Botany and Forestry

GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — Appalachian wildflower events are flourishing in attendance and programming in the New River Gorge region in southern and south-central West Virginia. Thanks in part to the establishment of America’s newest national park, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, interest in the region’s cultural and natural history is increasing, according … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the Kanawha Garden Club and the West Virginia Native Plant Society are urging gardeners and property owners across West Virginia to plant native species and have established April as Native Plant Month in West Virginia. The Native Plant Month proclamation by Governor Jim Justice was set February 20, 2023, according … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Officials at the W.Va. Division of Forestry are urging West Virginians to be cautious of burning amid dry, windy winter conditions. Assistant State Forester Jeremy Jones said high winds, warm temperatures, and a lack of rain and snow have conspired to create inflammable conditions. “Our winter hasn’t seen as much precipitation as … Read more

BEAVER, W.Va. — Say what you will about groundhogs, their ability to predict the arrival of spring is nowhere near as accurate as that of frogs: like clockwork, spring peepers will herald the return of light and warmth in central Appalachia in late February and early March. Triggered by rising temperatures, the tiny frogs (Pseudacris … Read more

SAINT ALBANS, W.Va. — One of the best things about living in West Virginia is the opportunity to experience its cycles of growth. Whether in the lush forests along the Ohio and Potomac rivers or among the balding peaks of the Alleghenies, few places on Earth are as seasonally differentiated as the Mountain State. Biologists … Read more

SUNSHINE FARM, W.Va. — Winter and spring may be the best time of year to sing the praises of Symplocarpus foetidus, a.k.a. “Eastern Skunk Cabbage,” because this is when this unusual plant performs a magic trick. Before I tell you about the magic, let’s dispel an obvious negative. First of all, this plant does not … Read more

HINTON, W.Va. — You might not think a West Virginia town of fewer than 3,000 residents would be the ideal location for a booming tropical plant store. But then, you might not have met its owners or visited the southern reaches of America’s newest national park where nothing ordinary is happening. Botany Tropicals, owned by … Read more

INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State University and Diversified Energy Co. are partnering to plant more than 10,000 trees around West Virginia in the coming year, thanks to a $125,000 donation Diversified made to fund the initiative. University President Ericke S. Cage said the project will engage many Mountain State communities, for which he is … Read more

SUNSHINE FARM, W.Va. — When it became my turn to present my current story proposal at our regular editorial board meeting, my pitch was resoundingly well received. Half of the editorial board had no idea that there was a geranium native to the U.S., and the other half couldn’t praise this plant highly enough. Just … Read more

MULLENS, W.Va. — Ginseng harvest season is open in West Virginia and will continue through Wednesday, November 30, according to the W.Va. Division of Forestry. Harvesting pulls up the ginseng root, ending the plant’s ability to replace itself with new generations. To help the herb’s last seeds grow, the hunter must, by law, plant them … Read more