Out of season Happenings

As fall progresses into winter, many of the plants and animals are making preparations to survive the difficult season to come. Deciduous trees are recycling the last of the nutrients out of their leaves and storing what they can deep in their trunks and roots. Some birds are departing for warmer weather in the south, while others increase consumption of fatty insects and seeds and develop their fluffy winter plumage. Insects time their life cycles to wait out winter- many fall larvae will slumber as pupae, but the majority have laid eggs which will hatch come spring. And of course, mammals have ramped up foraging behavior, putting on layers of fat and storing away caches for later consumption.

During late fall, gray tree frogs search for a safe hibernaculum under leaf litter, where they will allow the water in their body to freeze through the coldest season. The frogs typically only call on warm humid nights during a long mating season in spring and summer. This individual was calling from a car early one November morning.

Many of these species depend on specific environmental cues to trigger physiological and behavioral changes. Colder temperatures, less daylight, and changes in food/nutrient availability are some of the most important ways organisms sense the turning of the seasonal wheel. Getting the timing right is crucial. Wait too long, and the first frost can kill you. Start too early, and you miss out on vital growing time–or your rations might not last until spring.

Native organisms have evolved with the climate of their land, and are usually able to sense the seasons and respond accurately. Sometimes, though, the climate sends mixed messages. During times of transition, especially late fall and early spring, some plants and animals’ sense of time is off, resulting in some interesting out-of-season activity.

Chicory flowers are typically present for a long season beginning in mid summer. Each flower will only bloom for a day, though each plant will produce many flowers over the course of several weeks. Most have long finished flowering by October, but this individual struggled to produce one more flower in mid November.

With the long warm spell and unseasonable humidity experienced the last few weeks (possibly a lingering effect of the hurricanes), we have noticed a few signs of spring around the BRDC campus.

On your walks during these last days of fall, keep an eye out for some of these sneak peeks into next spring. Unfortunately, most out-of-season blooms and animal activity can be fatal mistakes. However, they can serve as a reminder of nature’s resilience and all the intricate balances it maintains. Even these “mistakes” are captivating–both for their beauty and as unique natural phenomena.

During late fall, gray tree frogs search for a safe hibernaculum under leaf litter, where they will allow the water in their body to freeze through the coldest season. The frogs typically only call on warm humid nights during a long mating season in spring and summer. This individual was calling from a car early one November morning.

Wood sorrel is an opportunist, starting its growing season before most of the competition in spring and popping up throughout summer in places most plants struggle to thrive. This new patch appeared in mid October and quickly went to seed by early November- much later than typical for this plant.

Mysteries Afoot: Identifying Appalachian Animal Tracks

Looking around as you walk through the forests of the Appalachian Mountains will grant you sights of tree diversity and breathtaking views. You may even get lucky and see some of the elusive–yet abundant–wildlife that call the Blue Ridge home. However, when you take the time to look down, you get to see the stories of these animals unfold. In the mud of a wet part of a trail, the silt on the side of a stream, or in the snow during a cold winter day, you can clearly see the traces of animals roaming the area before you.

Bear tracks along the Virginia Creeper Trail.

What are animal tracks?

Animal tracks are imprints made by animals moving across the ground. Most often these tracks are impressions of the animal’s feet left behind on soft surfaces, but can also represent any part of the body that touched the ground. 

Animal tracks are an interesting tool for anyone with a keen eye who wants to learn more about the habits and behaviors of our animal neighbors. These tracks can come in a variety of shapes, sizes, depths, and patterns, depending on the species that left them and what they were doing when the tracks were created. By paying attention to the different features of tracks, we can explore which species left them and learn why the tracks formed in the ways they did. 

For instance, the size of a deer track (a hoof distinctly split into two cloven halves) gives the observer hints as to the age and gender of the stepper, as a smaller footprint likely comes from a juvenile animal, and bucks typically have larger feet than does when fully grown. The gait pattern and depth of the tracks can lead to conclusions about how the animal was moving and how fast they were traveling. 

