Blue Ridge Expeditions: Sullivan Swamp
On June 7th, a small group of us met at the Massie Gap parking area of Grayson Highlands State Park for our second local Blue Ridge Expeditions hike of the year. Roald Kirby led a 4 mile walk around the edges of Sullivan Swamp, sometimes taking us off the trail for a while. Bushwhacking, he said, can bring surprises.
On June 7th, a small group of us met at the Massie Gap parking area of Grayson Highlands State Park for our second local Blue Ridge Expeditions hike of the year. Roald Kirby led a 4 mile walk around the edges of Sullivan Swamp, sometimes taking us off the trail for a while. Bushwhacking, he said, can bring surprises.
Out in the open fields, grazed by the the park's famous (or infamous) ponies the Catawbas grow to shrub height and no taller. But in the woods, competing for the precious light source, they become more the size of small trees.
These observations and many others were shared by Roald with our inquisitive group. Roald worked as interpreter at this state park for a number of years, and has a strong historical perspective he willingly ties into the natural. The combination makes for a most informative and fun expedition. Stay tuned for upcoming BRE hikes.
BUTTERFLIES OF SULLIVAN SWAMP, GRAYSON HIGHLANDS STATE PARK
Our 2012 collaboration finished up in January of 2013. This project was a partnership with the Grayson County High School 2nd year art class and BRDC’s Project SiteSection. With this poster we will be helping to spotlight the globally unique habit that is Sullivan Swamp by illustrating the full list of butterflies documented by the SiteSection program.
Our 2012 collaboration finished up in January of 2013. This project was a partnership with the Grayson County High School 2nd year art class and BRDC’s Project SiteSection. With this poster we will be helping to spotlight the globally unique habit that is Sullivan Swamp by illustrating the full list of butterflies documented by the SiteSection program. The illustrations were originally attempted as wood block prints but we decided to ultimately pursue colored pencil illustrations. We also used a combination of staff and student illustrations in order to complete a comprehensive poster of the butterflies documented at Sullivan Swamp. The final poster consists of over 20 illustrations and has been printed on 18x24 and is now available through BRDC and other outlets.