Learning about Amphibians & Aquatic Insects

BRDC has been busy with education programs, working with Galax Middle School, Fries School, Fairview Elementary, Grayson Highlands, Independence Elementary.

Grayson County's fourth grade students participated in the Natural Heritage Program with an emphasis on salamanders, toads, and frogs. Students learned about salamanders commonly found in the Blue Ridge.  Using field guides, they researched different species of salamander and presented their discoveries to the class.  The Eastern hellbender was a favorite among the students, as they were shocked by its prehistoric features. Students enjoyed watching a video about the life history of hellbenders provided by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Fifth grade students in Grayson County schools learned about frogs and toads. Students illustrated the life cycle of amphibians, learned the difference between frogs and toads, and listened to the calls of some of Virginia's common species. Many students had heard the calls before, but often didn't know what animal made the calls. The Virginia Herpetological Society's website is a great resource for determining different frog and toad calls: https://goo.gl/v84gqS.

After learning the calls of the American bullfrog, spring peeper, and American toad, students played a Frog and Toad matching game. Using a Peterson Guidebook to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, students matched the species name, picture, and description together. 

Galax Middle School After School program has been learning all about aquatic species. BRDC brought aquatic insects from a local stream to the classroom where students got a first-hand look at the life found in our creeks. Students learned about the life cycle of the insects, and enjoyed fly tying with Executive Director Aaron Floyd. 

In-school programming keeps BRDC's staff busy, but it is great to work with such a variety grade levels and see the enjoyment and wonder on the children's faces. To stay connected with BRDC follow us on Instagram @blueridgediscoverycenter.

Galax Middle School Studies Leaves, Invasive Plants and the American Chestnut

Friday, October 14th, students from Galax Middle School traveled to Matthews State Forest to learn about the forests of the Blue Ridge. We met with Zach Olinger, a Forester with the MSF, and began an enlightening afternoon hiking around Matthews State Forest.  

We first began our educational tour with leaf identification. Mr. Olinger discussed the native trees of the area and then guided us to some of these trees around the property. The students also received information about non-native ornamental tress brought in from other countries. There are a large number of heirloom apple trees on the property and they delighted us with a tasty treat!

The second phase of the hike revolved around invasive plants. In a small wooded area near the pond, Mr. Olinger handed each of the students a picture of a non-native invasive plant species. The scavenger hunt began as students were sent out to see if they could find any of these plants. Unfortunately, in a very small area, 7 invasive species were discovered by the students. 

Finally, we reached the American Chestnut grove. Here, students learned of the research being conducted on the reestablishment of the American Chestnut tree. Matthews State Forest is the site of one of many orchards with fourth generation American Chestnut trees. Students learned about backcrossing to create a genetically blight resistant American Chestnut tree. They examined the differences between the Chinese Chestnut and the American Chestnut tree based on this backcrossing using their leaves and tree structure as examples. 

Blue Ridge Illustrated: Oaks of Matthews State Forest

Anytime one dives into a new field of identification, be it birds, butterflies, flowers, or in this case trees, it is best to choose one "family" of similar species and hone in on those for clarity. That is exactly what we did at Matthews State Forest last Friday morning with the Galax High School Art Class. 14 students spent two hours in the field defining the difference between the bark, acorns, leaves and tree structure of six species of oaks while effectively blocking out the myriad of other species in the forest. Their investigative efforts began the latest BRDC poster: The Oaks of Matthews State Forest.

The exploration began with a compare and contrast exercise in the shapes of leaves collected from the forest floor. First they decided which were representatives of oaks and which were not. Then they defined a rounded lobe versus a pointed lobe to separate the white oaks from the reds. Lastly they looked at color and sinus depth to separate the collection of leaves into five clearly defined species. 

We then filtered back into the woods to find the leaves hanging on the trees where they documented each species with bark and leaf rubbings. Once the trees were identified the students scratched the forest floor for acorn samples to take back to the classroom. On our return trip we added one more species to the list, a post oak just off the path for a total of six species. They begin the in-class scientific illustrations this week!

