Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

There’s been a lot of information in the papers on the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act  - some of it accurate, some of it not.

The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act is something we need here in Loudoun and we need it now. Over the coming weeks we’ll be posting more information that you can use.

A great resource available right now is the website for Loudoun’s Clean Streams Coalition, of which Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is a part.  On this website you’ll find information on what the Act means for Loudoun, a history of the Act in Virginia and how it’s been applied in other counties like Fairfax, links to additional resources on streams and buffers, and more.

Additionally, members of our Board of Supervisors and County staff are out and about doing community sessions to hear citizen concerns, debunk myths, and answer citizen questions. 

I encourage you to learn more about this Act. Our streams across Loudoun need help. We’ve been monitoring our local streams for 14 years along with other organizations in Loudoun and we have the data to show that they are in trouble. We also know that preserving and restoring the buffers along streams helps improve water quality and the overall health of our environment.

Our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have returned and while it’s great fun to watch them come to the hummingbird feeder, it’s even cooler to watch them nectar from flowers!  It’s really easy to create a hummingbird garden that will have them (and other interesting visitors like sphynx moths) zipping through your yard.

The first thing to do is select the site – you’ll want to pick a sunny site that is a little sheltered from the wind. It’s also nice to have a tree nearby that your hummingbirds can use as a perch as they take breaks between patrols of your garden.

Next, select the plants – Wonderful native plants that the hummingbirds will love include Bee Balm, Cardinal Flower, Bergamot, Penstemon, Trumpet Vine, Columbine, and Jewelweed (aka Touch-me-not).

The bright red of the Bee Balm and Cardinal Flower will be immediate magnets drawing the hummers in.  In the fall, Jewelweed is a really important nectar source for hummers as they head south.

I sometimes buy annuals that are not native but still pretty and I put them in containers on our deck. Some of the plants that I select for that area are Salvia, Verbena, and Lantana – all in bright reds!

If you have a water source nearby, you can try setting up a mister that the hummingbirds can use to drink from and bath in. I haven’t tried this myself but once I do I’ll send out a blog post on how well it worked.

Some great books on gardening for wildlife that include hummingbird gardens include:

The Wildlife Gardener’s Guide to Hummingbirds, by Susan Day, et al

Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirdsto Your Backyard, by Sally Roth

Ann Garvey has organized an excellent Native Plant sale to take place on Saturday, May 22, 9am to 4pm at Rust Nature Sanctuary in Leesburg. You can download the flier here.

Two local nurseries will be bringing their plants and if you want, you can contact them now to place an order so you’re sure to get the plants you want…..like maybe some milkweed !

Hill House Farm and Native Nursery: http://www.hillhousenativeplants.com, or email to hillhousefarmandnativenursery@yahoo.com

Nature-By-Design: http://www.nature-by-design.com, or email to randee@nature-by-design.com 

 For those planting Monarch Butterfly Waystations this year, here’s a list of the plants we recommend: Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) , Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) , Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculate), Sweet Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum), Purple Coneflower (Enchinacea purpurea), Blackeyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Goldenrod (Solidago), New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)

For other plant ideas, take a look at our Gardening for Wildlife Plant list – it has not only the names of great native plants and their attributes but also the wildlife that you’ll attract by including them in your garden. You can download the full Gardening for Wildlife Plant list or use our Gardening for Wildlife search tool to generate targeted lists of plants.

The Habitat Restoration Project at the Rust Nature Sanctuary, which took place April 9 and 10, was a great success. This event was a follow-up to past restoration efforts at Rust that took place last year and the team made some great progress! 

Ann Garvey organized and led the effort as Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy habitat restoration volunteers, as well as several Virginia Master Naturalists (VMN), worked together to remove invasive plants on the property, and replace them with native plants. 

Mary Lopresti was one of the volunteers pulling and planting that day and she sent over this great report:

Friday’s Team worked extensively down by the pond, using shovels and other tools to dig the cattail roots and stalks out of the ground.  These rather muddy volunteers did a wonderful job clearing out a large section of cattails from the pond, which was no easy task. 

When a cattail grows, its roots branch out on either side of the plant, forming a web or mat of crisscrossed roots.  Overtime, this mat can become heavily weighted with silt and other pond particulates, creating more space for new cattails to grow or take root in.  Because of their ability to spread so quickly and build up and out in surface area, cattails can be considered a threat to small ponds. 

After removing the cattails, volunteers planted several native but non-aggressive wetland plants, in the freshly cleared space, including: Rushes, Sedges, native Virginia Southern Blue Flag Iris and Buttonbush.  Rushes and Sedges are water-loving plants that have deep-penetrating roots, which help prevent erosion by providing structural support to stream banks, or in this case ponds.  The Blue Flag Iris provides beautiful blue flowers for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, and ground cover for amphibians and nesting waterfowl.  The extensive root system of the Buttonbush also helps prevent erosion and preserves water quality by pulling nutrients out of the water.  It attracts butterflies and nectar-feeding insects to its blooms, in addition to providing nesting and shelter for many other birds and animals. 