Where is the best place to find animal tracks? 

You can find animal tracks pretty much anywhere! The easiest tracks to spot are the ones left in soft and malleable soil types. Soil after rainfall is especially saturated with water, allowing animal feet to sink better into it. But of course, snow tops the charts for best track substrate. When snow is on the ground, tracks abound! There’s no avoiding leaving a trace behind when snow is pushed down with every step and there’s no leaf litter or debris to hide a path. 

Regardless of the weather, one of the best spots to check for tracks is next to a body of water, along the muddy banks of a river, creek or lake. Many animals rely on these places for their drinking water, and often this soil will be composed of soft silt or sand, which make for excellent tracks. 

At Blue Ridge Discovery Center, we have a “track trapper,” which is essentially a sandy area by Della’s Branch Nature Trail. The idea is that when an animal walks to the stream to take a drink, it will leave behind a footprint or two for us to identify!

Identifying animal tracks

So how can you tell what animal left what tracks? There are some key features that can help identify which tracks belong to which critter.

The main features of animal tracks are the toes, metacarpal pad (or paw pad, for the not rigorously academic tracker), claws, and negative space.

A sketch of a bear print demonstrating the different features to look for when identifying animal tracks.

Count toes and claws

When looking at any given track, the first questions that come to the trained tracking mind are: How many toes does this animal have? What shape is the pad? Does the animal have claws? If so, how big are they? 

It can be helpful to start by measuring and counting the different details of animal tracks, ruling out certain species based on the presence or absence of certain features.

Feline and canine tracks show four toes, but bear, beaver, raccoon, and opossum tracks show five. Canines, bears, and skunk tracks show claws; bobcat tracks do not. 

Consider negative space

Negative space is a little less obvious, but it's everything else that isn’t pushed down in between each of the other features. This is the space between each of the toes, between the toes and the pad, or between the toes and the claws. Within this negative space you can find patterns that correspond with the feet of certain species, including features such as webbing. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that many animals have very different tracks for their front feet and their hind feet, so while it could look like two different animals, it could very well be the same one!

Measure the track size

Size is a great starting point for track identifcation. It’s helpful to carry a ruler and field guide to reference when determing which tracks belong to who!

Look for gait patterns

Animals of the same species often move in a similar way, referred to as gait. When multiple tracks are present, you can use these patterns of movement to narrow down the possibilities. 

Trackers call some animals “perfect walkers” because they move very efficiently, placing each hind foot in nearly the exact position as the front foot. Coyote, fox, bobcat, and deer tracks tend to represent this precise, zig-zag pattern. 

Other animals seem to amble, shifting their weight from side to side as they move, earning them the moniker “waddlers.” Bear, raccoon, opossum, and skunk tracks show all four feet since these animals move deliberately. 

Still other animals are “bounders” that leap with each step, leaving behind a pair of paws at each touchdown. Mustelids like otters and weasels leave behind this adorable track pattern. 

Finally, “hoppers” (rabbits, chipmunks, and other rodents) jump in such a way that their back feet land ahead of their front feet, making for an interesting track pattern that looks almost like a game of leapfrog. 

Comparing tracks

Some tracks can look very similar, so there are important differences to consider when trying to figure out just whose footprint you’re looking at. The tracks of a coyote can look very similar to the tracks of a domestic dog, for instance.

Size can be helpful for distinguishing these two because coyotes are larger than most medium sized dogs and always larger than the small breeds. But since some dogs are similar in size to coyotes, you may have to look at the toes, claws, and track pattern for a definitive answer. 

Dogs usually have widely splayed toes, blunt claws, and a sloppy track pattern, whereas coyotes have narrow toes that face forward without splaying, sharp claws, and a neat and straight track pattern. 

To a less experienced observer, bobcat tracks could also appear similar to coyote tracks, so you have to look at the claws and the pad. Bobcats, being felines, have retractable claws that tend to not show up in the tracks. Bobcats also have a more lobed pad compared to the coyote's more uniform pad. 

