Discovery Camp 2024
This year’s Discovery Camp was a great expedition, and introduction to the many ways we explore the high country of Southwest Virginia here at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center. Climbing the second highest peak in the state of Virginia, snorkeling amongst our largest native reptiles, wandering through nocturnal temperate rainforests, and paddling in remote mountain waterways were just a few of the adventures our campers had a chance to take on.
A Journey to the Virginia Museum of Natural History
Last week, between camps and the busy outreach programs of summer, the BRDC naturalists closed down the Center for a day and embarked on a road trip east across our beloved Blue Ridge Mountains, over the New River, and along the sprawling backroads, pinelands, and solar farms of the Southside region on a mission. What better way to inform our exhibit-making process than to learn how the state’s museum of natural history interprets flora, fauna, and fungi?
Ornithology Camp 2024
Ornithology Camp 2024 was a success, with a lot of fun times following high mountains, green valleys, and gurgling rivers in search of unusual birds in the “Wild West of Virginia.” From early mornings hiking the balds for warbler surveys and an incredible sunrise before daybreak, to late nights in the firefly-swarmed woods surrounded by a family of owls, we had some great young birders who enjoyed it all, with excitement and curiosity with every species, baked cinnamon apples from the coals of a campfire, and plenty of laughter. We ended the trip with 97 species, and many fascinating secrets about the avian world were unveiled.
Recent Sightings of the Blue Ridge
Are you ready for the Naturalist Rally? Read about some of the recent finds during our programs around the Blue Ridge Discovery Center and beyond, and learn how to improve your chances of seeing some fascinating species before a weekend immersed in the Appalachian spring.
Countdown to the Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally 50th Anniversary!
It’s almost time for a very SPECIAL Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally!
Spring Salamander Migration
As February draws to a close, the first warm spring rains nurture a tiny, threatened ecosystem nestled in the forest floor: vernal pools!
The Lichen Light Show of Mt. Rogers
Tracing the line of interdependence from lichens, to trees that host them, to the squirrels that planted them, and beyond, the entire ecosystem sprawls out through the window of just one tiny, slimy superorganism that clings to the harshest and most unforgiving environments.
The Secret Life of Our American Treecreeper
The brown creeper (Certhia americana) is a bizarre bird. If you’re not looking for them, they are virtually invisible against the craggy bark of large trees.