Lisa Benish 9/19/23 Lisa Benish 9/19/23

It's Fall Rally Time!

The Mount Rogers Fall Naturalist Rally is almost here and we are excited to explore, discover and share!

The Mount Rogers Fall Naturalist Rally is almost here and we are excited to share some of the programs! Friday starts with a great dinner featuring locally sourced ingredients, so be sure to sign up for that before October 9th on our website. Following dinner, our a keynote speaker, OLIVIA ANDREWS, PH.D. STUDENT, VIRGINIA TECH ENTOMOLOGY DEPARTMENT talks about classical biological control and the work that has done to implement this approach for the hemlock woolly adelgid, while also giving an overview of the work that is currently being done…in particular here in the Blue Ridge mountains. Following our speaker, we will be hosting a nighttime Owl Prowl and Star Gazing. There will be a separate children’s program during the guest speaker presentation for all kids 6 and up!

At 7:00am Saturday, registration continues and breakfast is served with field trips and programs beginning at 8:00am sharp! These morning programs include arachnids with Cade, Migrant birds with Allen, Habitats of BRDC with Ali, Nature Journaling with Rosa and Ellie plus more! After the morning programs, lunch will be served in the dining hall followed by the afternoon programs starting at 1:00pm. These programs include Beginning Birding with BRDC, Old Kelly Orchard Tour with Tom, Black Bear Ecology with Carl, Phenology and Trees with Mark, and several more. Throughout Saturday we will also be featuring a variety of kids programs such as a nature walks, nature crafts, stream play, storytelling and birding.

Do you need lodging for this event? We have you covered! We are renting out rooms and beds in our Schoolhouse for rally goers that want to stay on campus.

If you are interested in reading more about our guides, purchasing rally or meal tickets, click here!

Keely Doyle 10/26/22 Keely Doyle 10/26/22

Fall Rally Re-Cap!

We were so excited to host the first ever Mount Rogers Fall Naturalist Rally this October!

*Arachnid Guide Cade Campbell & his marbled orb-weaver*

We were so excited to host the first ever Mount Rogers Fall Naturalist Rally this October! In the past couple of years we have been fortunate enough to host the Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally, and we were so happy to now start a new fall annual rally as well. This rally specifically focused on the flora and fauna that is unique to the fall! 68 enthusiastic individuals participated in this rally where we experienced lots of beautiful weather and stimulating outdoor activities. Our programs for this rally included salamander hikes, nature photography, a mushroom hike, stream ecology, an all-day Mount Rogers hike, bird watching, bird acoustics, arachnids, nocturnal nature, an owl prowl, a campus tour, the natural history of the white-tailed deer, and flint knapping.

*Bird Watching at Elk Garden with Guide Allen Boynton*

*Guide Doug Meyer teaching Leah Wilson how to flint knap*

We would like to say thank you to our keynote speaker, Michael St. Germain, for an amazing talk about the Bats of Appalachia. We would also like to say thank you to our incredible guides that really helped make our first ever fall rally a success. Thank you to Neil Fredericksen, Phil Shelton, Allen Boynton, Joshua Ward, Maddie Cogar, Lee Diggs, Steven Hopp, Cade Campbell, Linda Hylander, Doug Meyer, and Kevin Hamed.

*Salamander Photography at the Salamander Hike. Photo credits to Joshua Ward.*

We were also able to lead kids programs during this rally as well! These programs were led by BRDC staff Landscaper and Naturalist Educator Ali Reilly. The childrens programs included nature journaling, fall bingo, and stream ecology.

*BRDC Naturalist Educator Ali Reilly leading Fall Bingo. Photo credits to Eva Walls.*

We are also so thankful for our generous donors that supplied our raffle table. Thank you to Wolf Hills Coffee (Gift Card), White Birch Food & Juice (Gift Card), Sister’s Cafe (Appalachian Puzzle), Mike Pender (Chickadee Box), Mountain Sports Limited (Naturalist Hats), Marion Outdoors (Great Naturalist Gear), Charlotte Phillips (Two Homemade Pumpkin Rolls), Brian Livingston (Signed Book), Barbara Kingsolver (Signed Books), Bohicket Apothecaries (Candles, Wax Melts, and Soap), Flora of Virginia (App download), and Adventure Damascus & Sundog Outfitter (2 Rentals & 2 Shuttles).

*Emory & Henry Volunteers and our BRDC Staff.*

We would also like to give a special shoutout to our amazing volunteers from Emory & Henry! Their help was so appreciated, especially by our Head of Hospitality Charlotte Phillips.

