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Shelly Barrick Parsons

June 3, 2021

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Introducing Baptisia australis - Blue False Indigo

Introducing Baptisia australis - Blue False Indigo, our June plant of the month! It’s hard to miss this time of year, as its vibrant blue shoots are prominent at the Low Line. The plant got its common name because of its use in making blue / purple dyes. ⠀
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Fast facts: ⠀
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✅Native (it’s well adapted to our area, and fits will into the existing ecosystem)⠀
✅Perennial (it comes back every year) ⠀
✅Source of nectar and pollen for: native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds⠀
✅Host plant for several butterflies in the larval stage including: Frosted elfin, Wild Indigo Duskywing, Clouded Sulphur, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Orange Sulphur, and Hoary Edge butterflies.⠀
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#pollinators #pollinatorgarden #urbangarden #nativeplants #capitaltrees #capitaltreesrva #greenspace #garden #raingarden #lowline #rva #richmond #richmondva #virginia #perennialgarden #savethebees⠀

You’re invited! We’d love to welcome you to th

You’re invited! We’d love to welcome you to the Low Line during our community workday on Saturday, June 19. The workday is a great volunteering opportunity to help you get some fresh air, improve our collective greenspace, and learn more about the value of urban gardens. Please let us know to expect you by registering from the link in our bio and feel free to share it with your friends! Thanks so much to our friends at @MainStreetRealty for sponsoring this workday, we appreciate your support!

#urbangarden #volunteer #community #communityworkday #workday #garden #gardening #volunteering #RVA #Richmond #RichmondVA #Virginia #RichmondVirginia #greenspace #urbangreenspace #raingarden #pollinatorgarden

Snow in June! 😱❄️ Just kidding! It’s way

Snow in June! 😱❄️

Just kidding! It’s way too hot out for that, but the cottonwood trees at Great Shiplock Park were dispersing their seeds and it made the green space feel a little like a snow globe 🙂

#richmond #richmondva #richmondvirginia #capitaltrees #trees #plantmoretrees #rva #greenspace #urbangreenspace #urbangarden #garden #ecosystem #nature

⠀ Did you know that Capital Trees originally sta

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Did you know that Capital Trees originally started as a collaboration between four local garden clubs? The women of Boxwood, James River, Three Chopt, and Tuckahoe Garden Clubs came together back in 2010 to improve local green spaces, and over the past decade, we’ve evolved into a full fledged non-profit organization that continues to make an impact. We couldn’t let National Garden Week come and go without giving a shoutout to the Garden Clubs who gave us our start! Pictured are just a few of the folks who put in the hard work in the early days, and many of our founders are still involved today!⠀
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#NationalGardenWeek #GardenWeek #GardenClubofVirginia #Richmond #RichmondVA #Nonprofit #EarlyDays #CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #LowLine #LowLineGreen #Greenspace #UrbanGreening #UrbanGarden #PublicGreenspace #RainGarden #Ecosystem #PollinatorGarden #Pollinators #SavetheBees #Nature

We're so excited to introduce our first full-time

We're so excited to introduce our first full-time Executive Director: Shelly Barrick Parsons. We’re thrilled to have her at the helm to lead our organization into our next phase.

Shelly Barrick Parsons is the Executive Director for Capital Trees. Shelly is a leader and collaborator that cares deeply about the relationship between people and the natural environment. She believes that green space provides a connection to our best selves, to one another, and to nature.

Shelly is a graduate of Meredith College (B.A.) and Union Presbyterian Seminary (MACE, MDiv, Phd). Shelly has led established ministries and non-profits. She served as founding Executive Director of Harless Center, a public-private partnership to build student housing. She brings wisdom on best practices for growing and sustaining an organization along with an understanding of success that includes both the return on investment and the transformation of individuals and communities.

She was drawn to Capital Trees because of her own love of getting outside to take a walk to reflect and to connect. During the pandemic, she experienced first hand how the need for inner reflection and interpersonal connection could be met by accessing public green spaces. For Shelly, green spaces build and sustain communities, teach us about our responsibility to be careful stewards of the natural world, and provide space for renewal and wellbeing.

#CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #RVA #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #NonProfit #UrbanGarden #UrbanGreening

@blueskyfund provides urban youth with transformat

@blueskyfund provides urban youth with transformational experiences by connecting them with outdoor education and our natural environment. They’re helping create a generation of children that are connected to nature, and we can’t thank them enough for their impact. Shoutout to them also for pitching in this weekend by volunteering at the Low Line - we appreciate your support of our work!