Red fox and gray fox tracks can be very hard to distinguish at times, but the red fox has much larger paws and a more triangular pad. With retractable back claws and less furry feet, gray foxes show off more toe visibility and have a more v-shaped pad. 

Animal tracks from left to right: deer, bobcat, gray fox, and coyote.

Other factors

Some animals have incredibly unique characteristics that make them stand out from other tracks, allowing for easy identification. 

Bears have massive paws with a wide pad and toes that face forward, each with a blunt claw. Beaver tracks show off the large, flat hind feet in comparison to their smaller front feet. Skunks have a very visible imprint of their heel in most of their tracks, which varies between the front and back paws. 

A bullfrog track shows off their thin, long toes on their hind feet and the inward facing placement of their front feet. Small tracks with a line running down the middle could mean you have a set of mouse or vole tracks, as their tail drags along behind them as they walk. Cloven hoofprints are almost always deer tracks, which can be easily distinguishable from large domesticated animals like horses and pigs. The wild turkey is a staple track for most hunters given the three toes in front and the one toe behind them along with the large size of their feet. 

So next time you’re taking a stroll through the woods, take your eyes off the views for a moment and look down. You may get to read an animal’s story in the language of tracks! And don’t worry, while the tracks may fade, the views aren’t going anywhere.

Plunging into the World of Freshwater Fishes

A participant demonstrates the “Alligator crawl”

Last Saturday, 8 intrepid explorers joined BRDC staff on a snorkeling program at Straight Branch, a tributary of the South Fork of the Holston. We donned wetsuits to protect us from the 60 degree water and fastened masks and snorkels to plunge into the world of freshwater fishes. While the water in these mountain creeks may seem too shallow for snorkeling (ranging from less than a foot to around 3 feet at the deepest), it is the best way to experience this underwater world. By moving slowly and “alligator crawling” upstream, the fish quickly become accustomed to our presence and swim just inches away from us! Fortunately, we thought to bring an underwater camera this trip to share some of the experience.

A Snubnose Darter tries to blend in with the silt

The aptly named Snubnose Darter (Etheostoma simoterum) stands out from other darters thanks to its very blunt face. While these fish are quite common in our area, they are only found in mid to large side streams in south western Virginia, mostly in tributaries of the Tennessee river system. This male (identified by the row of orange scales above its dark lateral stripe) was curious but cautious, getting close enough to allow everyone to get a good look at him. If his dorsal fins were flared, the striking red would be more visible, but he was likely hiding these colors to help camouflage with the silt below.

The Northern Hog Sucker only swam away when a large group of us got very close

This ~8 inch Northern Hog Sucker (Hypentelium nigricans) was one of the largest fish we got to see, besides a few rainbow and brown trout who sped past us too fast to get a good look. Hog Suckers are mostly benthic feeders, meaning they suck up tiny crustaceans, insects, and algae from the bottoms of stream beds to feed on. They tend to stay close to the stream bed, and only swim quickly when evading predators. With their large size and slow lifestyle, this fish barely minded the gaggle of humans as long as we respected its personal space. 

Large schools of shiners earned their name with shocking colors and mesmerizing iridescence. In this river system, we see several species including Warpaint Shiners (Luxilus coccogenis), named for bold red and black streaks on the males’ faces, Saffron Shiners (Notropis rubricroceus), identified by the males’ gold and scarlet lateral stripes, and Tennessee Shiners (N. leuciodus), who are silver with an olive back and a thin dark lateral stripe. These fish often swim in mixed schools, using bright colors and reflective scales to disorient predators. This defense was certainly effective against our camera- most of our pictures of shiners came out as shiny, unfocused streaks!

Mixed schools of Warpaint Shiners, Saffron Shiners, and Tennessee Shiners were a dazzling sight

Creek Chubs are a common sight, along with their nests if you know what to look for

Creek Chubs (Semotilus atromaculatus) were very abundant today. Almost anywhere we looked, a school of half-foot brown fish lazed along the bottom of the stream. While these fish may look boring compared to some of the flashier fish in this river, they have a fascinating life history. Adults develop large tubercles on their snouts- thick scales that stand out from the face. The males use their tubercles to roll pebbles into nests each spring, providing a place for a courted female to lay her eggs. This streambed was full of these pebble nests, even months after their construction.