We cannot wait to see everyone back on our campus for our Winter Rally coming in February! Stay tuned for more updates to come!

Keely Doyle 9/28/22 Keely Doyle 9/28/22

Rally, Rally, Rally!

The rally is quickly approaching and we are so excited to share some of the program lineup!

The Fall Naturalist Rally is quickly approaching and we are so excited to share some of the programs! Friday starts with a great dinner will consisting of locally sourced ingredients, so be sure to sign up for that before October 11th on our website. Our a keynote speaker, Michael St. Germain will talk about bats. Perfect subject for the month of October! Saturday will consist of Mt Rogers hike led by Phil Shelton (full day), a Bird Ecology and Migration program led by Dr. Ashley Peele and Shawn Kurtzman, a Salamander Hike led by Neil Fredericksen, a Mushroom hike led by Lee Diggs, a Birding Acoustics program led by Dr. Steven Hopp, and a Campus Tour led by Linda Hylander and Judy Greear. Sunday will consist of a Salamander Hike led by Dr. Kevin Hamed, Flint knapping with Doug Meyer, and a Nature Photography program led by Joshua Ward. If you are interested in reading more about each of the programs and their leaders, check out our rally page.

Keely Doyle 9/21/22 Keely Doyle 9/21/22

Mt. Roger's Fall Naturalist Rally Keynote Speaker: Michael St. Germain

Read about Michael St. Germain and the bat species found in Virginia!

Michael St. Germain currently works for the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech as a wildlife ecologist with a special interest in bat research. He has a Bachelor’s of Science in Wildlife Management from the University of Rhode Island along with a Master’s of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation from Virginia Tech. His current research is on bat population distributions all over Virginia. He is using a geostatistical model and remote sensing to conduct his research. He will use his extensive bat knowledge as the main topic of his speech at our first ever Mt. Roger’s Fall Naturalist Rally. Mike’s last visit to our campus was with a group of Wildlife students from Virginia Tech. Mike aided these students in finding a few species of bats in the area around our campus. The bats they found were the Big Brown bat, the Eastern Small-footed bat, and the Eastern Red bat. These are just three of the 17 different species of bats found in Virginia.

Big brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are the largest bat species in Virginia. They can be identified by their sheer size alone and their uniform brown color. They can be found all over Virginia feasting on insects. They usually live alone, but have been known to form maternity colonies in the summertime. These colonies can be found in old buildings and caves.

Eastern Red Bats (Lasiurus borealis) are smaller than Big Brown bats and can be identified by their red fur. They also have a red fur tail that can be used to wrap around themselves, similar to a jacket, during the cold winter months. They are also the only sexually dimorphic species of bats in Virginia, meaning that their males and females look slightly different. The difference is that the female fur isn’t as vibrant as the male fur. These bats can also be found all over Virginia feasting on insects. Instead of forming maternity colonies, these bats produce offspring alone in the trees.

Eastern Small-footed Bats (Myotis leibii) are the smallest bat in Virginia. They can be identified by their small size, brownish gold fur, and black face and wings. They typically feed on insects as well. They can be found in caves along the western part of Virginia in the mountainous regions. Like the Big Brown bats, they also form maternity colonies in the springtime.

If you’re interested in hearing more about bats of Virginia, sign up for the rally on our website and stay tuned for more rally updates to come!

Bill Dunson 10/5/16 Bill Dunson 10/5/16

Signs of Fall Abound

Our weather is showing some cool night time temperatures, but frost is still 2-3 weeks away and there is lots of insect activity and still some late bird migration underway. Fall fruits are much in evidence, offering immediate snacks and some long term food supply. One of my favorites is the blue fruit of arrow wood viburnum. They are small enough for many species to eat and we have so many plants that they last into the fall. In contract, the winterberry hollies in our marshes are very bright red and seem to be a fruit that is not eaten so early as the viburnums. Isn't it interesting that such different colors are both so attractive to birds?

Caterpillars are still present in large numbers, many preparing to overwinter as pupae. This rarely seen marsh dagger moth caterpillar was especially interesting since they were present in very large numbers in the open, eating cattails, and their color is quite bright. This would normally indicate that the caterpillars were toxic but I could find no information on this topic. In distinct contrast the caterpillars of snowberry clearwing sphinx moths or hornworms are extremely well camouflaged. They can damage our coral honeysuckles severely, so I move many of them to the exotic Japanese honeysuckles where they do no harm. A few caterpillars fall prey to the very painful assassin or wheel bug which is shown here eating an army worm. You must be careful not to pick up this bug or it may inject you with a painful bite.

