BRFAL Joins Explore Park’s Insect Fest

 

BRFAL members had a wonderful time participating in Explore Park’s annual Insect Fest on August 29, 2026. More than 500 people from across Southwest Virginia attended the family-friendly event to learn about our region’s insects.

The festival centered around six moving insect sculptures restored by Explore Park, with activities connected to each one. BRFAL member Julia “Moth” Toth helped children create painted-rock beetles, while other members shared information about Save Our Streams, spotted lanternflies, and native plants and pollinators.

We especially loved the collaboration between Virginia Master Naturalist chapters, with BRFAL members working alongside members of the Roanoke Valley chapter, Bedford Master Gardeners, Save Our Streams, the Izaak Walton League of America, and others.

A big thank-you to Explore Park Naturalist and founding BRFAL member Victoria Keenum for inviting us!

-submitted by Claire S.

A Very Happy BIRD-Day, Indeed

VMN volunteer Sue Beeler brought together her Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter, Friends of Smith Mountain Lake State Park, park staff, and an outstanding group of conservation partners to create a fun, educational event for the community called “Happy Bird-Day”. Volunteers led the event on July 11, 2026 in recognition of the state park’s anniversary. Visitors enjoyed hands-on activities and exhibits, learning about birds, wildlife, habitat stewardship, citizen science, and Virginia’s many conservation organizations.

The Expo welcomed more than 300 attendees, including many children and families. Despite the  summer heat, the event was enthusiastically supported by volunteers and exhibitors. Sue’s advance preparation and positivity made a complex event look effortless.

The Nature Expo reflected the Virginia Master Naturalist mission by promoting education and stewardship. It highlighted opportunities for citizen science and strengthened collaboration among conservation organizations. Just as importantly, Sue built relationships that will continue well beyond this single event. And, she laid the groundwork for an even stronger Nature Expo in the years ahead. 

Sue’s vision and ability to bring volunteers together make the event outstanding. Congratulations, Sue, and to all of the BRFAL volunteers involved in the Happy Bird-day event!

-Jill Straight

Rare Flameflower Adventure

Six intrepid BRFAL-VMN members braved a hot and humid summer day in June at Bald Knob Natural Area Preserve to view the rare Piedmont fameflower in bloom.  Guided by Jordan Daniels and Grace Cecil, Mountain Region Assistant Stewards for Virginia’s D.C.R. - Natural Heritage Program, we also learned about the local flora and geology on the 1.3-mile hike through woodlands and grassland barrens.

Bald Knob is a monadnock, an isolated hill of metamorphic rock that weathers and erodes slower than the rocks of the surrounding lowlands.  The mafic rocks of Bald Knob are rich in minerals, which contribute to the fertile soil here.  

The Piedmont fameflower is known to exist at only five locations on Earth, all within the Piedmont of Virginia and North Carolina.  Bald Knob Natural Area Preserve protects the largest population of this rare wildflower.  Blooms open only in the early afternoon of sunny summer days and thrives in the shallow soil and southern aspect of Bald Knob N.A.P.   With succulent leaves to store water, this flower can survive the water-stressed soil and summer heat.

On the day of our chapter field trip, the Fameflower did not open up its bloom in all its glory, due to a cloudy day with a thunderstorm on the horizon.  But, it was still a treat to see this tiny plant with its pretty purplish-pink petals.  Other Virginia native plants that we saw in bloom at Bald Knob: Eastern Prickly Pear, Carolina Wild Petunia, Climbing Milkvine, Common Milkweed, Purple Passionflower, Common Yarrow, Black-eyed Susan, & Oxeye Daisy.  

It’s definitely worth returning to Bald Knob N.A.P. on a sunny summer day to catch the Piedmont fameflower open its bloom!

-by Sue B.

Mark your calendars!