Tag: nature
Mosquito traps are part of county’s West Nile Virus surveillance program
If you see a device like the one pictured above in the woods, don’t disturb it. It’s a mosquito trap used by the Fairfax County Health Department to collect samples as part of its surveillance of West Nile Virus in the community. Traps have been set up in 68 locations, more or less evenly spaced … Continued
Massive cicada emergence not happening in Annandale
If you’re excitedly anticipating a plague of cicadas, don’t get your hopes up. The Annandale area won’t see a massive load of the bugs. The bulk of Brood II will emerge south of here, says Michael Gates, a USDA research entomologist based at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. He’s seen only about 15 … Continued
Bring kids to Hidden Oaks Nature Center for lots of drop-in activities
Nature Playce, an all-natural play area. Annandale’s Hidden Oaks Nature Center offers lots of nature programs for kids (such as science lessons, animal encounters, campfires, tea parties, and nature-related crafts) that require advanced registration and fees. But there are also a variety of drop-in activities at Hidden Oaks: Nature Playce – An unstructured woodland play … Continued
Dominion brings energy to Wakefield Run cleanup in Annandale
By Elizabeth Kirchner In a mid-April downpour, members of Friends of Accotink Creek and 30 Dominion Power employees filled the parking lot of the Audrey Moore RECenter with trucks, rubber boots, and green reflective vests for a cleanup of Wakefield Run. As the rain moved east, Philip Latasa, co-founder of the Friends group, reminded the … Continued
Farewell to ‘Darling,’ the nature center snake
Darling swallows a mouse. An eastern rat snake that had lived at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale for 20 years has passed away. Naturalists don’t name exhibit animals—because they aren’t pets and shouldn’t be humanized—but staff members referred to the snake as Darling. He arrived in 1993, when a homeowner found some snake eggs … Continued
Great gardens: No more lawn at this Annandale home
The Essers’ front yard. This is the first article in what we hope will be a series on extraordinary gardens in the Annandale area. Please email suggestions for other gardens to highlight. The entire lot surrounding Cam Esser’s house in the Truro community of Annandale is grass-free. Instead of a lawn, there are all sorts … Continued
Scene around A-Town: lots of butterflies
Tiger swallowtail Have you seen all the butterflies around here? “This has been a banner year for the tiger swallowtail, the state insect,” says naturalist Suzanne Holland of Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale. “It is not unusual to have many nectaring this time of year. They are a welcomed addition to backyards everywhere.” The … Continued
FROGS supports Green Spring Gardens
Plant sales support FROGS projects. Green Spring Gardens is one of the nicest parks in the Annandale area—if not the entire region—and for that, we can thank the tireless and generous volunteers in Friends of Green Springs Gardens (FROGS). FROGS raises funds through year-round plant sales, spring and fall garden festivals, dues from its 1,400 … Continued
Parks bond provides funds for White Gardens, fields, and trails
The White Gardens: a hidden gem in Falls Church The $75 million park bond, on the Nov. 6 ballot, would fund several projects in the Annandale area, including improvements to the John C. and Margaret K. White Gardens and synthetic turf fields at Pine Ridge Park. The bond includes $63 million for the Fairfax County … Continued
Garden Club has been making Annandale nicer for 44 years
An edible wedding bouquet. Forty-four years ago a group of residents of the Camelot neighborhood in Annandale started a gardening club. Those members, and their green thumbs, have moved on, but the club, which is part of the National Capital Area Garden Clubs, is still going strong. In addition to helping one another with gardening … Continued
Name selected for Annandale tributary of Accotink Creek
The stream runs under the beltway. Local residents were invited to suggest a name for an unnamed tributary of Accotink Creek running through Annandale, and the name selected is “Wakefield Run.” Members of the advocacy group, Friends of Accotink Creek, chose that name July 16 from 27 names submitted to the Northern Virginia Soil and … Continued
White Horticultural Park was saved from development
There’s a “secret garden” in the Mason District, a 13.5-acre parcel of woods and meadow that will never be developed. For that, we can thank Margaret White for her generosity in selling her homestead to the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) in 1999 for much less than she could have gotten from a developer … Continued
Scene around A-town: Bluebells
Bluebells along the Cross County Trail near Wakefield Park
Think spring: Flower and plant sale benefits Annandale PTSA
The annual Annandale High School PTSA Flower Madness Plant Sale is now underway. Orders must be placed by April 16. Visit the Flower Madness section on the Annandale PTSA website to submit orders. Plants can be picked up at the school on May 4. The PTSA Plant Sale Committee works with a reputable wholesale nursery to … Continued
Efforts underway to coordinate trash cleanups along FXCO streambeds
Trash along the Accotink watershed [photo from Let’s Do It! Virginia] By Liz Kirchner Federal clean water regulations now require counties to show that their water protection strategies are working to reduce trash like plastic bags, bottles, cigarette butts, and food containers in streams and rivers. To do that, Fairfax County is harnessing community concerns … Continued