Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program

06/12/2026

AHH watch out it'll sting, it's a..... wasp?! 🐝 That's right, yellowjackets are not bees--they're actually wasps.
Lets clear up the difference between this troublesome pest and our native bee species, most of which rarely sting.
🐝 How to ID a yellowjacket: Yellowjackets range from 3/8" to 5/8" long. They are bright yellow with black lines, spots, triangles or diamonds on their abdomen (different species have different color patterns). Yellowjackets have a hard and shiny body with few hairs. Since they are a type of wasp, they have a definite waist. They fold their wings lengthwise when at rest.
🐝 Like all wasps, yellowjackets prey on a wide variety of insects and other arthropods. Yellowjackets are unusual in that the workers will also forage on foods consumed by people, especially sweets and meats.
🐝 If you have a yellowjacket problem, NOW is the right time of year to think about controlling them: Effective management of yellowjackets in a given area can be achieved by rigorous sanitation and physical exclusion of foraging workers from attractive food sources. If begun early in the summer and carried throughout mid-autumn, proper sanitation will help reduce the buildup of foraging yellowjackets within an area. Lids of trash containers should be kept closed whenever possible. Open trash containers should be emptied regularly (every few hours when large numbers of yellowjackets are present).
🐝 More info on yellow jackets, including options for controlling them: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ENTO/ENTO-49/ENTO-49.html
🐝 Large invasive hornets: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/ENTO/ento-592/ento-592.html
Image text:
Title reading: Did you know? Yellowjackets are wasps! No, they're not bees!"
Body text reading: In areas with numerous yellowhacket colonies, foragingin workers may become serious nuisance pests as they search for food. They often pester people eating outside and scavenge food from trash bins and dumpsters. In Virginai, yellowjacket wasps can be nuisance pests in recreational areas from late summer until early autumn, when colonies begin to die off.
Photo of a insect with yellow and black stripes and a smooth, narrow body. Long black wings protrude from behind a big-eyed head.

06/10/2026

June is National Pollinator Month! Think like a pollinator with these tips from the US Forest Service:
- Go Native. Pollinators are “best” adapted to local, native plants, which often need less water than ornamentals
- Bee Bountiful. Plant big patches of each plant species (better foraging efficiency.)
- Bee Sunny. Provide areas with sunny, bare soil that’s dry and well-drained, preferably with south-facing slopes.
- Bee Showy. Flowers should bloom in your garden throughout the growing season. Plant willow, currant, and Oregon grape for spring and aster, rabbit
brush and goldenrod for fall flowers.
- Bee Patient. It takes time for native plants to grow and for pollinators to find
your garden, especially if you live far from wild lands.
View their whole guide for pollinator gardening for the Eastern us: chrome-extensio://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/AttractingPollinatorsEasternUS_V1.pdf
More info including some plant suggestions: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildflowers/pollinators/gardening

Image text:
Title: Planning your garden — think like a pollinator.

Go Native. Pollinators are “best” adapted to local, native plants, which often need less water than ornamentals.
Bee Showy. Flowers should bloom in your garden throughout the growing season. Plant willow, violet, and mayapple for spring and aster, joe-pye w**d, and goldenrod for fall flowers.
Bee Bountiful. Plant big patches of each plant species for better foraging efficiency.
Bee Patient. It takes time for native plants to grow and for pollinators to find your garden, especially if you live far from wild lands.
Bee Gentle. Most bees will avoid stinging and use that behavior only in self-defense. Male bees do not sting.
Bee Chemical Free. Pesticides and herbicides kill pollinators.
Bee Homey. Make small piles of branches to attract butterflies and moths. Provide hollow twigs, rotten logs with wood-boring beetle holes and bunchgrasses and leave stumps, old rodent burrows, and fallen plant material for nesting bees. Leave dead or dying trees for woodpeckers.
Bee Sunny. Provide areas with sunny, bare soil that’s dry and well-drained, preferably with south-facing slopes.
Bee Diverse. Plant a diversity of flowering species with abundant pollen and nectar and specific plants for feeding butterfly and moth caterpillars.
Bee a little messy. Most of our native bee species (70%) nest underground, so avoid using w**d cloth or heavy mulch.
Bee Aware. Observe pollinators when you walk outside in nature. Notice which flowers attract bumble bees or solitary bees, and which attract butterflies.
Bee Friendly. Create pollinator-friendly gardens both at home, at schools and in public parks. Help people learn more about pollinators and native plants.