Identified in the forest were:

Northern Red Oak, Quercus rubra
Black Oak, Quercus velutina
Scarlet Oak, Quercus coccinea
White Oak, Quercus alba
Post Oak, Quercus stellata
Chestnut Oak, Quercus prinus

Students conduct first survey of Deer Exclosure Plot

Over the course of the last seven years the Matthews State Forest performed proscribed burns to eliminate the white pine understory on this portion of their land holdings. Within that time frame, a forest road was cut through the area. A sixty year old stand of (mostly) white pine sits on the south-west side of the road, and on the north-east side sits a mixed hardwood forest of approximately 80 years maturity. Further management was brought about by thinning some of the hardwoods, opening up the canopy (called shelterwood), with the goal in mind of allowing oak seedlings an opportunity to emerge. All of this occurs on a moderate slope with a north-east aspect, and was not seeded by human hand.

In the thinned hardwood stand, (at latitude 36 degrees, 37’ 39.80”N and longitude 80 degrees, 57’ 17.50”W), a deer exclosure was erected one year ago to study the effect of deer browse on woody growth and its impact on forest regeneration in respects to timber management.
Under Blue Ridge Discovery Center’s direction, a group of Carroll County High School students from Alan Webb’s forestry class (within the AG department) has been recruited to study both the deer plot and adjacent grounds as control plots. Zach Olinger, forester with the MSF, has agreed to play a significant role as this research team collects data from both inside and outside the exclosure.

For our first research day, 9/9/15, the students focused on describing the forest floor and canopy densities, comparing percentages of herbaceous and rocky or barren coverage, taking a census of all the trees within an approximately 80 foot radius of the deer exclosure including diameter, height and species of each tree.

The class of 13 students was broken down into four separate teams. We also had, besides Alan and Zach, Rachelle Rasco, STEM lab teacher from CCHS, Dr. Bill Dunson, retired biology professor, Ayla Wilk, intern from VTech, and Evan Worrell and Scott Jackson-Ricketts from BRDC. The adults split up to assist the four teams with careful plant inventories both within and without the exclosure. Careful notations were taken including the numbers of each species identified within established grids.

During the afternoon session, Zach shared a brief history of the state forest along with descriptions of forest management principles and land use. Evidence of deer browse was noted, along with discussions of wildlife management versus forest management, two distinct approaches led by two distinct state agencies: Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and Virginia Department of Forestry.

This research program is designed to take place throughout the 2015/2016 school year, with a minimum of four field trip examinations of changes within and without the deer exclosure. Along with the field trips, self-guided learning will take place in the classroom through various media oriented research outlets such as the Internet. The students are to form hypotheses relative to the deer study and submit their conclusions in a professional format at year’s end.  

Seed Pods of Matthews State Forest by Galax High School Art Program

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The Seed Pods of Matthews State Forest poster has been completed! It is the fourth in an ongoing series of posters from the Blue Ridge Illustrated program. Young artists Adian Chapman, Julio Hernandez Cervantes, Kayleigh Funk, Alondra Ramirez Perez, Kyla Revolorio, Cody McMillon, and Derek Spraker went out into the field last fall and collected seed pods in the forest and along the forest edge. They returned to the classroom where they studied the species with detailed colored pencil illustrations over the winter. Under the tutelage of art instructor, Jarrod Wilson, the students illustrated: Smooth Sumac, Evening Primrose, Sweet Birch, Black Oak, Mockernut Hickory, American Holly, Eastern White Pine, Bull Thistle, Eastern Redbud, Goldenrod, Oriental Bittersweet, Pitch Pine, Common Milkweed, Chestnut, Horse Nettle, and Mountain Mint. You can get a copy of their illustrations at Matthews State Forest or at one of our events for $5. All proceeds go towards funding the Blue Ridge Illustrated program. Program Guides were Scott Jackson-Ricketts and Aaron Floyd of BRDC and the program advisor was Zach Olinger, Education Specialist at Matthews State Forest.

Mid April (2015) BRDC Program Notes

In spite of our fickle weather, which is certainly typical, we have managed to increase outdoor activities married to our principles and mission. As well, we continue through Bird Sleuth, to provide teachers with curricula (and moral) support.