Some members of Friday’s Team helped clear invasive species.  They also planted native plants such as Red Columbine and Chokeberries.  While Red Columbine provides nectar for pollinators such as hummingbirds and bees, chokeberries attract birds and provide excellent understory for other wildlife to seek shelter in.  

While two members continued clearing cattails, the remaining members of the Saturday Team (myself included) focused primarily on clearing the wooded area behind the pollinator garden.  We cleared out several types of invasive species, including the highly aggressive Wisteria and Garlic Mustard plants, as well as Japanese Honeysuckle and Wineberry. 

Wisteria is a not native to the United States; it originates from China and Japan.  While this vine may have lovely purple flowers, it can quickly grow out of control.  Gardeners who mistakenly plant wisteria to cover their arbors or trellises will find that the plant grows immensely thick and heavy enough to crush wooden posts and strangle large trees.  Wisteria allowed to grow on houses can cause damage to gutters, downspouts, and other structures. 

Garlic Mustard aggressively monopolizes light, moisture, nutrients, soil, and space, which out-competes and threatens native plants and animals by depriving them of their essential food sources.   

Japanese Honeysuckle, a non-native species, has few natural enemies, which allows it to spread widely and out-compete native plant species.  This perennial vine can kill shrubs and young trees by twisting and squeezing around them tightly.  A dense growth of Japanese Honeysuckle can kill plants by blocking sunlight from reaching their leaves.      

Wineberry, my least favorite plant of the day, has long stems that are covered by red hairs and small (very painful) spines.  This prickly stemmed plant grows upright, arching outward up to 9 feet long.  It produces a large number of fruits that are eaten and dispersed by birds.  Seeds passed by birds sprout and form dense, tightly packed thickets, which crowd out native vegetation.

Some of the most immediate and rewarding benefits of clearing out the wisteria at Rust Sanctuary included the discovery of numerous Jack in the Pulpit plants.  Plus, the group also enjoyed Ann’s homemade cookies during a mid-morning water break (thanks Ann)!  Possible future sanctuary projects could include the removal of a Paulownia tree, another aggressive grower, and the addition of flowering redbud trees, which produce seeds eaten by birds and deer. 

Want to help with some other upcoming Habitat Restoration Projects? We have a couple tree and wildflower plantings planned and could really use your help:

April 22, in Waterford at the Phillips Farm in Leesburg
April 24, in Leesburg at Town Branch

More information is on our April Nature Programs page or contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org

Forest/Field Restoration and Invasive Alien Plant Removal at Banshee Reeks in Leesburg

The Weed Battalion (Weed Bees) is a group of Master Naturalists that has been working with Ron Circe, the Preserve Manager, to remove invasive plants in Banshee Reeks’ Old Field Loop and other fields in order to allow native plants to flourish and grow.

Ron has identified nine invasive plants at Banshee Reeks and each is removed during different seasons with different methods to ensure they do not survive and that any wildlife that may be nesting in them is not harmed.

Their current work schedule is the first and third Saturday from 9:00 am until about noon and the second and the fourth Friday from 9 am until about noon.

If you are interested in helping contact Dave Hellums at groundhog0369@msn.com. He will add you to the group distribution list in case of bad weather. All equipment is provided by Banshee Reeks but you will need to bring work your own work gloves and beverages.

Keep an eye out for those acrobatic wonders!  They’re on their way up from their wintering grounds in Peru and other points in South America.

Arrival of the Chimney Swifts in our area is a wonderful sign of spring, and hearing their chittering as they fly through the sky, so full of energy, is so invigorating! Let us know when you first hear or see them in your neighborhoods!

They’re a fascinating bird. You can listen to our Chimney Swift podcast from last year to learn more.

If you have a scout group looking for a project, building a Chimney Swift Tower could be an excellent activity to not only set up a structure that will benefit the birds for years to cone but also teach the kids about these birds, their habitats needs and adaptations and their migration.

There are two excellent books on Chimney Swifts. One is all about their life on the wing and other behaviors while the other is full of plans and information for how to build a tower.

The Chimney Swift Research Project, which we collaborate with each fall for the Swift Night Out, is a great resource for all sorts of information on these interesting birds. You can also learn more about them on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Chimney Swift Id page.

Susan Buckley, Loudoun County Supervisor for the Sugarland Run District, sent information about this cleanup event that’s been planned for next weekend (April 10) and we wanted to help get the word out. 

