Blandy Supports Variety of Research Projects

Field Sites Offer Diverse Habitats for Study

By Dave Carr

Director, Blandy Experimental Farm

Although many of the researchers at Blandy Experimental Farm are from the University of Virginia, Blandy plays an important role as a resource for students and faculty at other institutions from all over the country. Our most prominent national program is our long-running Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), and about 90 percent of the students who have participated have come from institutions other than UVa. We also have a long tradition of supporting graduate research from other institutions by providing summer fellowships for students who are in residence at Blandy during the summer. Recent summer fellows have been from Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth, the University of Maryland, and the University of Toronto.

Blandy also supports research from outside students and faculty on a shorter term basis.  Many of these researchers use Blandy as one of many field sites in the region and visit Blandy briefly as they travel from site to site. Others are conducting studies at Blandy that require only one or a few visits during the field season. Blandy supports these researchers by providing overnight accommodations, access to field sites, and laboratory space. Because they come and go quickly, they aren't as visible as our resident researchers, but they connect Blandy with other new, exciting, and diverse research fields.

Last week a number of people asked me about the large basket-like structures hanging amid the Chinese chestnuts (Castanea mollissima) in the Arboretum. Those are insect traps set up by Smithsonian research entomologist, Dr. Robert Kula. He is interested in understanding which species of insects that historically were part of the community that interacted with American chestnut (Castanea dentata) have switched to Chinese chestnut. The American chestnut largely disappeared from the Appalachian forests in the early part of the 20th century due to the devastating chestnut blight, a disease that was introduced into the U.S. with Chinese chestnut. With its collection of both old American and Chinese chestnuts, the State Arboretum of Virginia is a perfect place to study potential shifts of insects from their native host to this new Asian host.

Asclepias syriaca

Several times this summer, Blandy will be visited by a crew of researchers from the College of William and Mary. Dr. Harmony Dagleish , Dr. Abigail Kula, and a group of undergraduate field technicians are following patches of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), their pollinators, and insect herbivores. Milkweeds are familiar species of fallow fields in our area and are the most important host plant for monarch caterpillars. Dr. Dagleish is interested in how the community of insects associated with milkweed combines to determine the growth or decline of milkweed populations.

Project Baseline is a collaborative effort among researchers at Fordham University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of California to create a collection of seeds from all over the country. This unique collection will serve as a resource for future researchers to understand how plants are responding to anticipated climate and other environmental changes over the next 50 years. Dr. Jenn Weber and her field technicians from Fordham will be visiting Blandy several times this summer to collect seed from many of the species growing wild here.

These are just a few examples of the type of research that visiting scientists are conducting at Blandy this year. Every year we get new requests, and we always do our best to accommodate. From its earliest days, Blandy has aspired to be a national resource, and these interactions with the broader scientific community increase our value to the University of Virginia. They create new discoveries, bring fresh new ideas and perspectives to Blandy, and inspire our own researchers.

Blandy Receives Grant for Teacher Training Project

Effort Will Strengthen Link Between Math and Science 

By Candace Lutzow-Felling

Director of Education

Candace Lutzow-Felling, Blandy's Director of Education, received a $203,108 award for her project, Developing Teacher-Leaders in Integrated Math and Science for Inclusive Classrooms. This project is a partnership between Blandy and six regional school divisions (Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Shenandoah, Warren, and Winchester) and two private schools (Riverfront Christian in Front Royal and Scared Heart Academy in Winchester). Three education faculty from UVa's Curry School of Education are serving as co-principal investigators on the project (Frackson Mumba, Robert Tai, and Michael Kennedy), a UVa Department of Mathematics professor is serving as a math advisor (Michael Hill), and all of  Blandy's research faculty (David Carr, Kyle Haynes, and T'ai Roulston) are serving as science advisors to the project. 

The purpose of this project is to help teachers learn ways to expand beyond the traditional discipline-bound methods of instruction and develop skills to explicitly link mathematics and science by experiencing and then developing hands-on, discovery-based lessons designed to reach all learners in their classrooms.  Teachers from our partner school divisions and private schools will participate in an innovative, sustained professional development that will include two weeks this summer, June 16-20 & June 23-27; continued professional development during the 2014-15 school year; and a one-week follow-up professional development in summer 2015 which will include an all-expense paid overnight stay at beautiful Carter Hall in Millwood. Lord Fairfax Community College, Middletown Campus, is generously providing the classroom space for our summer professional development sessions.