Starting on April 2nd, Grayson County High School’s ‘’Team Birds’’ made another visit to Matthews State Forest with the one and only requirement to search out by sight and sound any and all birds and record their findings. We had Chassney Hodge, our intern from Galax, Sarah Osborne and her intern-in-training son, Jack, and Carol Broderson as guides…along with me, Scott. The day was productive with a belted kingfisher, blue-gray gnatcatcher, yellow-rumped warbler (often referred to as ‘butter-butt’), and a wild turkey rounding off new discoveries. Keeping this team on track is challenging, but clearly they all enjoy time outdoors and many are becoming birders in spite of themselves.

William Roberts and I were invited to give a presentation on all things birdy for the Baywood Cub Scouts on the 9th. Meeting in the gym with 14 kids, along with their parents and siblings, was a noisy affair, but we managed to share with them bird feathers, skulls, feet and lore. We began with comparing screech and great-horned owl parts, and then the wild turkey. Most of these kids knew the turkey, of course, but when we brought out the great blue heron parts, confusion and competition…along with great questions and guesses…challenged the acoustical limits.

Then we moved out to a quieter hallway for a reading from William, based on a Pacific Northwest Indian creation myth, about how light, warmth and the all-important sun were given to people. The raven, a classical trickster figure in Native American stories, played a major role. Given that we had a little more time, I pulled out some bird flash cards to see exactly how much these youngsters knew about birds, and both William and I were amazed by their collective response.

One of my favorite kid groups comes from our local home educators, whose moms show at least as much interest as their children. Brenda Bonk (president of BRDC) joined me as a guide on a cool rainy day at the Matthews State Forest for a morning of birding and an afternoon of insect identification. In spite of the iffy weather, and having our study area situated on Judge Matthews’ old farmhouse porch, we were able to dodge intermittent rains with great productive success. These kids are patient and overwhelmingly excited about natural history. Many of them are already anglers and hunters, with a keen sense of outdoor experience. Sometimes I am happy to learn from them, as it should be.

At this time of year, early spring, and given that the Judge was crazy about apple trees in all of their varied glory, we had a blooming event that brought out a plethora of pollinators, mostly native along with the imported European honey bee. I have begun an insect collection/preservation bio survey component that requires the ‘killing jar’. So far, no one seems to object, but I need to say that we are careful with all insects, most are catch and release episodes, and those that do die are dispatched humanely. BRDC believes that this collection will serve not only as an important educational tool, but also as an archive of here and now, an important historical record. It appears that bees and ants are the first insects ready to go to work during the first hints of warmth.

Finally, on the 16th, Sarah Osborne, Chassney Hodge and I regrouped indoors (because birds and people are not as outdoor active on cold rainy days), we continued with the follow-through next step of Cornell’s Bird Sleuth program based on data analysis. This is a required component of our effort, and though the students would prefer to both escape the paper work and the classroom, giving them a sense of the importance of translating their outdoor experience to another level of value, completes both the school’s prerogative as well as BRDC’s commitment to a rounded out educational experience.

Scott Jackson-Ricketts, Program Director, BRDC

Bio Survey, Matthew's State Forest, March 30th, 2015

At long last, the Southwest Virginia Home Educators returned for another fun-filled day of exploration and discovery at the Matthews State Forest.  Twelve children of a wide age range and four moms joined Evan Worrell and me (Scott Jackson-Ricketts), BRDC guides, for a five hour plot investigation. We dedicated the morning to bird identification realizing quite a data set once the sun came out. Among the species we were able to list were:

• Wood ducks (only Scott saw those)

• Red-winged blackbird

• American crow

• Blue jay

• Common raven

• European starling

• Eastern meadowlark

• Brown thrasher

• Winter wren

• Song sparrow

• Northern mockingbird

• Northern cardinal

• Tree swallow

• American robin

• Eastern bluebird

• Black vulture

• Field sparrow

• Mourning dove

• Eastern phoebe

BRDC provided binoculars and field guides to give our young students a chance to ID birds on their own.  I set up the spotting scope to offer everyone a chance to see some of the more cooperative birds close up, such as the meadowlark and thrasher.  Spring bird song filled the air, which gave us another opportunity to learn how to identify the different birds.
After lunch we switched gears and focused on pond life.  Two boys fished in the tradition of catch and release, coming up with two large-mouthed bass.  One team worked the spring head while team #2 spent their time at the muddy drainage end of the pond.  We worked diligently on identifying what critters and plants we could, mostly through microscopes.

