Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District

If you care about our native pollinators, this is vital information.

We group saving the stems in with leaving the leaves. It's all about leaving dead plant material for the wildlife depending on it!

Why save the stems? Dried, hollow pithy stems and branches provide nesting space for cavity-nesting insects. For example, small carpenter bees carve out their nests in last year’s raspberry or wildflower stems, often only a few inches away from the blossoms that provide pollen to feed their young. The one in this picture chose blueberry cane. Tiny yellow-faced bees and larger leaf-cutter bees find appropriately-sized stems to nest in as well. Aside from bees, stems provide shelter for cavity-nesting wasps, stem-boring moths, spiders, and the eggs of other beneficial insects.

To start preparing nesting cavities for these insects, start in the fall by leaving dead stems intact. Wait until spring to cut back the dead stems, leaving stem stubble of varying heights from 8 to 24 inches. Insects will make their nests inside and larvae will develop over spring and summer. These insects hibernate in the stems over fall and winter until they emerge as adults the next spring and start the cycle over again.

You can start now: save the stems! 🥀 Learn more and get your "leave the leaves" sign at xerces.org/leave-the-leaves

"... fall is an ideal time to control the majority of winter annual broadleaf weeds that emerge from September through mid-October." https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/turfandgardentips/tips/Fall_lawn_weed_control_strategies.html

Calling all of our friends in Eastern and Southern Virginia! Have you thought about your fall crop yet? It's time to plant! 😋

Contact your local extension office for more information about planting fall garlic in your area: https://ext.vt.edu/offices.html

Avoid "mulch volcanoes."
"Mulching is a practice that trees have been doing all by themselves for thousands of years. Each year, trees drop leaves or needles to the forest floor, forming a layer of organic matter. This layer serves many functions, but first and foremost it provides cover to the soil, reducing or eliminating erosion. This layer of leaves also helps to retain moisture, adds organic material to the root zone of the plant, and allows of recycling of nutrients." https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/turfandgardentips/tips/Springtime_mulch.html

This is a very useful guide for those looking for which native plants (that are appropriate for their yard) they should include in their gardens if they want to provide food for our native Virginia pollinators.

Whether you’re planning a small backyard garden or a large pollinator-friendly solar installation, the improved Virginia Native Plant Finder can help you identify the right plant for the right place. Use this free, online tool from Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to choose the perfect native species to transform your design into a thriving reality!
New features include:
🌱 “Live Plant Available” and “Commercial Seed Available” links to plant providers
📍 Filtering by county
📁 Downloading results as a CSV file
Check it out at https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/native-plants-finder

USDA's 100th Agricultural Outlook Forum registration is now open! Join us Feb 15-16, 2024 for insightful discussions on the latest trends, innovations & policies shaping the future of ag. Don't miss out on this milestone event! Register now: https://reg.eventmobi.com/USDAOutlookForum2024

We are seeking Tribal youth to help with trail work at Fones Cliffs. If you meet the criteria, please reach out to our Director of Environmental Resources, Jack Ryan, for more detailed information! This is a great opportunity for Tribal youth, don't miss out!

Attention veterans, spouses and transitioning service members! USDA is hosting a webinar Oct. 31 - Nov. 1 for those looking to start careers in farming and ranching.

The One USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Training is a two-day webinar that provides a comprehensive overview of the opportunities, programs and services available to veterans, their spouses and transitioning service members interested in farming and ranching.

The two-day webinar will be held from 10 AM - 4:30 PM EST on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. For more information or to register: https://www.usda.gov/our-agency/initiatives/veterans

All summer you worked to provide a safe place for native - lots of flowers, nesting site, and you even avoided pesticide use. Now is the time to make sure you continue to do right by your pollinators, so make sure you don't treat them like trash. If you rake, mulch, bag up all the leaves in your yard - you're also getting rid of the overwintering habitat for all the moths, butterflies, and other beneficial insects that you worked so hard to attract all summer.

When possible, "leave the leaves" on your yard until late spring, so that you give all these critters their best chance.

LEAVES ARE NOT LITTER!!

Did you know that many beneficial insects, including native bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and more, require leaf litter and dead tall, pithy plant stems to survive the winter? They use these materials as their winter shelter.

Help support the beneficial insect community in your yard by and the tall stems in place until late spring (or for good - they protect your plants and become excellent mulch).

All of those lovely beneficial insects will greatly appreciate it.



