Tag: nature
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
Park users unaware FXCO is using bowhunters to reduce deer population
Deer on the Cross County Trail in Annandale, Oct. 4 It’s deer hunting season in Fairfax County parks, but most park users don’t seem to know much about it. All but one person the Annandale blogger encountered while on a walk along the Accotink Stream Valley were unaware that the county has authorized a group … Continued
Friends of Accotink Creek seeks new leadership
Sediment from the beltway HOT lanes project is clogging the Accotink watershed The Friends of Accotink Creek (FACC) has been keeping watch on Annandale’s major watershed since 2004, organizing clean-up and monitoring actitivies. The group also educates the public on watershed protection and takes part in environmental advocacy. But now that the founders of the group, … Continued
Earthquake caused minimal structural damage in FXCO
Tuesday’s earthquake caused structural damage to an apartment building in Dunn Loring, forcing the evacuation of seven people from four units. All were provided emergency housing in the same complex, reports Renee Stillwell of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Other than that, “there were no major issues,” Stillwell says. During the four-hour period … Continued
Yep, that was an earthquake
A 5.8 magnitude earthquake alarmed people around the D.C. area this afternoon but the Fairfax County government reports there was no damage. Buildings throughout the area were evacuated. The epicenter was at Mineral, Virginia, north of Richmond, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. Did you feel the earthquake? We were sitting out in the backyard and heard a loud rumbling … Continued
Venomous wildlife can be annoying but won’t kill you
Copperhead We’ve got some dangerous wildlife around Annandale, but not as much as you might think, says Suzanne Holland, director of the Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Holland always has local children enthralled when she teaches them about the natural world, and her presentation on venomous snakes and poisonous plants Saturday afternoon was no exception. The … Continued
Snapping turtle babies released to the wild
Janis Jeffers, naturalist and volunteer coordinator at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale, sent us some photos of the baby snapping turtles released at Lake Accotink: