Drawing From Nature with Suzanne Stryk
The Blue Ridge Discovery Center is excited to announce that the talented artist and author, Suzanne Stryk will be leading a “Drawing From Nature” session at the 48th Annual Spring Naturalist Rally.
Come HIKE with US!
Blue Ridge Discovery Center’s Get Outside Program hikes are back! Join us this weekend or one of many this fall!
Summer Camp Wrap-Up
As summer 2021 closes in, so do BRDC’s summer camps. The camps may have only lasted 4-5 days, but the camaraderie and memories will last a lifetime. Each camp brought unique experiences and challenges, as well as new skills and admiration of the Blue Ridge.
Volunteer Weekend (In Lieu of Summer MRNR)
A volunteer weekend with projects such as trail building, habitat improvement, and painting will be held in place of the annual Summer Naturalist Rally.
Uncovering the Secrets of Northern Saw-whet Owls
As a charismatic representative of the high elevations within the central Appalachian Mountains, the northern saw-whet owl (NSWO) is a perfect ambassador to highlight the unique ecology of southwest Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Due to its small size and secretive nature, much of the northern saw-whet owl’s history remains a mystery in Virginia. Blue Ridge Discovery Center is beginning to uncover the secrets of this mysterious creature. Can you help us?
Nature Photography for Galax Intersession
Getting outside almost always leads to beautiful sights and with photography we have the opportunity to share those visual treasures that stop us in our tracks.
(July 2015) American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree, by Susan Freinkel
"The American chestnut was one of America's most common, valued, and beloved trees—a "perfect tree" that ruled the forests from Georgia to Maine. But in the early twentieth century, an exotic plague swept through the chestnut forests with the force of a wildfire. Within forty years, the blight had killed close to four billion trees and left the species teetering on the brink of extinction."
(June 2015) The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature, by David George Haskell
Biologist David George Haskell uses a one-square-meter patch of old-growth Tennessee forest as a window onto the entire natural world. Visiting it almost daily for one year to trace nature's path through the seasons, he brings the forest and its inhabitants to vivid life. Beginning with simple observations--a salamander scuttling across the leaf litter, the first blossom of spring wildflowers--Haskell spins a brilliant web of biology, ecology, and poetry, explaining the science binding together ecosystems that have cycled for thousands--sometimes millions--of years.
(April 2015) Life in the Soil: A guide for Naturalists and Gardeners
Lavishly illustrated with nearly three hundred color illustrations and masterfully-rendered black and white drawings throughout, Life in the Soil invites naturalists and gardeners alike to dig in and discover the diverse community of creatures living in the dirt below us. Biologist and acclaimed natural history artist James B. Nardibegins with an introduction to soil ecosystems, revealing the unseen labors of underground organisms maintaining the rich fertility of the earth as they recycle nutrients between the living and mineral worlds.
(January 2015) 9. Hunting from Home: A Year Afield in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Come along with Christopher Camuto for a year of transforming experiences in the shadows of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains: hunting grouse with his setter through snowbound forests in winter; wading trout streams in spring; closely observing birds and wildlife through summer; exploring the backcountry, cutting wood, and hunting deer in autumn.
(October 2014) 7. Mountain Nature, A Seasonal Natural History of the Southern Appalachians by Jennifer Frick-Ruppert
We're bringing this month's selection back to our region with Mountain Nature, A Seasonal Natural History of the Southern Appalachians by Jennifer Frick-Ruppert.
(July 2014) 4. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Elizabeth Kolbert
"Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs."
(June 2014) 3. A Natural Sense of Wonder, Rick Van Noy
"The technology boom of recent years has given kids numerous reasons to stay inside and play, while parents' increasing safety concerns make it tempting to keep children close to home. But what is being lost as fewer kids spend their free time outdoors? Deprived of meaningful contact with nature, children often fail to develop a significant relationship with the natural world, much less a sense of reverence and respect for the world outside their doors."
(May 2014) 2. The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time, Jonathan Weiner
"On a desert island in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago, where Darwin received his first inklings of the theory of evolution, two scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant, have spent twenty years proving that Darwin did not know the strength of his own theory. For among the finches of Daphne Major, natural selection is neither rare nor slow: it is taking place by the hour, and we can watch."