“Relative ecological stability” is a term used by ecologists to describe a highly competitive vegetative composition that allows few new individuals to enter the system. In garden-speak, that translates to “low maintenance.” In our final session we will illustrate how piggybacking on this and other ecological processes can change garden management from a battle to a partnership. Using examples from his own property as well as diverse client projects, Larry will share how a brains-over-brawn approach can result in compelling, easily managed landscapes that liberate both plants and people.

Meet: Heritage Park, Dora Highway, Pulaski.

Contact: Friends of Peak Creek at info@friendsofpeakcreek.org.

Join us to help cultivate and maintain pollinator-friendly plant species.

Neonicotinoid insecticides, commonly known as “neonics,” have become the most widely used insecticides in the U.S., leading to drastic declines in bees, pollinators, birds, and aquatic ecosystems. In this webinar, Lucas Rhoads, Senior Attorney with NRDC’s Pesticides & Pollinators Team, will share expert insights on how neonics impact our environment and pose serious risks to human health. He’ll delve into the harms associated with neonic-treated seeds, which are a major source of contamination, and explore effective policy advocacy strategies to rein in their widespread use without disrupting farmers or landscapers.

In this session we will learn how “light touch” planting techniques can increase plant survival and reduce post-planting maintenance. The disturbance that results from deep digging, soil enhancement, and soil replacement always stimulates a flush of weeds. Applying fertilizer helps those weeds grow faster. In this session we will learn to match the plant to the soil, not the soil to the plant, an approach that avoids weed-enacting soil disturbance and places plants in soils that are familiar and conducive to their survival. We will also discuss how to select nursery plants that are most likely to thrive and proliferate in your landscape. Sara Weaner Cooper will conclude by presenting her chemical-free/no kill lawn-to-meadow transition project, now in its highly successful second year.   

Join The Nature Conservancy for a FREE hands-on workshop highlighting various native seed stratification techniques. Native plants have a variety of different requirements in order for its seed to successfully germinate. Requirements could include extended periods of cold or freezing temperatures, damp soil conditions, heat,/fire, etc. and can sometimes be tricky for native plant enthusiasts to get seeds to germinate in a home setting.

Meet: Heritage Park, Dora Highway, Pulaski.

Contact: Friends of Peak Creek at info@friendsofpeakcreek.org.

Join us to help cultivate and maintain pollinator-friendly plant species.

Join The Nature Conservancy at it's Clinch Valley program office on Main Street in downtown Abingdon for a volunteer appreciation cookout (starting at 4:30) followed by the Abingdon Christmas Parade (starts at 5:30). ALL are welcome to join us for the cookout and is a FREE event.

Designing with native plants is a good thing, but designing with the ecological processes that govern those plants in the wild - is even better. Our opening session will examine a series of garden-relevant concepts from the ecological sciences; including habitat fidelity, plant community, plant colonization, competition, and ecological succession. Each concept will be followed by a concrete example of its incorporation into a residential design. While rarely considered in traditional garden design, these ecological characteristics are actually key to achieving the environmental, aesthetic, and maintenance promise of ecology-based garden design.

Meet: Heritage Park, Dora Highway, Pulaski.

Contact: Friends of Peak Creek at info@friendsofpeakcreek.org.

Join us to help cultivate and maintain pollinator-friendly plant species.

Annual Southwest Virginia Tree Syrup School in St. Paul, Virginia at the Oxbow Center.  The morning will be filled with sessions for those new to tapping and tree syrup, as well as experienced producers.  Come get answers to your questions including what trees to tap, how to boil and bottle and how to store and sell your syrup.  

Celebrate the third anniversary as the Appalachian Highlands Chapter.

There will be a short business meeting with a social hour afterwards. We will hold the election of 2025 officers.

This is a great time as members to reflect on what we have accomplished and to discuss our future goals.

Water and coffee will be provided. Please bring your favorite light refreshment and your nametag.

The Summit building is set back from Volunteer Parkway with an access road between Eastman Credit Union and Bank of Tennessee. There is a cut-through on the Parkway divide for a left turn if you are coming from the downtown Bristol area.

Location: The Summit, Expedition Room, 1227 Volunteer Pkwy, Bristol, TN, 37620

Join Virginia Working Landscapes’ Graduate Research Fellow Bernadette Rigley as she reveals preliminary findings from her research on the behavioral ecology and conservation of grassland birds.