Algonkian Park is a terrific home to all sorts of wildlife – from salamanders, skinks and frogs to butterflies, birds and mammals of all sorts. I love going there for nature walks and being delighted by the wilds of nature — but have to say, I often find myself carrying a trash bag to pick up litter along the trails. Not sure why people litter but this is a great event to help clean it up (and teach our kids to respect nature and not litter).

Here’s the information from Susan:

The Rotary Club of Sterling, Algonkian Regional Park, the  Potomac Heritage Trail Association and my Office are sponsoring a Cleanup Day at Algonkian Regional Park, where we plan to clean up the shoreline of the Potomac River in addition to the shores of the Sugarland Run stream, a mile of which flows through the park.

I would like to invite you to join us. We will be working all morning, so feel free to come and go as suits your schedule. You are welcome to distribute the attached flyer to your friends.

As you know, sooner or later, the trash and debris flow downstream via the Sugarland Run through Algonkian Regional Park, into the Potomac and into the Chesapeake Bay. This is our chance to do a little something to help the environment in our own backyard.

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is leading three great habitat restoration projects this spring at different locations in the county.  If you’d like to pitch in, just contact the leads listed below.

Audubon Naturalist Society’s Rust Nature Sanctuary
The Rust Nature Sanctuary, on the western edge of Leesburg, has a mix of different habitats on 68 acres that is home to numerous wildlife species.  On Friday and Saturday, April 9 and 10, from 9 am to noon, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy habitat restoration volunteers will help the sanctuary remove some of the invasive and aggressive plants at boththe pond and around the pollinator garden and replace them with native plants.  If you are interested in helping please contact Ann Garvey at ahgarvey@aol.com or 540-882-4405.

Waterford’s Phillips Farm
In the past two years, hundreds of volunteers from Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Waterford Foundation have planted a thousand trees and shrubs along the South Fork Catoctin Creek on the Phillips Farm and removed a tremendous quantity of non-native, invasive plants.  To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, on April 22, from 3 to 6 pm, we will plant more trees and shrubs on the Phillips Farm and continue removing and controlling the invasive alien plants along the Catoctin.  If you’re interested in helping with this project please contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org or 540-554-2542.

Leesburg’s Town Branch Riparian Buffer
Last June, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy helped the Leesburg Environmental Advisory Committee/Watershed Committee and the Piedmont Environmental Council plant 350 trees, shrubs, and native perennial plants along Town Branch.  We did this to create a riparian buffer, the single most effective way to protect water quality along the stream.  On Saturday, April 24, from 9 am to noon, the plants that did not survive last year will be replaced and some additional areas will be planted.  If you are interested in helping please contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org or 540-554-2542.

Questions about any of the above? Contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org or 540-554-2542

You can also find out more about our Habitat Restoration projects as well as download gardening and other nature information for restoring wildlife habitat at home on our website

Let’s do our part here in Loudoun to Bring Back the Monarchs!

I’ll be doing my monthly blog post on the state of the Monarch Butterfly population shortly but this is pretty urgent so I wanted to share the report below with you from Monarch Watch and ask that you jump on in and plant some milkweed as well as nectar plants in your garden this spring! You can also certify your garden as a Monarch Waystation though Monarch Watch and be recognized as being a part of this important effort! 

You can purchase milkweed seeds through online companies like Prairie Nursery (that’s where we buy our seeds for the waystation kits we put together) and you can also ask local nurseries to order and stock milkweed plants. Prairie Moon, another company that sells plants/seeds, is also having a sale right now on some of their Butterfly Weed milkweed plants.

Milkweed plants that are great for our local area include: Swamp Milkweed, Common Milkweed, Butterflyweed

Nectar plants that you should also plant as part of your waystation include: Ironweed, Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Purple Coneflower, Blackeyed Susan, Goldenrod, New England Aster

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will have Monarch Waystation seed kits at our fair booth at the Leesburg Garden Festival, Earthday@Loudoun, Arbor Day and other events in April. Check our programs calendar for details. I’m also doing a program on Monarch butterflies in June in the Ashburn area and it’s free and open to the public – Waystation kits will also be available at the program.

The number of Monarchs this year was already low before the devastating weather events set in. With only half of the remaining population still alive, our monarch waystations are more critical than ever in helping bring back the monarch!

The rest of this blog post provides the report from Monarch Watch:

Storms in Mexico
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There has been a disaster of extraordinary proportions in the heart of the monarch overwintering area. Unprecedented rainfall from 31 January – 4 February led to flooding and landslides that resulted in the loss of many lives and the near destruction of the towns of Angangueo and Ocampo, the two municipalities that serve as hubs for those visiting the monarch colonies at Sierra Chincua and El Rosario.

The community of El Rosario was also hit hard with a major landslide that buried more than a dozen residents and destroyed bridges and homes. The consequences of this disaster will be felt for years by some and for a lifetime by others. Angangueo will never be the same – the one we remember before the flooding is gone.

