As autumn descends on the Shenandoah Valley and trees don their bright attire before resting for winter, one understory tree can’t decide on what shade it wants to wear so

The famous forager and naturalist Euell Gibbons says ‘the common Elderberry, known to botanists as Sambucus canadensis (sic), is one of the most abundant, most useful, most healthful, yet most

Magnolia virginiana (Sweetbay) Life can be stressful sometimes – thank goodness for magnolias! When things get overwhelming, get yourself to your closest blooming magnolia and deeply inhale the soothing, rich

In the beauty contest of native plants, viburnums are the quiet, come-from-behind winners. It is true that their common names might cause side glances and a few snickers between the

One of the least expensive and most effective ways to improve water quality also happens to be the simplest – plant trees and shrubs on stream banks and in flood

As a heavy blanket of snow recently fell over the Shenandoah Valley, the avian community was busy searching for seeds or dried berries still visible and accessible above the record-breaking storm

                         These butternut wooly worm larvae were seen along the Town of Washington, VA nature path in July 2015 Ranking near the top of the naturalist’s what-the-heck-is-that list is a

Black Oak – Quercus velutina In its heyday, the Virginia Oak Tannery in Luray, Virginia processed 1800 steer hides daily. Within the facility, up to 100,000 cattle hides were in

This last week in February*, the Shenandoah Valley has experienced record-breaking low temperatures, accompanied by blasts of frigid arctic wind whipping across fields and open land. In such conditions, evergreen