Most of the participants were able to catch glimpses of trout, with potential sightings of all three species that occur in southwest Virginia! The beautiful native Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) can be identified by the squiggly pattern on its back called vermiculation. This river is stocked with Brook trout and Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), who have small speckles and a pink lateral stripe. Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) are stocked in connecting rivers, and populations have found their way here as well. All three species are very fast swimmers and voracious predators, so they were very difficult to observe except for quick glimpses as they sped past. We managed to photograph one juvenile trout (possibly a young rainbow), seen below.

A juvenile trout, likely Rainbow finally caught on camera! We also saw Brown Trout and everyone’s favorite- Brook Trout. How many other fish can you count in the background?

The barrier between aquatic ecosystems and terrestrial is the thinnest line possible, yet these two environments are completely alien to one another. It’s easy to forget all the action and excitement going on just on the other side of the water’s surface. Snorkeling is an amazing opportunity to literally immerse yourself in a different world. It’s a great reminder that sometimes, the best experiences come when we take a moment to observe and appreciate everything that’s already around us.

The Great Monarch Migration

In mere weeks, a humble insect will begin an incredible journey. The current generation of monarch caterpillars, Danaus plexippus, is preparing to transform and make their annual migration. The butterflies take to the wind as the end of summer draws close, bound for warmer weather in Mexico. Most of the monarchs born in our stretch of the Blue Ridge will depart by mid October, though we may continue to see populations from further north passing through until the first frost. Once in Mexico, hundreds of millions of individuals crowd flowers and hang from trees in enormous roosts- also called bivouacs- while they wait out the winter weather. 

Some of the butterflies in our collection. The three in the bottom left box are monarchs, Danaus plexippus. The middle butterfly is a male, evidenced by the pheromone-producing black spots on the vein of the hind wing called his “pouches.” The top and bottom are females, who tend to have thicker black lines along the hind wing veins and lack these pouches. The box above them holds three commonly confused, but still very cool, Viceroy butterflies- Limenitis archippus. They mimic the coloration of monarchs and are similarly distasteful to predators. Notice the continuous black arc on the hind wing that runs parallel to the wing border present only on viceroy wings.

A female monarch visiting milkweed in our rain garden, likely selecting a suitable plant to host one of her young

When temperatures start to rise and days grow longer in northern Mexico, the monarchs prepare to make their return flight by increasing nectar consumption and beginning to mate. Come March, the butterflies depart- following the spring warmth as it stretches north. On their return flight, the butterflies fly low and stop often to feed and lay eggs. A female monarch may carry more than 300 fertile eggs at a time, and will continue finding new mates as she journeys onward. Mother monarchs are very particular about where they will leave these eggs. While the adult butterflies forage nectar from a variety of flowers, the caterpillars exclusively feed on milkweed species. She carefully examines each milkweed plant she finds and, should it pass her inspection, lays a single egg on the underside of a leaf near the top of the plant. This ensures her caterpillars have plenty of food to grow quickly without competing with others or decimating the plant. 

Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed- a plant that is toxic to many other animals. The monarch stores these toxins in its own body so predators learn not to eat them.

Many of you are aware of the monarch butterfly migration; and we all are familiar with the four stages of their complete metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar, then chrysalis and finally adult butterfly.  However, the way these two life cycles interact may come as a surprise. In our region, D. plexippus experiences 4 generations every year. We have two generations of summer monarchs composed of small, short-lived individuals who will only know this land as home. The successors of the second summer monarchs are significantly larger, stronger, and longer-lived (Up to 9 months as a butterfly!) It is this generation, the fall monarchs, that will make the entire flight to Mexico and return more than halfway back, dispersing their eggs the entire return flight. From these eggs emerge the spring generation, who will complete the migration past the US’s northern border, recolonizing their entire native range.

