The Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society is delighted to be presenting a Zoom program entitled The Least Welcome Plants of the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain on Thursday, November 17th at 1:00 pm. Invasive plants that have been introduced to our area are far and away, our least favorite plants. From the less-than-Heavenly Tree of Heaven to more recent invaders like Purple Fountain Grass, Ecologist Dr. Sylvan Kaufman will introduce you to the many problems caused by invasive plants of our coastal plain environments and why these plants are so wildly successful. She will also address some of the best management practices to manage and eliminate these invasive plants. This program is free and accessible by computer or smart phone.

Dr. Kaufman is an Ecologist who consults, writes, and teaches about ecology, botany and invasive plants and restoration. After completing her doctorate at Rutgers University, Sylvan has taught Invasive Plant Management and Ecological Restoration as an adjunct Professor for the George Washington University Sustainable Landscapes Program for more than a decade and been a science advisor at Adkins Arboretum in Eastern Shore Maryland for over 20 years. She currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she trains Master Naturalists and docents at the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens as well as working as an ecologist.

She is co-author of “Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification and the Impacts and Control of Common North American Species” first published by Stackpole Books in 2007 with a new edition coming out in Fall, 2023. This guide tells the history of invasive plants, defines their role in natural areas and the economy, and provides a field guide to over 175 of the most common species in North America.  For more information on invasive plants, visit www.invasiveplantguide.com.

The meeting is open to the public. More information on how to get to the Zoom program is coming