Newsletter article – Please see the short article that follows about the spring native plant sales, and send it out via any newsletter or social media you can think of.
Help!! We need a LOT of people to staff various tables and other events. Springtime is crazy for environmentalists! Please sign up here. No experience necessary. So far, we need volunteers for
Events for kids:
· 4/10 School Environmental Showcase at GMU
· 4/19 Hayfield ES Math and Science Night
· 4/21 Lord of Life Preschool Earth Day Carnival
Events for adults and families:
· 4/12 Fairlington Presbyterian environmental event. (Details and registration here.)
· 4/26 Northern Virginia Community College Green Festival (Annandale)
· 5/6 Huntley Meadows Wetlands Awareness Day
Faith communities take note. Audubon-at-Home in partnership with Plant NOVA Natives has received a grant to provide up to $1250 to each of six congregations to buy native plants for their places of worship in conjunction with an educational effort. Check out the details if you might be interested, and act fast! The deadlines are very tight.
Report on the second annual “Grand Partnership” meeting Representatives of 33 organizations gathered on February 27 to help plan the campaign. We heard a summary of 2017 activities and a presentation on faith community outreach, and another by two volunteers who devised and led a major project to restore the tree canopy in their homeowner’s association. (Read how they did it here.) Finally, we broke into small groups to strategize about outreach to homeowners associations. The Steering Committee plans to turn these ideas into projects at the April 24 meeting. All are welcome!
This month’s newsletter article – Please reprint or link to this article on social media and in any newsletter you can – work, faith community, HOA, club, PTA, etc.
Go Local – Enjoy the Spring Native Plant Sales!
Are you looking for plants that will beautify your yard while requiring a minimum of maintenance? The plants that evolved here are the ones for you! The more local the origin of a plant, the more likely it is to be adapted to our particular soils and climate. There could be a big difference in the cold and heat tolerance of an Eastern Red Columbine that evolved in Virginia compared to one that evolved in Saskatchewan, even if they do look alike!
We are fortunate in Northern Virginia to have many sources of native plants. In addition to the native-only nurseries – some of which propagate plants themselves from local seed sources – there are numerous vendors who set up shop at special plant sales in the spring and fall. At least sixteen such sales are planned for this spring, in locations all over Northern Virginia. Find a list and a calendar on the Plant NOVA Natives website. If you are looking for particular plants, you can contact vendors in advance and ask them to bring them for you. Traditional commercial nurseries are selling more and more native plants as well (but don’t expect to find natives at big box stores).
Our local wildlife also agree that native plants are the best. In fact, the ecosystem is entirely dependent on the plants that evolved with our bees, butterflies, birds, etc. Why not give them a home on your property?
See our 16 second video ad for native plant sales.
Plant NOVA Natives is a joint marketing campaign of over forty private, public, and non-profit organizations and hundreds of individuals. Our mission is to educate the community and to promote the benefits to water quality and natural habitat of planting beautiful Northern Virginia natives, through the efforts of committed volunteers using multimedia outreach and events, and by working with local growers and sellers of native plants. All are welcome to participate in this collective action movement.
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