Poster created by Paul Mirocha for Monarch Watch. This stylized map shows the seasonal ranges of monarch migration over North America. Our fall monarchs fly to Mexico before winter, then fly up into the South East in the spring. The next generation continues moving north, recolonizing the northern half of the continent. Summer generations breed in the north until the rise of the next fall generation, who will make the entire migration south to Mexico and halfway back.

Despite being one of the most extensively studied butterfly species, there are still many mysteries entomologists are working to solve. A community science project called Monarch Watch has volunteer participants help generate data about monarch populations during the fall migration. Unfortunately, the winter roosts in Mexico have been rapidly shrinking in recent decades, sparking much of the research and conservation efforts going on now. Leading theories of causes for this decline include habitat loss and resource scarcity. Much of their historic breeding and feeding lands have been converted to farms, making the butterflies’ journey even more perilous.

Monarch Watch is a community science project that began in 1992. Participants catch and tag fall migrating monarchs with a sticker that has a unique code. Data is recorded including the tag code, date, location, and information about the individual, before it is released. In the winter, butterflies are recaptured in Mexico and searched for tags. The data generated is crucial for estimating monarch population change over time as well as predicting migration times, routes, and survival rates.

Helping monarch populations can be an easy feat for anyone with the lawn space to grow a few native plants. Research some local long-blooming wildflowers, especially those that provide plenty of nectar and bloom through fall. Asters, columbine, vervain, mountain mint, and many others are fairly low maintenance native wildflowers that are great nectar sources for pollinators, including monarchs. Milkweed prefers to have a fair amount of space and well drained soil that gets plenty of water. However, there are several varieties that prefer different conditions, so researching a variety that would do well in your area is a great way to support the monarch population.

At our latitude of around 36° 50’ N, monarch tagging begins at the end of the month- August 29. Peak abundance usually occurs in late September, and the last of this year’s monarchs might be seen into early November. As we look forward to watching another generation of butterflies follow in the wingbeats of their great-grandparents, let these beautiful creatures remind you of the enormous cycles that make up nature.

Nature Day Camp, Session 3

With this last session of Nature Day camp, BRDC’s summer season has come to an end! Once we get started, it’s crazy how quickly time passes. Luckily, we had the same amazing crew that we did in 2023! Nature Day camp is one of my personal favorites because of the freedom it allows. Our other camps have plenty, but they do also have set activities that need to be done in a day (paddle or hike x miles). With Day Camp, we get to follow the kids' interests. We have activities that we plan for, but rarely even end up doing half of them!

Day 1: Habitats

Our morning was filled with rain! But not to worry, we got to spend extra time investigating BRDC’s different specimens and learning about nature journaling. We even ventured out into the rain garden to collect fresh specimens, before bringing them to the safety of the porch for sketching. After that, we discussed what makes a habitat (food, water, shelter, and space) and brainstormed what a forest habitat would look like. Every camper got to contribute to our whiteboard-home. Then, each camper designed their own forest critter costume so we could play the competition game. The rain finally let up after lunch and we drove up to Elk garden and headed into the woods to look for interesting things to journal about. And it turns out that our brainstormed forest looked pretty similar to the one we were in! We made it back just in time for pick-up!

Ellie's Exploration

Dissecting an unripe Common Milkweed seed pod with gloves and a butter knife. Later, she looked at it under our microscope!

Critter Costumes

Sawyer the Fox, Stella the Snake, Clara the Rabbit, Finley the Crayfish, Wesley the Bear, Wyatt the Rabbit, Ellie the Doe, Arthur the Blue Crayfish, Clara the Salamander, and Juniper the Rabbit.

Juniper at Elk Garden

Posing in front of a rock surrounded by nettle!

The competition game- survival of the fittest! You need three pompoms to make it to the next round- food, water, and shelter. Drought, fires, and human impact can limit resources.

