News Articles

May 3, 2021

It's time for today's edition of #BenInNature presented by our friends at Carter Bank & Trust! About a year ago, I made a video about Cypripedium acaule, the pink lady's slipper orchid. It's my favorite wildflower, and I'm happy to report that they're in bloom right now if you feel like going on a hunt to spot one! I did notice that there were far fewer this year versus last year; I'm blaming the recent late frost, although these plants are admittedly a bit particular when it comes to their requirements. The pink lady's slipper can be found throughout much of the eastern third of the U.S. and many parts of Canada, extending from the Great Lakes down to Alabama and parts east in the U.S. Within its range, it can be found ...

May 2, 2021

We're reaching into the archives for today's #BenInNature update presented by our friends at Carter Bank & Trust! The following post was originally published on June 18, 2020. One of my favorite things about this time of year is the wide variety of beautiful moths that are drawn in by my porch light. This moth is Amorpha juglandis, the walnut sphinx moth, and it can be found in deciduous forests east of the Rocky Mountains. As adults, these moths do not eat and are mainly active during the early hours of the night. The caterpillars eat the leaves of a variety of trees, including not only walnut, but also alder, hickory, beech, hazelnut, and butternut. One of the neatest features of the walnut sphinx caterpillar is its ...

May 1, 2021

VMNH scientists and educators are having a blast in Waynesboro today at the museum's "Treasures from the Vault" Drive-thru Show! This ticketed event is featuring a variety of entomology, archaeology, mammalogy and paleontology specimens from the museum's scientific collections located at the Martinsville facility!

May 1, 2021

We're reaching into the archives for today's #BenInNature update presented by our friends at Carter Bank & Trust! The following post was originally published on June 17, 2020. Hey everybody! Who wants to learn about something gross?!? This is one of our three species of periodical cicada in Brood IX, Magicicada septendecim. However, we're not going to talk about the cicada; today's post is about the odd white substance on its abdomen. That white substance is a fungal pathogen (disease-causing fungus) called Massospora cicadina. Don't worry, it's not harmful to humans, and in fact, it only targets periodical cicadas; annual cicadas are unharmed. This is a very unusual fungus, and it's actually believed that it may ...

April 30, 2021

It's great. It's blue...sort of. It's a heron. It's the Great Blue Heron! In this episode of "Museum Minute", VMNH Educator Terri Robertson highlights the Great Blue Heron, a bird native to Virginia and a specimen of which can be found inside the museum's Lee & George W. Lester, II How Nature Works gallery! ABOUT MUSEUM MINUTE The Virginia Museum of Natural History has a spectacular assortment of displays within its exhibit galleries! Some displays are unforgettable, while others don't always get the attention they deserve. Through the original series "Museum Minute", museum educators highlight various displays throughout the exhibit galleries, while providing intriguing facts you may not have known. "Museum Minute" is ...