Merrimac Farm Chapter - President's Message

Nell Benton & Meg Doppee

Everyone loves spring ephemerals for their fleeting beauty. We learned at the March chapter meeting that their looks are only a small part of their immense charm. Ryan McIntyre told us all about their fascinating life stories. Dutchman’s breeches are pollinated exclusively by queen bees. Spring beauty tubers are edible and are called “fairy spuds.”

Congratulations are in order for the people who earned recertification. The pins this year have a picture of our beloved Virginia Creeper. We also recognized volunteers for their many hours of service removing invasives, cleaning the environment, staffing booths, and conducting citizen science research. Several volunteers also earned badges for completing 250 and 500 hours of service.

One of our new members did a presentation on using iNaturalist. He spoke about the importance of taking good pictures for good identifications. Among many other tips, I learned to photograph mushroom gills as well as the tops. He has made a group for Master Naturalists and is hoping for 100% participation in the upcoming City Nature Challenge.

Open the Events page to see the list of upcoming events.