This week is National Garden Week and as bonafide

This week is National Garden Week and as bonafide garden enthusiasts, we encourage you to celebrate with us! Consider visiting one of the many gardens in our area. Some of our favorites:⠀
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👉Maymont. @maymont_rva⠀
👉Lewis Ginter. @lewisginter⠀
👉And of course - the Low Line Gardens and Low Line Green.⠀
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#NationalGardenWeek #GardenWeek #Garden #UrbanGarden #VisitAGarden #RainGarden #Greenspace #LowLine #LowLineGreen #CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #RichmondVA #Richmond #RVA #GardenClub #Sustainability #Ecosystem #PollinatorGarden #NativePlants⠀

Huge thank you to @blueskyfund for helping us add

Huge thank you to @blueskyfund for helping us add more plants to the Low Line Green this morning! You guys did an amazing job! 🌱🌱

Stuck in a rut? Taking a break in nature can help

Stuck in a rut? Taking a break in nature can help lower your stress, improve your mood and boost creativity. The spring blooms along the Low Line are calling - so come on down, it’s good for you.⠀
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Pictured here: Woodland Phlox - Phlox divaricata⠀
Photo Credit: Kelly M.⠀
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#moodboost #gooutside #spring #takeawalk #lowline #LowLineGarden #LowLineGreen #CapitalTrees #Richmond #RichmondVA #NativePlants #RainGarden #Garden #UrbanGarden #TakeABreak #StressRelief⠀

This Memorial Day, take some time to appreciate th

This Memorial Day, take some time to appreciate the sacrifices that have been made by our service members. If you have the day off, visit the Low Line Gardens or the Low Line Green. These greenspaces were created for all of us, and we hope they bring you solace.⠀
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Photo Credit: Kelly M. ⠀
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#MemorialDay #CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #Richmond #RichmondVA #LowLineGreen #LowLineGardens #Nature #Greenspace #RainGarden #PublicGarden #UrbanGarden #LinearGarden #RVA⠀

Time flies when you’re busy advocating for more

Time flies when you’re busy advocating for more green space. It’s been 5 years since former Governor Terry McAulliffe designated three of our projects — The Low Line, Great Shiplock Park, and the 14th Street Initiative — as Virginia Treasures. Pictured here, former First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe presenting the award to then board president and key founder of Capital Trees, Jeanette McKittrick. #TBT⠀
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#CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #Virginia #RichmondVA #RVA #VirginiaTreasures #LowLine #LowLineRVA #LowLineGardens #LowLineGreen #Garden #UrbanGarden #Greenspace #Nature #RainGarden #UrbanGreening⠀

Plant Feature: Betula nigra – River Birch⠀ Als

Plant Feature: Betula nigra – River Birch⠀
Also known as: Black Birch, Red Birch and Water Birch⠀
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This month, we’re highlighting the River Birch trees that we have planted at the Low Line Gardens. River Birch trees are native to the East Coast, making them more likely to succeed in our green spaces. Naturally, they’re found close to river beds and flood plains – but they can adapt to other environments as well. Young River Birch trees have eye-catching peeling bark, and they provide visible interest year-round (be sure to visit them in the fall when their foliage turns a beautiful bright gold.)⠀
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River Birch trees are valuable to a variety of wildlife. They support the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail during migration, serve as a host plant for mourning cloak and dreamy dusky wing butterflies, and support a variety of silk moths. Deers munch on new growth, and they provides seeds for a variety of birds. They really are a power house.⠀
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Come on down to the Low Line Gardens to see them for yourself – they’re easily identified by their unique bark. Bonus points if you pause and stay for a while to take in all that nature has to offer.⠀
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Photo Credit: Kelly M. ⠀
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#CapitalTrees #PlantATree #RVA #Richmond #RichmondVA #Garden #UrbanGarden #RainGarden #TreeCanopy⠀

For the past year, outdoor activities have reigned

For the past year, outdoor activities have reigned supreme, and we’re glad to see more people opting for a stroll in nature. If you have a group (think: colleagues, students, mentors, friends, association, clubs) that would like a guided tour of the Low Line - please reach out to us. Our tours talk about the history of Capital Trees, share information about the plants and trees at our projects, and take about an hour because we take tours down the length of the Low Line Gardens and to the Low Line Green (and back!)⠀
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#LowLine #LowLineGreen #LowLineGardens #CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #Richmond #RichmondVA #Virginia #TakeAWalk #GreenSpace #UrbanGarden #PollinatorGarden #RainGarden #NativePlants #PlantMoreTrees⠀

Thank you to everyone who came out last weekend to

Thank you to everyone who came out last weekend to be part of our pop-up planting event. We loved partnering with @riverrockrva to help #RockTheOutdoors and celebrate the James River. We were so excited to meet Richmonders of all ages, and that so many folks got to have a hand in caring for and maintaining the Low Line Green.

#riverrockrva #rva #richmondva #virginia #jamesriver #plants #nativeplants #raingarden #stormwater #stormwatermanagement #capitaltrees #pollinatorgarden #community