February — Tree Talk
Book Review of The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy, by Anna G. Aquino
Have you ever read a book and so relished every word that when you finished it, you immediately read it again? I hadn’t, until The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy. Wanting to indelibly cement the information into my brain, no problem to overwrite some of the frass that’s occupying space, I immersed myself in Dr.
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By: Shelly Barrick Parsons, Executive Director
Every weed pulled, dollar given, and tree planted makes a difference. YOU have made a difference with Capital Trees this year.
Capital Trees’ vision is to build a greener and more livable Richmond. We complete this vision in three program areas: Build, Manage, and Educate. Build: Capital Trees continues to build and transform public greenspaces, and we advise organizations on the development of greenspaces. Manage: We are committed to the continued management of completed projects,
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Author: Mary Petres
As another amazing year in the gardens draws to a close, I count my blessings to be a part of such a wonderful endeavor. Whether you seek out nature to exercise, meditate, marvel at her beauty, or simply relax, The Low Line offers a pleasant retreat from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Whether you use this space daily or only visit occasionally, a new experience awaits. It may be a new bird you have never seen,
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Author: Lisa Trapp
Properly caring for gardens requires a year round investment of time and resources. Even when planting with predominantly native species, there is not much time for rest. Winters are filled with combating invasive species and winter weeds. Summers are spent tackling annual weeds, and long periods of heat and drought — when extra attention to watering and plant health become the priority. When working with public gardens,
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Author: Katy Riley
Hello reader! My name is Katy, and I am currently a graduate student in Virginia Tech’s Executive Master of Natural Resources (XMNR) Program. The XMNR program focuses on leadership for sustainability, emphasizing the development of professionals who can effectively ‘lead from where they are’ to address the complex challenges of sustainable development and environmental security. Over the past several months, I have been interning with Capital Trees to gain a deeper understanding of urban greening efforts taking place in the City of Richmond.
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Author: Lisa Trapp
Research is starting to suggest that urban landscapes that prioritize native species and utilize diverse plant palettes, may be hotspots for supporting our native pollinators (1). These densely planted areas can provide opportunities for pollinators to find food, habitat, and overwintering resources all within a relatively compact space. By contrast, suburban and rural environments may not support pollinators as well as once believed. Even though these areas have more lawn and green space,
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Author: Lisa Trapp
There is an interesting time in the gardens when summer is ending but fall hasn’t quite arrived. It is brief, but very special. The late afternoons still provide intense sun and waves of heat, but the early mornings have a chill that whispers of the coming fall. Many flowers are giving way to seeds and husks, but the gardens are still very much alive. It is easy to miss the changes that are happening.
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Author: Mary Petres
Despite the unbearable heat these last few weeks, there are hints of fall in the air. What does this signify for the gardener and our gardens?
Over the next three months we will begin to put our gardens to bed. How we do this depends on our objective. Traditionally, many of us feel the need to have a “clean slate” moving into winter. We cut all the spent flower stalks to the ground and throw them in the trash or compost.
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Author: Shelly Barrick Parsons
While many of us are longing for cool fall breezes and the change of seasons, forecasters have been reporting record level heat in the Richmond region. Temperatures that exceed 90 degrees fall into the “extreme heat” category. When there’s inadequate shade available, temperatures of that level can be brutal and dangerous. This summer was the hottest on record across the world, and the number of annual extreme heat days in Richmond is expected to increase over the next decade.(1) Unfortunately,
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Author: Lisa Trapp
A few months ago we highlighted some interesting characteristics about a well known and highly effective pollinator, the bumble bee (Bombus spp.). Bumble bees are only one of many native bees we might spot in our, or a neighborhood, garden. Bees can be very hard to identify by sight alone, for a number of reasons — perhaps they are too small to see differentiations, or maybe they mimic other species,
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