The monarch colonies were also strongly impacted by the rainfall but the monarch population will recover – how long this recovery will take is a question that can’t be answered at this time.

We have posted a series of articles about the storms in Mexico, the status of the monarch population, etc. via our blog:

http://monarchwatch.org/blog/category/mexico/

A few quick facts:
1) An unprecedented amount of rainfall in eastern Michoacan in the first four days of February led to landslides and massive flooding in Angangueo and the surrounding area. About 50 people lost their lives in landslides and Angangueo was severely damaged. The story of the storm and the aftermath are extensively chronicled on our Blog.

2) A series of storms in January and February have taken a toll on the monarch population. The final estimate on the mortality suffered by the monarchs is not yet in but it is clear that over 50% of the overwintering population died as a result the harsh winter conditions.

3) Because of the severe mortality at the overwintering colonies, the number of monarchs returning to the breeding areas this spring will be fewer than at anytime since the colonies became known to science in 1975. These numbers are so low that they are certain to impact the number of monarchs that return to Mexico next fall.

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Bring Back the Monarch Campaign
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In response to mortality suffered by the monarchs in Mexico we will be launching a “Bring Back the Monarch”campaign by encouraging a nationwide expansion of the Monarch Waystation Program and the planting of milkweed on private and public lands. This effort will be supported in part by the Monarch Joint Venture, a new nationwide program whose mission is to foster monarch conservation. We will post more information about these efforts in the coming months, in the meantime you can learn more about our Monarch Waystation conservation initiative at

http://monarchwatch.org/waystations

This is an excerpt from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Book series, “Bird Gardens.”  I came across it through the National Wildlife Federation’s Habitat Steward Program and it’s such a nice succinct checklist that I wanted to share it with you. I’ll also add my own commentary in brackets next to each tip, I just can’t resist.

As we head into spring, this is a great time to run through this checklist – both to refresh existing backyard habitat elements that you already have and to consider new ones for the coming year:

• Re-create the multiple layers of plant growth found in natural areas. [Take a look around your neighborhood where development has not yet occurred and see what the original habitat looked like and included. This will give ideas for creating what our native species need to thrive]

• Select plants to provide nutritional foods during different seasons. [Thinking through each season is important – whether it’s flowers from March through October or fruits from summer through winter, take a look at what your plantings offer different species through the year]

• Plant shrubs and small trees in same-species clumps for adequate pollination of fruits. [This is especially important for holly plants and others that require a male and female plant]

• Provide at least one clump of evergreens. [With the winter snows we got this year, you can see how important evergreens can be. They provide a nice shelter for wildlife during harsh weather. Additionally, they provide nice nesting sites for birds that can be well hidden]

• Leave dead trees, standing or fallen, to provide nesting and foraging sites. Consider topping dead trees rather than removing the whole tree if safety is an issue. [Snags play such an important role in our ecosystem. The insects that work to decompose them provide great food for various birds and they provide the right sort of wood for woodpeckers to make cavities that are used both by them and secondary users for nest sites]

• Leave vines, or plant native additions. [Vines like the Virginia Creeper, Trumpet Vine and yes, even Poison Ivy, provide great food sources for birds through the fall migration]

• Limit the size of your lawn for less mowing, less fertilizing, less watering, and less pollution. [Lawns have an interesting history in our culture and I’ll do a whole blog post on that at some point but for now, just a note that lawns are actually a wasteland when it comes to wildlife benefit and in fact because of all the things we do to make them look as they “should,” we pollute our environment and waste water]

• Avoid invasive exotic (non-native) plants. [Plants and animals evolve together and the introduction of non-natives impacts that web of life]

• Supply a source of water – dripping or running water is a better attractant than still water. [Bird baths and backyard ponds are wonderful features – the sound of running water is irresistible to many animals because it sounds so fresh and good]

• Provide and monitor nest boxes of various types. [This is a great way to learn more about our resident birds as you get to watch them use the habitat around them in raising their brood]

• Leave some leaf litter on the ground. [Leaf litter is excellent – both for overwintering butterflies and other insects that need to get through the winter. In addition, as leaves decompose they provide rich nutrients that enrich the soil and make a healthier habitat in general. Birds will forage through leaf litter in search for food]

• Stop using pesticides in your yard. [Pesticides disrupt the balance in nature, harm other animals and get into our groundwater]

• Use only organic, slow release fertilizers, preferably your own compost, if needed. [Similar to pesticides, fertilizers do far more harm than good – leaf litter and other natural compost is the best remedy if you need to fertilize]

Restoring habitat in our backyard is a great way to draw in wildlife and get to learn more about them. I saved a pdf version of this checklist here so you can download it and use it: Checklist for Creating a Bird Friendly Yard.

You can also find more resources for backyard gardening and creating backyard wildlife habitat on our Habitat Restoration page of the website.