Bernadette, a PhD student at George Mason University and VWL Graduate Research Fellow, is conducting research on how grassland birds live, breed, and migrate throughout the different seasons and how their behaviors are influenced by management practices. Her goal is to identify management practices that can simultaneously support bird populations and the livelihoods of those who depend on these landscapes. 

This event will last for one hour. It will be recorded and made available online. Please register for this free event.

Must pre-regsiter

Blacksburg Community Center, 725 Patrick Henry Dr, Blacksburg, VA 24060

Invasive plant removal and improvement of native plants at Historic Smithfield Plantation, 1000 Smithfield Plantation Rd., Blacksburg. Parking is free without the need for a VT parking permit. The group is generally between the main house and the pavilion. If you cannot find them, text or call (727) 488-7378. If weather conditions present precipitation, high winds, or temperature lower than 40 degrees (F) or higher than 90 degrees (F), the event will be canceled. Recommend gloves and closed toed shoes. Bring a shovel, if you want to help dig shrubs, or loppers if you want to cut English ivy. Contact person is David McEwen, (727)488-7378 or dmcewen@davidmcewen.com.

Adopt-a-Garden or just come for the day and help. The garden consists of plants all native to our area, to both support pollinators and educate the public about native plants. Work with the group or come on your own. Workdays vary based on season and weather. Contact person is Barb Walker at brwalker@earthlink.net.

Meet on the paved walk between the Old Growth Forest and the end of Green Street. There may be a parking space on Green Street. If not, you can park (on Sunday!) across the street from the VTPD and walk up the paved path. If you cannot find us, text or call 540-257-2489. If there is precipitation, high winds, or the temperature is higher than 90 degrees or lower than 38 degrees, we will cancel the event. Please bring work gloves and wear closed toe shoes. For details, contact Beth Umberger at megachile300@gmail.com or call 540-257-2489.

Meet: Heritage Park, Dora Highway, Pulaski.

Contact: Friends of Peak Creek at info@friendsofpeakcreek.org.

Join us to help cultivate and maintain pollinator-friendly plant species.

The BRWS October Membership Meeting will feature “Fungi” by Dr. Bob Pohlad of Ferrum College. Bob is a Professor Emeritus of Biology and Horticulture at Ferrum College. Bob’s interests focus on plants and fungi. He and his wife led many student trips to Ireland, the Caribbean, and the Galapagos. He is also a senior scientist for the Water Quality Monitoring Program on Smith Mountain Lake.

The meeting will be held at Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs, 3460 Colonial Ave., Roanoke, VA. Snacks, social and sign ups will begin at 6:00 pm and the talk will begin at 6:30 pm.

Meet on the paved walk between the Old Growth Forest and the end of Green Street. There may be a parking space on Green Street. If not, you can park (on Sunday!) across the street from the VTPD and walk up the paved path. If you cannot find us, text or call 540-257-2489. If there is precipitation, high winds, or the temperature is higher than 90 degrees or lower than 38 degrees, we will cancel the event. Please bring work gloves and wear closed toe shoes. For details, contact Beth Umberger at megachile300@gmail.com or call 540-257-2489.

Members only!  Steele Creek Park, Civitan Shelter, Bristol

Fall is a great time to share both native plants and seeds from our gardens. Our annual event is one of the benefits of being an official Wild Ones member! This is an opportunity to thin out your flower beds of native plants and bring your labeled plants or seeds to swap and share.

Please start to gather your extra plants or seeds and identify them for the swap. If you don't have any extras, just come and take some home!

The Swap will be followed by a potluck supper and social hour. Please bring your own beverage and a dish to share. This will be a great opportunity to learn about natives, get plants, and meet members.

You will be charged $2 at the gate for parking.

Subject matter is chosen to supplement the delivery of Virginia SOLs while focusing on the Clinch River ecosystem. Most regional school systems approve the event as recertification credits for attending educators. We also have some great prizes to give away at the end of the day, including two new laptops equipped with Microsoft Office software.

Welcome and Keynote Address (8:30am): Terri Brown, Assistant Professor of Geology at UVA-Wise, will open the day with a keynote address on work to engage regional high school students with field-based instruction in Southwest Virginia.

