Maybe you got to attend naturalist Mark Archibald’s Winter Tree ID program at the Mount Rogers Winter Naturalist Rally last month, but if you didn’t, this post is for you! Just because leaves aren’t on trees right now doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t know which trees you’re looking at. Bark, buds, and branching are key to identifying deciduous trees in winter and early spring—keep reading for an overview of winter tree ID, then take your skills to the trail and see what you can find!

Installing a birdfeeder is one of the best ways to go birding in winter! Read on for our recommendations for which feeders to use and what food types to fill them with, as well as which winter residents you can expect to see this time of year!

When winter comes around, and the last of the bugs disappear until the spring, a particular group of flying mammals must find a way to survive the winter without their only food source. Bats, along with groundhogs and chipmunks, are one of the few groups of mammals in the Blue Ridge that enter a state of true dormancy or hibernation. This state of low activity and reduced metabolic rate is called torpor, a state of efficient energy consumption that lets bats go for up to a month without drinking, eating, or moving.