not host native larvae
To report a sighting of an invasive plant in Virginia, use the EDDMapS website or app, iNaturalist or visit: https://www.invasivespeciesva.org/report-sightings.
Pawpaw trees in fruit. Photo by Michelle Prysby.
Shrub-lings for Sale!
Contributed by Ellen Powell, Conservation Education Coordinator, Virginia Department of Forestry
Are you a wildlife lover? Check out this year’s DOF seedling catalog for an affordable and effective way to improve wildlife habitat on your property.
The new catalog’s expanded selection of native shrubs includes black chokeberry, Washington hawthorn, Chickasaw plum, smooth sumac, pawpaw, and several species of shrub dogwood. All of them produce fruits that are eaten by many species of birds and mammals. Their flowers and leaves feed pollinators as well.
Perhaps most importantly, shrubs provide cover for wildlife. A shrub layer is an important habitat component that is missing from many landscapes. Shrubs “soften” the woods’ edge, providing a transition zone between the tree canopy and adjacent fields or yards. Shrub borders can be critical areas for wildlife to raise young, shelter from the weather, and escape from predators. Because shrubby edges are used by wildlife from both the nearby wooded and open areas, they tend to be excellent places for wildlife watching.
Perennial catalog favorites returning this year include elderberry, indigobush, hazelnut, chinkapin, and buttonbush. In all, the DOF seedling catalog now offers more than a dozen native shrubs. Each one has wildlife benefits, from flowers for pollinators to berries for songbirds to nuts for game animals.
These aren’t the kind of shrubs you might carefully shape into balls for a neat landscape. Instead, these species provide a natural look to yard borders or group plantings. The bare-root seedlings may need protection from deer to get a good start. Once established, many of them will sucker, or spread from the roots to form thickets.
Contributed by Ellen Powell, Conservation Education Coordinator, Virginia Department of Forestry
Are you a wildlife lover? Check out this year’s DOF seedling catalog for an affordable and effective way to improve wildlife habitat on your property.
The new catalog’s expanded selection of native shrubs includes black chokeberry, Washington hawthorn, Chickasaw plum, smooth sumac, pawpaw, and several species of shrub dogwood. All of them produce fruits that are eaten by many species of birds and mammals. Their flowers and leaves feed pollinators as well.
Perhaps most importantly, shrubs provide cover for wildlife. A shrub layer is an important habitat component that is missing from many landscapes. Shrubs “soften” the woods’ edge, providing a transition zone between the tree canopy and adjacent fields or yards. Shrub borders can be critical areas for wildlife to raise young, shelter from the weather, and escape from predators. Because shrubby edges are used by wildlife from both the nearby wooded and open areas, they tend to be excellent places for wildlife watching.
Perennial catalog favorites returning this year include elderberry, indigobush, hazelnut, chinkapin, and buttonbush. In all, the DOF seedling catalog now offers more than a dozen native shrubs. Each one has wildlife benefits, from flowers for pollinators to berries for songbirds to nuts for game animals.
These aren’t the kind of shrubs you might carefully shape into balls for a neat landscape. Instead, these species provide a natural look to yard borders or group plantings. The bare-root seedlings may need protection from deer to get a good start. Once established, many of them will sucker, or spread from the roots to form thickets.
Virginia Cooperative Extension Natural Resources Extension Agent explains how to kill the invasive tree-of-heaven. Photo captured from video, Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Killing Tree of Heaven: Why, How, and When by the Virginia Forest Landowner Education program.
Fifteen Minutes in the Forest
Contributed by Jennifer Gagnon, Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program Coordinator, Virginia Tech/Virginia Cooperative Extension
Have you experienced Fifteen Minutes in the Forest? Yes, we should all get out in the woods in person when we are able, but you also can experience a succinct and informative quarter-hour of forest time through the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program's Fifteen Minutes in the Forest video series. The playlist currently has 106 videos, including many with general naturalist appeal, even for people who are not forest landowners themselves. New videos are shown on Facebook Live and YouTube Premier at 12:15 on designated Fridays, followed by a question-and-answer time. And, all videos can be accessed anytime later on the YouTube playlist. The most popular video, with 41,714 views, is Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Killing Tree of Heaven: Why, How & When.
Contributed by Jennifer Gagnon, Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program Coordinator, Virginia Tech/Virginia Cooperative Extension
Have you experienced Fifteen Minutes in the Forest? Yes, we should all get out in the woods in person when we are able, but you also can experience a succinct and informative quarter-hour of forest time through the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program's Fifteen Minutes in the Forest video series. The playlist currently has 106 videos, including many with general naturalist appeal, even for people who are not forest landowners themselves. New videos are shown on Facebook Live and YouTube Premier at 12:15 on designated Fridays, followed by a question-and-answer time. And, all videos can be accessed anytime later on the YouTube playlist. The most popular video, with 41,714 views, is Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Killing Tree of Heaven: Why, How & When.
Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean at Virginia Beach. Photo by M. Prysby.
Contribute to Virginia's Ocean Plan
The Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program invites the public to help shape Virginia's vision for our ocean waters. We especially encourage Virginians to share their stories of how they connect to Virginia's coast and ocean waters: How and where do you interact with the Ocean? What ocean uses are important to you? What issues or concerns should we be considering?
The online forum has passed, but there still are various ways to provide your input:
The Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program invites the public to help shape Virginia's vision for our ocean waters. We especially encourage Virginians to share their stories of how they connect to Virginia's coast and ocean waters: How and where do you interact with the Ocean? What ocean uses are important to you? What issues or concerns should we be considering?
The online forum has passed, but there still are various ways to provide your input:
- Via a very brief survey.
- Via an email to [email protected]
- Via a voicemail or text message to (804) 420-8457
- Send us a picture with a caption that describes your connection to the coast and ocean waters! We may use your picture in the future and will make sure to contact you before doing so. You can send pictures via text to (804) 420-8457 or via email to [email protected].
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