Monarchs are still passing through our area and here a beautiful female is finding some nectar on an aster, characteristic of the fall season. The meadowhawk or yellow legged dragonfly is the last dragonfly to emerge in the north, a beautiful "fall color" and a true indicator of the fall season.

Bird migration is quickly passing although we are still enjoying some warblers. This Cape May male was spotted feeding on wild grapes near the Blueridge Music Center. During spring migration the same species is very fond of the flowers of sea grapes in our Florida yard. Nearby we spotted a flock of seven wild turkeys which all appeared to be young males or jakes, since their beards were of intermediate length. Some hawks are migrating through and others will remain during the winter. An immature red-tailed hawk was engaging in some amusing aerial dogfights with three ravens; it is here shown upside down as it buzzes one raven below.

So fall with all of its beauties is here with a vengeance- there is no stopping the seasons and we would not want to. Enjoy the changing parade of nature and savor each moment.

Bill Dunson
Galax, VA and Englewood, FL

Bill Dunson 9/19/16 Bill Dunson 9/19/16

A September Nature Ramble

As summer draws to a close, there is still a great deal of animal activity and a different group of late blooming flowers. I seem to appreciate the sunrises and sunsets more in part because I am tired of working on the yard and want to sit and enjoy the view!

One of my favorite late blooming flowers is the monkshood, which is a classic blue, bumblebee pollinated, flower. Its shape, downwards orientation and color tells us that it specializes in attracting bumblebees. In contrast the upwards facing and easily accessible yellow flowers of wing stem attract a wide variety of insects such as this yellow/orange collared scape moth. This day-flying moth is believed to be protected against predation by its resemblance to a wasp. It also reminds me of the distasteful lightning bug/beetle. Such a variation in strategy of pollination between extreme specialization and generalization is quite remarkable and illustrates how evolution seems to explore all options that could be possible.

Fruits are appearing on many plants and this nannyberry virburnum is a good illustration of how some plants advertise their ripe fruits by color changes to black. The plant does not want its unripe fruits eaten since the seeds are not mature, so they protect them with toxins and show birds they are not ready by the green color.

We had a period of very wet weather and one result was a profusion of fungi in the woods. This Jack o-lantern is a spectacular example that not only is colored like a pumpkin but glows at night with bioluminescence. The purpose of such light production is unknown but the resulting "foxfire" is mysterious and impressive on a very dark night. But do not eat these surface fruiting bodies of the underground mycelium, since they are poisonous.

Fungus Jack O'Lantern Omphalotus olearius

Goldfinches are looking for seeds on many plants, including this Maximillian sunflower which we planted in our fields. The males are losing their bright yellow color after breeding season is over making them less visible to predators. Such a "bright male" phenomenon usually indicates that the females are choosing mates based on the brilliance of their colors, which could indicate health and vigor which they would want to impart to their offspring.

As herbivores, butterflies are often deficient in sodium salts which are more common in animal prey than in plant food. So when I hung out my sweaty socks after a long hot hike, this pearl crescent landed on the sock and started drinking the salty fluid ! Butterflies must detect the odor of such garments since they target them so quickly. This is a variant of puddling behavior in which butterflies drink fluids from feces or salty damp soil.

I came across this spectacular viceroy butterfly sunning on a gravel path on a cool day. Two things are interesting about this- the sunning behavior to raise its body temperature, and the fact that it did not fear predation when so exposed. The viceroy is partially protected by the toxins it caterpillar ingested from its larval food of willow. But it also gains protection by its mimicry of the even more toxic monarch butterfly.

Viceroy butterfly at Buck Dam on New River Trail

One of the reliable seasonal changes in late summer is the southern migration of the large common green darner dragonfly from our ponds. They are replaced by an equally large shadow darner (shown here) which is quite tolerant of cool weather in the fall and seems to assume the role of large insect predator patrolling the pond edges. This is an excellent example of temporal partitioning of the habitat by species that otherwise would compete with one another.

For many months now the predominant sound from our ponds has been the booming call of the bullfrog. But now these dominant amphibians are virtually silent. I still see them around the ponds, especially finding a sunny spot to enjoy the warmth before the advent of frosts to come. This is a male as shown by its very large eardrum and the yellow throat. In the bullfrog world, bigger is better and the larger you are and the deeper your call, the better your territory can be and the more females you can attract to lay eggs.

Although fall is upon us, there is still a very active natural world out there. But in many cases the flowers and animals that are now most active are a different group than we would have observed in previous months. Bird migration is in full swing and there is no doubt that other striking seasonal changes are occurring. So go forth into the natural world and enjoy the spectacle!

Bill Dunson
Galax, VA and Englewood, FL