Firefly Roadtrip!: One scientist’s epic, chronically under-caffeinated quest to count fireflies across the Commonwealth

This stuffed firefly friend accompanied me on my firefly roadtrip this summer, starting with Blandy Experimental Farm, a UVA biological research station near Winchester, VA. Night-time field work poses it’s…

“Rules-of-Thumb” for Poison Ivy Identification by the ITCHY Project

Text by Dr. John G. Jelesko, Virginia Tech faculty​Images by Andrew Huang, Virginia Tech student      Summer is in full swing, and so is the risk of poison ivy…

Banshee Reeks Chapters Partners with Journey Through Hallowed Ground to Plant and Dedicate Ninety-Five Native Trees

Article by Susan Sims, VMN-Banshee Reeks Chapter Unloading the trees before planting. Photo by Susan Sims. Ninety-five native trees were planted at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in Leesburg, VA in…

In Search of Spadefoots

Article submitted by Jason Gibson, Patrick Henry Community College Faculty at two  community colleges  are  collaborating with the Virginia Herpetological Society (VHS) and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries…

Butterfly Data Comparisons from Around the State: Surprising….or Not?

Rivanna Chapter volunteers surveying butterflies in Albemarle County. Photo by Rebecca English. By Terri Keffert, VMN Volunteer Coordinator and co-leader of the Rivanna Master Naturalist Chapter’s annual butterfly count Butterfly…

Superlative Virginia Master Naturalists

A few of the very dedicated volunteers of the Alleghany Highlands Chapter! All our VMN volunteers are contributing a lot to benefit their communities and Virginia’s natural resources, but we…

Wildlife on Film: The Historic Rivers Chapter documents state park critters

Bobcat caught on film at York River State Park. Image by VMN-Historic Rivers Chapter. By Portia Belden, Certified Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer, Historic Rivers Chapter It’s an amazing feat to…

Seeing Spots: The search for Virginia’s Extraordinary Little Stinkers

By Emily D. Thorne, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Graduate Student, Virginia Tech Spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius). Image provided by Emily Thorne. Captured spotted skunk. Photo by Emily Thorne. ​What…

BioBlitzing at Hungry Mother State Park

By Monica S. Hoel and Tanya Hall, VMN-Holston Rivers Chapter Recording data for the Hungry Mother BioBlitz. Image by Tanya Hall. ​On the weekend of April 23-24,2016, Hungry Mother State…

From BioBlitzes to Buffers: 2016 Chapter Focus Projects

Headwaters Chapter volunteers visit one of the pollinator gardens created through their chapter focus project. ​For several years, a few of our VMN chapters have done chapter “focus projects” –…