Day 2: Birds

The weather was still a little iffy with scattered downpours, so we spent the morning learning about what makes a bird, a bird. And then campers got to hold actual bird parts! When talking about how a bird’s beak can tell you about its diet, it helps to compare specimens. A Great Blue Heron, Great Horned Owl, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird have very different beaks, and different food sources and behaviors that go with them. We even got to test how waterproof feathers are using the rain outside! (Great Blue Heron wings make a great umbrella in a pinch) To really understand bird anatomy, we also played bird body bingo by coloring and labeling some diagrams. After lunch we headed to the Whispering Waters trail, where we did a short loop and saw lots of different mushrooms and salamanders! And got to (safely) climb on a perfectly-placed boulder. Again we made it back right at pick-up time!

Example Bird Body Bingo card

With an excellent habitat!

Mini rock-climb

Ellie, Clara, and Arthur pose for a picture at the start of the trail

Juniper with a tiny Dusky Salamander

Everyone at the amazing climbing rock!

We also found lots of salamanders here.

Day 3: Insects

Our most popular topic BY FAR with this group. With a shift in weather, insects were out in full force. Mr. B taught everyone about insect anatomy and the different insect groups before we grabbed our nets and headed up to Skulls Gap to see what we could catch! We saw plenty of grasshoppers, bees, and butterflies. Mr. B and Ms. Olivia were pretty good at transferring insects from net to container, and only a few precious catches were lost. But in the direct sun, it can get hot quickly! We headed back to campus for lunch before we wandered back into the rain garden for more net time! It really did take up most of our day- which we absolutely love to see! One of the coolest snags was probably a thread-waisted wasp. We also introduced two new activities- the caterpillar races and camouflage hide-and-seek! To compete in the caterpillar races, all you need is a thin scrap of paper and a straw. After coloring, it just takes a couple folds to get it into an “inchworm” position. Campers used different techniques to blow their caterpillars across the table to the finish line. Camouflage hide-and-seek is pretty straight-forward. The entire rain garden is available as hiding space (as long as campers are mindful of the plants), and they need to try their hardest to blend in with their surroundings so that they don't get found- just like an insect! Every year we’re impressed by the new hiding spots we see. And, while hiding, one of the campers found a dead wasp midway up a plant stalk that had been overtaken by a parasitic fungus. What luck!

Juniper with her first catch!

Clara with Summer Azure

Clara with Grasshopper

Wesley with Pipevine Swallowtail

Some of our wonderful caterpillars

The one in the middle was selected as Ms. Olivia's favorite- a very prestigious title.

The final round- Wyatt used his unique caterpillar rolling technique to squeeze out a win!

Day 4: Water

Usually a camper-favorite, we bumped water day up from Friday because we had two campers who couldn’t attend our last day. In the morning, we talked about different salamander species that can be found around BRDC, and each camper picked one species to be an expert on. They had to make very detailed drawings- some salamander patterns can be hard to differentiate. An important lesson we learned was that salamanders have thin, sensitive skin and they need to be handled with care. So before we went down to Dela’s branch, we made sure to rinse our hands with just water and grab jars to observe our amphibious friends with. (We also had a longest worm contest, and the winner was fed to the native Brook Trout in our classroom) After lunch, everyone grabbed their water shoes and we made our way across the street to Big Laurel for some macroinvertebrates! One of our tools, the seine net, requires 3 people, so the campers had to work as a team. We had a great collection of crayfish, giant stoneflies, common stoneflies, waterpennies, aquatic worms, caddisflies, and more! When we returned to the schoolhouse, we did bring some macros back for the Brook Trout.

At Della's Branch

Took a quick break from searching for salamanders to take a picture!