The 35 grade 3 through 6 teachers participating in this project will not only gain skills in developing and teaching integrated math and science lessons designed to meet the diverse learning needs of all the students in their classrooms, but they will also gain new friendships and professional networks. Blandy's benefits are strengthened partnerships among our regional schools and school divisions, and our new partnerships with Curry School of Education and Department of Mathematics faculty, and with Lord Fairfax Community College.

Kids Can Become Scientists at Summer Nature Camp

Weekday Camps Explore the Mysteries of Nature

By Steve Carroll

Director of Public Programs

Summer offers a time for outdoor exploration and fun, and Blandy Summer Nature Camps are a great way for kids to spend time outside in a safe and stimulating environment.

Three day camps are offered in July, and each meets Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.

 "Lost & Found: Natural Mysteries" meets July 7-11. The focus of this camp will be to investigate natural wonders such as animal migration, navigation, and communication. "Eagle Eyes & Dragonflies" will focus on flight in birds, bats, and insects, and will explore how objects ranging from pollen and seeds to kites and flying disks ride the wind.

Both of these camps include crafts, games, snacks, field investigations, and presentations by Blandy scientists.

"EcoExplorers," offered July 21-25, is for rising 5th-8th graders. Participants in this camp ask questions about the natural world, then work with adult leaders to answer these questions through observation and experimentation. Kids will collect and analyze data and present their results to parents, staff, and other campers on the final day.

For more information about summer nature camp, check out the Summer Camp brochure; to register online, go to our online payments page. Partial scholarships are available based on need; call 837-1758 Ext. 287 for more information.

Blandy Book Club Explores Environmental Classics

By Steve Carroll

Director of Public Programs

The Blandy Book Club, newly formed as a way to read and discuss books on the environment, natural history, and outdoor-based personal reflection, had its inaugural meeting on May 22. We discussed Barbara Kingsolver's, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, while sampling local fare and desserts made from recipes in the book. We are off and running - or reading.

This group will meet on the fourth Thursday of the month from 1-2 p.m. in the Blandy library (skipping November and December). Participation is free and open to the public. For information, or to let us know you are interested, contact Steve Carroll (scarroll@virginia.edu; 540-837-1758 Ext. 287).

Our next three readings and meetings are A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold (June 26); Eaarth, by Bill McKibben (July 24); and The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan (August 28).

Think about joining us!

Arboretum Accession Books Provide a Look at the Past

Handwritten Records Document the Evolution of Blandy

By Chris Schmidt

Arboretum Assistant 

The accession books at the Arboretum are handwritten chronological  records of the plant material which has been brought to the  arboretum since the first director, Orland E. White, was appointed in 1927.  The volumes are well worn from many years of use. The covers are frayed and the corners of pages inside are taped.  The handwriting and the scientific names have changed over the years, but what has not changed is the wonderful story of the evolution of the Arboretum and all those who played a role in its development. Those of us who work on the grounds at Blandy have the privilege of using these books to research plant material identification and sources. We are continually amazed at what we have learned from them about the Arboretum, the people and industries who have helped to acquire plant material, and stories surrounding the plants themselves. 

Because Dr. White was the director of Blandy Experimental Farm for so many years, perhaps it would be fitting to start with a brief story of who he was and what his goals were when he arrived at the farm.  White was born in 1885 and graduated from South Dakota State University. He went on to Harvard's Bussey Institute to study plant genetics. In 1913 he became Brooklyn Botanical Gardens' Curator of Plants. He was chosen by Professor Rusby of Columbia University to assist with plant collection on the Mulford Expedition to the Amazon Basin in 1921. Rusby had to leave the expedition early for health reasons and White finished the eight-month expedition with an assistant. In 1926 Graham Blandy left 712 acres to the University of Virginia and, in 1927, UVa. hired Dr. White with a one-year contract to oversee the new property. From the beginning, White desired to establish an arboretum at Blandy to benefit both students and the whole country. For the next 28 years, Dr. White traveled extensively and corresponded with many horticultural institutions throughout the United States and the world in order to collect as many plant specimens for the new arboretum. Many of the magnificent trees and shrubs one sees at the Arboretum today are a testimony to Dr. White's dream.

The accession book entries contain very important information. First, a unique identifying number (the accession number) is entered followed by the plant's genus and species. The source of the plant material, date, and any other information which might be helpful was also included. Dr. White and his successors always added interesting tidbits on the places they visited and the people they met. 

This winter as we researched plant material here at Blandy, we were amazed at the stories and history we uncovered in these accession books. Future articles will share some of what we found.