December 8, 2020
Please enjoy our regular updates and insights from FONA, the U.S. National Arboretum, and our award-winning Washington Youth Garden.

Happy Hanukkah! The Arboretum is open 8 AM - 5 PM every day except Dec. 25th. Some buildings and collections remain closed to ensure visitor and staff safety.
Thank you — your support helps us keep you informed and makes
FONA Field Notes possible.
We're extremely honored Washington Youth Garden was recognized as one of Washingtonian Magazine's "20 Worthy Local Charities That Would Put Your Donation to Good Use."

Our team has worked hard this year to feed local families, educate children remotely, and train teachers to bring garden science into classrooms.
Floral Photography Fun
Don't wait until spring to practice your flower photography — there's always something blooming at the National Arboretum! Winter-blooming camellias are a great way to practice your macro photography skills.

Instructors from the Capitol Photography Center offer great tips and tricks to help photographers develop their skills.
FONA regularly partners with Capitol Photography Center to offer sunrise and sunset photography workshops around the Arboretum.

These Arboretum workshops fill up fast! Sign up for their newsletter so you can reserve your spot on this unique experience!
Find Mexican feather grass in the Grass Roots special exhibit. Photo by: Anika Malone via Flickr
Plant Profiles
Washington Gardener, a garden magazine for the DMV area, recently highlighted Mexican feather grass (Nasella tenuissima) in their Plant Profile video series. With movement, color and texture, this is a plant for home gardens with year-round interest.

Stop by the Arboretum's Grass Roots exhibit to see this grass in person.
From Our Friends: Holden Arboretum
Join the Holden Arboretum tomorrow evening for the next installment of their Growing Black Roots virtual lecture series. Every month, this series dives into the historical legacy of Black botanists from a broad range of botanical disciplines and highlight pathways towards diversity and inclusion in botanical sciences.

This Wednesday, Dec. 9th at 7PM, Dr. Nokwanda Makunga from Stellenbosch University will discuss the traditional indigenous knowledge, cultural exploitation, and biochemical modernization of South African medicinal plants.
Dr. Nokwanda Makunga will discuss the traditional ecological knowledge, cultural exploitation, and biochemical modernization of South Africa's medicinal plants in Holden Arboretum's Growing Black Roots lecture this week. Photo from: openplant.org
Double Your Donation
Join our David Fairchild Society. Thanks to our "FONA Rock Stars" who made generous lead gifts, all donations and pledges to FONA through Dec. 31st will be matched and your donation will be doubled.

Your support makes a difference. FONA adapted its programs this year in response to COVID to continue educating children and teachers virtually, feeding local families with produce from our gardens, strengthening community networks, and planning the Arboretum's future. Your support makes this all possible.

Join our David Fairchild Society and help shape the future of the National Arboretum.

CARES Act - Individual Giving
A reminder that all taxpayers (both those who itemize and those who use the standard deduction) can deduct $300 in charitable giving to public nonprofits in 2020.
Prior to the CARES Act, those who used standard deduction could not deduct any charitable giving.

For those who itemize their taxes, the CARES Act significantly raises the amount of the charitable giving deductible from 60% of the filer's adjusted gross income (AGI) to 100% of AGI.

Gifts to donor-advised funds and private foundations do not receive the revised deductible under this provision.
Friends of the National Arboretum
3501 New York Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002
202.544.8733
FONA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization with the mission to preserve and enhance a vibrant public space and support experiential programming that instills a love of plants, nature and the outdoors in all who visit, while promoting the overarching research and education mission of the U.S. National Arboretum.

Since its inception, FONA has helped support the Washington Youth Garden, Capitol Columns, Flowering Tree Walk, horticultural and research internships, restoration of Springhouse Run, and much more.