Plan Now For

Summer Camp

It's not too soon to prepare for summer, and that means selecting and registering for the right summer camp. We offer two camps for rising 2nd-4th graders and one for rising 5th-8th graders.

Our 2014 offerings begin with "Lost & Found: Natural Mysteries" (July 7-11). In this camp we will investigate the mysteries of navigation and migration in the natural world. We'll learn to navigate and move through our environment using the sun, tools such as maps and compasses, and lots more.

In week two, July 14-18, we offer "Eagle Eyes & Dragonflies," a camp all about flight. We'll examine flight in birds, bats, and insects; we'll look for seeds and pollen carried on the wind; and we'll test-fly boomerangs, kites, and more. Expect a visit from a real flying machine!

Our third camp, EcoExplorers (for rising 5th-8th graders), is investigative in nature. Participants in this camp, who work in pairs, ask a question about the natural world, collect and analyze data, then present their findings to other campers, family, and Blandy staff on the last morning.

In all three camps, students work in small groups with adult leaders, and they interact with our resident undergraduate students, who share aspects of their own research with campers.

More details, prices, and registration information are available on the Blandy web site under "Programs & Events."

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The greenhouse adjacent to the Parkfield Learning Center is overdue for replacement.

New Greenhouse

Is In the Works

By Dave Carr

Director, Blandy Experimental Farm

In December of 1940 Blandy Director Orland E. White wrote to Lord & Burnham of Wyncote, PA to get cost estimates for a new research greenhouse at Blandy Experimental Farm. Dr. White had acquired $5,000 to cover construction costs. He envisioned a research program where his students would be breeding tropical and temperate plants, so he suggested that the greenhouse needed to be divided into two rooms to accommodate different temperatures and growing environments. Dr. White insisted to Lord & Burnham that what he wanted was a "commercial type - with absolutely no frills, since it is for experimental purposes only. Its heating arrangements and upkeep should be of the simplest, most fool-proof type, requiring the least amount of attention and with the smallest fuel requirements." Blandy then, as now, was on a tight budget.

Dr. White's greenhouse was completed in 1941, the same year that center and west wings were added to the Quarters. It must have been an exciting time at Blandy, with a growing research program and investment in the infrastructure to support it.

Dr. White's no-frills structure has, for much of its life, supported the Blandy research program as it was designed to do. However, beginning in the mid-1960s when University programs withdrew from Blandy, the greenhouse began to fall into disrepair.  With the renewal of University research and teaching in the 1980s, repairs were undertaken to make the building operational again. In the 1990s Director Ed Connor and Curator Chris Sacchi acquired $13,000 from the National Science Foundation to make much needed improvements, including a new roof, heating system, and cooling system. When T'ai Rouslton and I arrived, we added new lights and other equipment, and the greenhouse has remained a critical resource for our research programs to this very day.

Seventy-three years later, however, time has taken quite a toll on this utilitarian building. The cinder block foundation is crumbling. The wooden frame in the roof is rotting and leaking.  The ceiling in the old coal furnace basement is being supported by 4x4 timbers to forestall collapse. Trees planted over 70 years ago around the greenhouse now cast it in deep shade for half of the year.

The replacement of this greenhouse has been a high priority for years, and it looks as if the time has come. I will be meeting with the College of Arts and Sciences, the Architect of the University, and Facilities Management to design and build a new greenhouse over the next 18-24 months. Our needs are almost exactly the same as Dr. White's were back in 1940.  We want a simple, utilitarian, energy-efficient greenhouse that can allow for different growing conditions simultaneously.  We also want the new structure to allow for future expansion as needed. The new greenhouse will be located adjacent to the new laboratory to create a more efficient working environment for our students and faculty and to consolidate the research infrastructure in that area of the property.

It is amazing to think how long and well Dr. White's initial $5,000 investment served Blandy and the University. If this new research greenhouse serves us as well, Blandy will be positioned for a thriving plant research program stretching to the 22nd century.

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Docent Bob Vazquez leads a tour of the grounds.

Docents Wanted

We receive many requests each year for tours of our collections and gardens. Blandy staff lead many of these, but we also rely on our capable volunteers. Would you like to lead or help with tours? Training and practice opportunities will be provided. Please contact Steve Carroll if you might be interested (scarroll@virginia.edu; 540-837-1758 Ext. 287). 

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License Plates

FOSA President Sylvia Wilson shows her pride in the Arboretum with special personalized license plates on her car.

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Panera Bread in Winchester collected $5,000 for Blandy Experimental Farm through their Dough-Nation program, which lets customers donate their change to area non-profit organizations. Here Regional Marketing Coordinator Allie Munsey, Shift Supervisor Jason Parker, and General Manager Jason Judd join Blandy Director Dave Carr, Events and Volunteer Coordinator Koy Mislowsky, and FOSA President Sylvia Wilson for a photo. Thank you Panera!

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Community Garden

Spots Available

2014 marks year seven for Blandy's Community Garden. A few spaces may still be available. If interested, contact Steve Carroll at scarroll@virginia.edu; 540-837-1758 Ext. 287.

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Frozen Feathers

Blandy Director Dave Carr assists students in the "Frozen Feathers" session of the Young Naturalist program as they view birds through a spotting scope.