While walking outside this afternoon, I noticed the tree branches along my fence row were uncharacteristically low. A quick walk over revealed that our persimmon trees are producing fruit, and a lot of it!
Restoring Wildlife Habitat
Whether you live in urban, suburban or rural areas, you can make a positive impact on surrounding fish and wildlife populations. Our web resources are intended to give you the tools to manage your Piedmont lands and waters for greater biodiversity, productivity, and environmental quality.
Webinar: Sustainable Landscaping Workshop
On October 8, 2021, we held a webinar about the importance of using native plants in our landscapes.
Support Grassland Birds on World Migratory Bird Day
On Saturday, October 9, bird enthusiasts around the globe will be celebrating World Migratory Bird Day, an opportunity to raise awareness around the incredible wonders of bird migration. While some of our grassland birds are year-round residents, such as the Bobwhite quail, most of Virginia’s grassland birds are migratory. With this in mind, we want to highlight several things that you can do around your landscape that will have a positive impact on our region’s grassland birds, both migratory and resident, as well as improve biodiversity.
Avoiding Invasive Species: Call Upon Your HOA
Homeowners need to get involved with their HOAs to ensure they avoid the use of invasive plants. There are several ways individuals can take action to do so, such as attending meetings, contacting the board members, serving on a committee, and creating volunteer events.
Stopping Invasive Species at the Source: What to Avoid at Garden Centers
One of the best things you can do to control invasive species in your area is avoid purchasing them in the first place. There are currently no restrictions on the sale of invasive species in Virginia and DC, so the responsibility falls on the consumer to avoid purchasing these invasive plants.
A Sanctuary, A Pollinator Garden
“This native plant garden provides important food and shelter for pollinators, birds and other wildlife,” reads a sign introducing a small but impactful plot of brightly colored flowers.
The Aviary
My home office is in a barn, which means I get to interact daily with the resident barn swallows, Hirundo rustica. Their Latin name means “from the country,” an emblematic moniker that I wish I could stick on the end of my name or title somehow… Swooping, diving, and catching their food in mid-air, they are a wonderful distraction for me to engage in.
Video: Orvis Giveback Days for Bolton Branch
In May, The Piedmont Environmental Council teamed up with Orvis to raise money to restore two miles of brook trout stream habitat on Bolton Branch in Rappahannock County.
What is the Piedmont Grassland Bird Initiative?
Native grasslands have suffered the most intense impact by humans of any of North America’s terrestrial ecosystems, resulting in grassland-associated birds experiencing a steeper, more consistent decline than any other guild of birds. Decades of increasingly intensive agriculture have reshaped the habitats that these grassland birds rely upon.
Beavers Are a Stream’s Best Friend
Did you know that beavers only eat the bark off branches? Well, sometimes they eat the buds and roots of their favorite trees, like willow, maple, poplar, beech, birch, alder and aspen trees.