06/08/2026

This is Colletes aestivalis a rare native bee! Also called the alumroot cellophane bee, this little lady is a Heuchera specialist, which means she only collects pollen from a specific species (or few species) to feed her larvae.
You probably know Heuchera or coral bells--they are planted everywhere! Unfortunately, this bee does not get pollen from hybrid species. If you want to add coral bells to your garden, consider finding Heuchera americana, the native species.
The bee specimen in this photo was collected in Rockingham County, VA

06/02/2026

June is National Pollinator Month! We have several pollinator-themed events this month! Find one near you: https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/Timely_Topics/2026-pollinator-events.html

Even small actions can make a big difference for these important species. Join us this month in helping pollinators thrive. 🐝🦋🌼

06/01/2026

05/30/2026

The spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) is a 4–10 inch, dark-bodied mole salamander featuring two rows of yellow or orange spots, largely living underground in North American hardwood forests. They are present in most Virginia counties!

Learn more: https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/amphibians/salamanders/spotted-salamander/index.php

05/29/2026

You've definitely heard of native plants, but native turfgrass?! In addition to questions about removing lawn to install native plants, we often receive questions about native turf options. While there are some types of turfgrass native to North America (and a few that may be native to Virginia), they are not widely suitable replacements for the naturalized species recommended by our turf scientists.

Pictured: Little bluestem--an ornamental grass. Ornamental grasses are different than turfgrasses. Why? Turfgrass's growing points are close to the soil surface and the plant can therefore be regularly clipped.

You can read an explanation of this here: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/articles/2026/native-turfgrass.html

05/28/2026

Poison Hemlock is a common poisonous w**d in Virginia! It looks a bit like Queen Anne's lace or wild parsnip (be careful foraging!) but can grow 6-10 feet tall and has stems spotted or streaked with red or purple.

Poison Hemlock is an herbaceous biennial flowering plant in the carrot family. It grows 6 to 10 feet in height with a smooth green stem often spotted or streaked with red or purple. The leaves are finely divided and lacy, up to 20 inches long by 16 inches wide. It has white flowers that grow in small erect clusters. Each flower develops into a green, deeply ridged fruit that contains several seeds. All parts of this plant have an unpleasant odor. While Poison Hemlock is usually biennial, in favorable locations it may be perennial.

Where it may be found:
Poison Hemlock is a non-native that is very common in Virginia and across the United States. It grows along fence lines, ditches, wet roadsides and meadows.

What part(s) of the plant are toxic:
All parts of Poison Hemlock are extremely poisonous, emit a foul odor and contain the toxin coniine what acts exactly like ni****ne. The juice can cause severe skin irritation. Often, internal poisoning occurs after the victim confuses the Hemlock root with Wild Parsnips, the Hemlock leaves with Parsley, or the Hemlock seed with Anise.

More info on all poisonous plants in Virginia: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/CNRE/CNRE-13/CNRE-13NP.html
More info on poison hemlock: https://extension.psu.edu/poison-hemlock

05/24/2026

Did you know the “petals” on a magnolia flower aren’t actually petals at all?

They’re called tepals.

Most flowers have two separate parts: petals, which are often colorful and attract pollinators, and sepals, which protect the flower bud before it opens. In magnolias, those parts aren’t clearly different from each other — so botanists use the term tepals instead.

Magnolias are considered one of the oldest flowering plant groups on Earth, dating back more than 100 million years. They evolved before bees became widespread pollinators, which is why many magnolia flowers are pollinated by beetles instead. Their thick, sturdy tepals are durable enough to handle crawling beetles without being damaged.

Next time you see a magnolia tree in bloom, take a closer look. Those large, waxy “petals” are part of an ancient floral design that has survived since the age of dinosaurs.

05/23/2026

Poison oak vs poison ivy -- are they the same or different? They are different species in the same family. Both are related to poison sumac and both contain urushiol, which can cause dermatitis.

While poison oak grows as a shrub, poison ivy can grow as a vine and climb up a tree or other structure. Their leaves also look quite different. Poison oak leaves resemble white oak leaves, while poison ivy has leaves in those distinct clusters of 3!

Image text:
Atlantic Poison Oak
Toxicodendron pubescens
Shrub (up to 3ft tall)
Leaves: Resemble white oak leaves
Toxicity: Contains urushiol which can cause severe dermatitis

Poison Ivy
Considered 3 separate species in the genus Toxicodendron
Can be small plants, shrubs, or climbing vines
Leaves: Clusters of 3 leaflets
Toxicity: Contains urushiol which can cause severe dermatitis