Learn more here:
https://xerces.org/blog/leave-the-leaves

The Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District is soliciting bids to purchase the following items:

1) 1 - 2012 Ford F-250 (3/4 Ton) Pick-Up Truck, Vehicle Identification Number 1FT7W2B66CEA45395.
• Body Style: 4-Door, long bed
• Color: White
• Engine: 6.2 L, Gasoline
• Transmission: 6-Speed automatic, 4-wheel drive with manual locking hubs
• Inspection sticker through February 2024.
• Tire pressure monitor fault on dash.
• Current Mileage: 90,000, but used daily, therefore subject to increase.

2) 1 – 2004 Hudson HSE18 Equipment Trailer, Vehicle Number 10HHSE18041001265.
• 6-Ton rated
• Pintel hook-style hitch
• 96” Wide top over deck
• Brakes
• Ramps

Preference may be given to bidders seeking to purchase both items (i.e., a package deal)

Bids will be accepted via mail or hand delivery to the district office at 205 Bulifants Boulevard, Suite C in Williamsburg, Virginia, or via email sent to [email protected].

Bids will be accepted through Friday, November 10, 2023, and reviewed on Monday, November 13, 2023, at 5:00PM. Bid winners will be notified on Wednesday November 15th.

Reserve: A reserve of $12,500 has been placed on the truck. A reserve of $2,000 has been placed on the trailer. Bids below the reserve amounts will not be considered. Inspection of the items may be arranged by appointment only.

Terms: Payment must be made no later than Monday, November 20, 2023. Bid winners must take possession and remove the item(s) no later than January 2, 2024. Payment must be made by certified check. Other forms of payment will not be accepted.

The seller is not responsible for bids not received.

The Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District may be reached at (757) 645-4895.

Construction of living shoreline along James River at Berkeley Plantation.

Living shorelines provide resilient protection for eroding shorelines.

More information on living shorelines can be found at:
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-living-shorelines

It was such a fun day at Bugfest on Saturday - the organizers did a great job, the visitors were so enthusiastic, and we were able to roll out our new Colonial Pollinator Pledge (more to come about this)! Have a look at our photos and perhaps peek at the blog post for the day. We hope attendees enjoyed it as much as we did and that you enjoy hearing about it.

Thank you to all who made this such a special event for us!

Here is the link to our blog post:
www.colonialswcd.org/post/4th-annual-bugfest2

We’re looking forward to this event and hope to see you all there!

BugFest is back! York County Mosquito Control, the York County Public Library and York County Parks and Recreation invite you to bug-out at our 4th Annual BugFest, 10-2 on Saturday, September 30th at Grafton Middle School. Check out the insect displays, local bug experts, crafts, story time in the auditorium, and Sweet Frog & Boyd's Tasty Dogs on site!

Virginia Cooperative Extension | Master Gardeners of York County | Colonial Beekeepers | Butterfly Society of Virginia | York County School Division | York County Head Start

It’s also vital to remember that the most important bee pollinators are our native bees, of which there are 477 different species here in Virginia. Studies show that the very best plant-pollinator networks are those supported by the most diverse pollinator communities and that losing even one species has a negative impact on that community, so make sure to protect all of our native pollinators. 🐝🦋🪰🪲🐜🦇🐦‍⬛

📸 Credit

This month!

TEACHERS of LOUDOUN! Our Teacher Mini Grant program is now accepting applications! Go to www.loudounsoilandwater.com/education/teacher-mini-grants to learn more, see past projects and download an application.

You may have heard about the negative impact artificial light has on birds, especially during migration. But emerging research shows that it may also be disrupting the nighttime routine of pollinators, and therefore the ability of plants to produce fruit and reproduce.

Here are some tips to reduce skyglow at your home:
💡Keep light indoors: close blinds or curtains drawn at night to keep the light inside
💡Color matters! Use warmer-colored light bulbs and minimize blue-violet light
💡 Use outdoor light where and when you need it: Control your lighting through motion detectors, timers or dimmers
💡Plant a moon garden

📸White-lined sphinx moth, Tom Koerner/USFWS

A new tick - the Asian Longhorned Tick (ALT) - is spreading through Virginia, threatening livestock and wildlife. The longhorned ticks live in large clusters of hundreds to thousands, and they don’t need a mate to reproduce, so they are multiplying rapidly.

Learn more about ALT ⤵️
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ENTO/ENTO-282/ENTO-282.html

Read more from WVTF Music and RADIO IQ ⤵️
https://www.wvtf.org/news/2023-08-04/a-new-tick-is-spreading-through-virginia-threatening-livestock-wildlife-and-maybe-people