There was an obvious abundance of caddis-fly larvae, which utterly captured the kids’ fascination.  Watching under the microscopes, each student studied the ‘tube-worms’ and their amazing self-fashioned housing or tubes. Caddis-flies use whatever materials are at hand, so in a pond, their tubes are constructed of plant material, rather than the pebbles one finds in a stream.  At the spring head, where there was an abundance of duck weed, each caddis had decorated their homes with this material, in effect camouflaging themselves quite properly.  At the muddy end, there was no duck weed, so these caddis’ homes were built of mud and small sticks, and were brown as the mud.  

Other water dwelling discoveries included damselfly larvae, giant waterbugs (one snacking on a caddisfly), orb snails, bull frog tadpoles, a predacious diving beetle, water striders, a wolf spider and water fleas.  All of these small animals were identified using various charts and field guides, with the older kids reading out loud some of their life histories.  
Towards the end of our survey, Evan took a few kids and moms on a tree identification walk.  Judge Matthews, who gifted this land to the state forest, was particularly interested in trees.  We were investigating behind what was once his farm house.  On two sides there is an apple orchard with a vast diversity of varieties, many with labels.  An abiding interest of his was the American chestnut, to which a significant part of this state forest is dedicated, eventually returning the chestnut to our Eastern forests through a series of back-crossing with the Chinese chestnut.  We will go into that in more detail later.  So it comes as no surprise to anyone that there is a diversity of trees around the old farm house…including buckeye.

Winding up our day’s work, it was agreed by the moms and our guides that these kids need as much of this type of learning experience as time will allow.  To that end, we agreed to continue with a marsh study in two weeks, and continue on through the spring and summer.  

Good science, good fun, and feeding curiosity remain on tap.

Scott Jackson-Ricketts

BRDC's Blue Ridge Expeditions Launches its First Foray

Blue Ridge Discovery Center is proud to welcome Roald Kirby to our team of naturalist explorers and guides.  As program director of our new Blue Ridge Expeditions, Roald brings years of outdoor experience and love of our Blue Ridge to the public through a series of walks, guided hikes and nature lore.

Today we met at Matthews State Forest ostensibly for a bird walk, but general inquiries were (and always will be) welcome.  The sky was overcast with the threat of impending rain, so the birds were generally more quiet than would be if the sun had made an appearance, yet we were able to either hear and/or see the following (in no special order):

• Indigo bunting

• House finch

• Catbird

• American robin

• Blue jay

• Black-throated green warbler

• Tennessee warbler

• Northern cardinal

• Wood duck

• Pileated woodpecker

• Red-bellied woodpecker

• Red-tailed hawk

• Turkey vulture

• Eastern phoebe

• Eastern wood-pewee

• American Goldfinch

• Eastern bluebird

• mocking bird

• Song Sparrow

• Carolina wren

• White-breasted nuthatch

• American crow

• Eastern towhee

• Cedar waxwing

Comparisons were made between oak and maple tree species.  The Alleghany Chinkapin was notable along some of the paths.  Evidence of heavy hickory nut foraging by squirrels littered the woods along with their harvest of yellow buckeye.  Several species of mushrooms were observed along the trail.  Many varieties of apples were available for taste comparisons and thirst quenching.  Discussions ranging from why birds sing to the American Chestnut program being conducted on the state forest grounds were driven by questions...always a good way to engage the learning process.

It is our intention to offer more of these programs throughout the year.  Please pay attention to the local newspapers for notices of upcoming events.  (The Galax Gazette and The Declaration.)  On October 5th, we will be meeting at Grayson Highlands State Park at the Massie Gap parking area, 8:30am, for an all day hike to Mount Rogers.  Roald has secured Dr. Phil Shelton to assist BRDC.  Phil has led this walk at the Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally for years. 

If you are not in the picture below, well, you missed out.  Join us next time! 

Again, we wish to thank the Matthews Foundation for their generous support!

Scott Jackson-Ricketts