Looking for Crayfish

Mr. B assisting with the seine net

Checking out the most recent batch of macros

Day 5: wilderness skills and interests

Our last day! Stella brought her own butterfly container- a huge, mesh box- so we spent the better part of the morning trying to fill it with as many species as we could find. The kids also tested our net-to-jar transfer abilities by trying to max out the number of silver-spotted Skippers or bumble bees we could successfully get in one container. (We hit 4 for both before they started to escape and it got a little too crowded) Though we never managed to catch a Monarch to complete our collection, we released our captives. Then we moved from the garden to the woods…. it was time for shelter-building! When we got out there, we saw the remains of last day camp’s effort and knew… ours had to be BIGGER and BETTER! So we set to work. First building the structure, and then by lining the inside with leaves and the outside with some decorations. Everyone managed to squeeze in for the picture (except Mr. B and Ms. Olivia)- can you see all 8 of them? After that, we took a minute to do some paper crafts (specifically, paper airplanes). When Ms. Olivia debuted her gliding “Turkey Vulture” airplane, everybody wanted to make their own. And then we had a contest to see whose airplane could go the farthest! (It was Mr. B’s) Lastly, we learned how to use a compass to kick off our end of camp treasure hunt! Following clues and their camp experiences, the kids ran around campus in the rain until they made it to the dining hall…. where ice cream was waiting for them! After enjoying our tasty treat, we got together for one last picture in our camp shirts and then everyone headed home.

Our Shelter: Inside

Our shelter: Outside

Juniper with the Pipevine Swallowtail she took care of

Stella's Butterfly House

Great Spangled Fritillary, Pipevine Swallowtail, Viceroy. We also added a Silver-spotted Skipper later.

Finding a clue during our treasure hunt

Our last picture :(

Wilderness Expedition 2024

Our last overnight camp of the 2024 summer season. How the time flies by! We had a great group of campers, better weather than we expected, and some amazing views! And we hiked almost 30 miles!

Day 1: Wilson Creek (2.5 miles)

Campers arrive, and we work on cramming all our personal gear into the vehicles. After a quick snack to get us started, we headed up to basecamp- Scales campground! Affectionately called a “hiking trail for cars”, the road to Scales is just a few miles, but takes us about 45 minutes to drive. It’s much less stressful if you’re in charge of driving the high ground-clearance BRDC work truck. Finally emerging from the woods and entering the grassy clearing, we’re shocked to see… cows? Cows around the campground are par for the course, but inside the fence? That was new. The weather forecast was still looking a little rainy, so we went ahead and set up tents and our kitchen, just in case. Once everyone was settled, we grabbed the macroinvertebrate gear and took a quick jaunt down to Wilson Creek. We found plenty of black-bellied salamanders (Desmognathus quadromaculatus), some small crayfish, and two northern watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon). On our way back to camp, we all munched on allegheny blackberries (Rubus allegheniensis) and highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum). We also stopped for a quick bog-stomping break! But everyone was still plenty hungry for a walking taco dinner, followed by biscuits on a stick around the campfire!

Northern Water Snake

Blackberries!

Hike back to Scales

There were so many berries- we had to make frequent stops.

Brendan in the Bog

First Campfire

Day 2: Little Wilson Creek Wilderness (8 miles)

After getting to know the cows, who enjoy eerily hanging around the bathroom at night and munching grass right around our tents, we decide to call them Bessie, Gertrude, and Fanny. They’re pretty good company, except for the presents that they like to leave behind. We got an early-ish start today to try to avoid the afternoon storm that’s predicted to roll in. Climbing up Stone Mountain and watching as our campsite gets smaller and the view gets better is a fun experience! Day 1 is a great chance to practice map skills and orienteering with Brendan! After that, we skirted just around the top of Third peak (4928 ft), and over Second peak (4843 ft) and First peak (4610 ft). Our long snack break was right by the Little Wilson Creek. We made it back right before the weather turned. Which allowed us to introduce camper-favorite activity: Whittling! Armed with knives, wood blocks, Kevlar gloves, and knowledge on blood circles, most of the campers dove right into their custom projects. One camper mentioned a water snake that was hiding behind the bathroom trashcan, and everyone ran over to watch Drew try and get it out. It was feisty! In the evening, we sat around the campfire and Shep regaled us for 30 minutes with an improvised story so epic that it cannot be described. And when it got dark enough, manhunt started!

