The Farmville Herald will begin a new monthly column in August by local photographer and naturalist Cynthia Wood. Mother Nature's Garden will feature wildflowers found in local state parks and along the High Bridge Trail.

Cynthia Wood, a native of Prince Edward County, is a nature photographer and amateur naturalist who enjoys capturing the myriad of small worlds present in everyday life. As part of her ongoing photography and Master Gardener projects, she is using photography to document native plants at several local state parks and is building a web site for use by individuals interesting in learning more about local plants.

A Master Gardener, Ms. Wood is a member of the Longwood and Weyanoke Garden Clubs, is web master for VAwildflower.com, writes a nature and garden blog, and is a regular editor for Virginia Gardener. She is also vice president for programming for Central Virginia Arts.

Her first column featuring the Cranefly Orchid will be in The Herald next week.