To register, please email the following information to creec.committee@gmail.com:

Your Name, Contact Phone Number, Email Address, School System and Department

Please indicate any dietary restrictions or food allergies. We will do our best to accommodate them if possible.

Symposium is open to formal and informal educators—you do not need to be a K-12 educator to attend.

Please register by October 15, 2024

Please email questions or comments to the Clinch River Environmental, Education Committee at creec.committee@gmail.com.

Location: Oxbow Center, 16200 E. Riverside Drive, St. Paul, VA

Benjamin Vogt is the author of “Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design” and “A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future.” His design work has been featured in The American Gardener, Dwell, Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Midwest Living, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He operates Prairie Up, a firm dedicated to offering garden design, online classes, workshops, webinars, and guidebooks, and speaks nationally on natural garden design and landscape ethics.

Learn all about captivating caterpillars with Dr. Rebecca Forkner, Associate Professor, George Mason University. Caterpillars are: diverse, often colorful, excellent camouflagers; the larvae of moths and butterflies, the second stage of four in the insect’s life-cycle; nutritious food for birds, ants, spiders, wasps, toads, and other wildlife. Chickadees can feed their young from 390 to 570 caterpillars a day.

Caterpillars are often hidden from view, but these Lepidopteran larvae are diverse, often colorful and important to our ecology. Dr. Forkner is an entomologist, community ecologist and plant biochemist. She researches the ecological and evolutionary factors responsible for the colors we observe in plants and in insects and plant-insect interactions.

During our online workshop, we will teach you how to best manage invasive plants during the autumn and winter seasons. This workshop will take place via Zoom and will include a Q&A period with PRISM experts.

Topics covered in this session include:

• Best seasonal practices for specific invasive plants

• Using manual & mechanical control methods

• Methods for controlling invasive plants with careful use of herbicides

• Methods for controlling invasive plants without herbicides

• Planning a work schedule with best timings for multiple plants

Cost: $10

This virtual session will be recorded. Those who register will receive access to the recording.

Invasive plant removal and improvement of native plants at Historic Smithfield Plantation, 1000 Smithfield Plantation Rd., Blacksburg. Parking is free without the need for a VT parking permit. The group is generally between the main house and the pavilion. If you cannot find them, text or call (727) 488-7378. If weather conditions present precipitation, high winds, or temperature lower than 40 degrees (F) or higher than 90 degrees (F), the event will be canceled. Recommend gloves and closed toed shoes. Bring a shovel, if you want to help dig shrubs, or loppers if you want to cut English ivy. Contact person is David McEwen, (727)488-7378 or dmcewen@davidmcewen.com.

Stroubles Creek flows through parts of Montgomery County, the town of Blacksburg, and Virginia Tech's campus. At roughly 12 miles long, this stream passes through notable landmarks such as Main Street, the Drillfield, and the Duck Pond. Interestingly, the portion along the Drillfield has been piped underground, and many people are unaware that there is flowing water beneath their feet! Stroubles Creek plays a crucial role at Virginia Tech by providing essential freshwater and supporting biodiversity within the ecosystem. Learn more about how VT’s Site and Infrastructure and the Office of Sustainability are collaborating to promote awareness about Stroubles Creek, its health, and the impacts it has on our community. Part of the presentation will include information on a brand new streamkeepers program created to monitor an inlet of the creek that flows from West Campus Drive to the Duck Pond. Our speakers include VT MS4 Coordinator Katelyn Muldoon and VT Office of Sustainability interns: Rose Harvey, Leilani Hyatt, Peyton Penland, and Hannah Worthy.

Held in the Blacksburg Community Room at the Blacksburg Library, 200 Miller St SW, Blacksburg. To join virtually please register

Adopt-a-Garden or just come for the day and help. The garden consists of plants all native to our area, to both support pollinators and educate the public about native plants. Work with the group or come on your own. Workdays vary based on season and weather. Contact person is Barb Walker at brwalker@earthlink.net.

Meet on the paved walk between the Old Growth Forest and the end of Green Street. There may be a parking space on Green Street. If not, you can park (on Sunday!) across the street from the VTPD and walk up the paved path. If you cannot find us, text or call 540-257-2489. If there is precipitation, high winds, or the temperature is higher than 90 degrees or lower than 38 degrees, we will cancel the event. Please bring work gloves and wear closed toe shoes. For details, contact Beth Umberger at megachile300@gmail.com or call 540-257-2489.