Wake-up Crew

Bessie (red), Gertrude (skull cow), Fanny (all black).

Our Camp

Map Skills!

Bathroom Water Snake

Up close with the Ponies

Autumn has lots of experience with horses, and loved getting to see the ponies.

Day 3: Lewis Fork Wilderness (8 miles)

The weather forecast was fluctuating a lot today, so we headed out a little later and hoped for the best. Starting on the Crest Trail, we again got to watch our campsite get smaller and smaller as we climbed the gradual hill. Along the way, we found a great snack spot nestled within a boulder pile with lots of (safe) climbing opportunities. Drew also introduced the group to the game Codeword, where you’re given a secret word/phrase and have to use it without getting caught. Some notable phrases: fat frog legs, laminated licorice, fergalicious, the hills are alive with music, size 13 crocs, and the singing bats of the Caspian Sea. For 20 minutes on this hike we were caught in an intermittent torrential downpour, but that was the only rain we got while hiking, so it was worth it! It did end up being a good lesson on how quickly trenchfoot can set in, and how uncomfortable it can be to hike in wet boots. But they trooped through it! On our return down the Crest Trail, we encountered wild ponies in the woods! And back at camp, we met the fourth and fifth cows in the herd who had been keeping us company. Now that the others were outside the fence, where they belonged, Georgina and her baby, Butters, made an appearance.

Rocky Snack Spot

Annabelle Scaling Boulder

Esme on Top of the World!

(Fisher in the bottom left)

Group Picture!

During a short break in our 20 minute rain storm.

Pony that tried to bite Fisher

Meet Georgina and Butters!

(Featuring Fanny and Gertrude)

Baby Butters!

Day 4: Mount Rogers (8 miles)

Today was the day… time to backpack up to Mount Rogers! We took it easy in the morning, giving our tents time to dry as everyone reorganized their stuff. The only things you take up the mountain are the things you really need! While we relaxed, some campers worked on sketches in their nature journals, others put the finishing touches on their whittling projects. Annabelle and Esme created adorable nature-themed sculptures out of Babybel cheese wax. (Unfortunately no pictures were taken and they melted on the truck’s dash in the hour it took us to unload gear and say goodbye) After a hearty dinner, the hike began! It was an adjustment for some getting used to the pack size, but we made great time heading up to Rogers. Along the way, we stopped at a giant rock that we VERY CAREFULLY climbed up so we could appreciate the view, and get a good look at Mount Rogers from afar. We walked right past our campsite, and became the tallest people in Virginia! For about 45 minutes. We ate a snack, looked for (and found) Weller’s (Plethodon welleri) and Pygmy (Desmognathus wrighti) salamanders, and appreciated the beautiful and rare spruce-fir forest that we were in. Then it was time to backtrack a mile and a half to set up camp! Once everything was settled, we hustled to the top of Pine Mountain to catch the sunset, but instead got an amazing, spooky, experience in heavy fog. We had a quick campfire before heading to bed, tired from the day.

Careful Climb

The view from the top

Drew talking about Salamanders!

Tallest campers in Virginia pt 1

Tallest Campers in Virginia pt 2

Foggy Sunset pt 1

Foggy Sunset pt 2

Fog around Campsite

Weller's Salamander

Day 5: Back to Scales (3.5 miles)

Everyone woke up early today, ready to get back down the mountain. After so many long days, today’s hike was a breeze! And mostly down-hill, so that helped! We made it back to camp by 10:00, did the final pack-up, loaded into the vehicles, and headed down the mountain. When we got back, Lisa had a lovely surprise waiting for us… PIZZA! Goodbyes are a little easier on a full stomach. The staff had a great week, and we hope all our campers felt the same! It felt almost too quiet once all the campers left.

Before Breakfast

Morning Hike

Group Pic (Serious)

Group Pic (Silly)

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. These young adventurers not only stood up the challenge, but had a lot of fun learning each new frontier. On day one, we focused on essential naturalist skills. Campers learned the basics of nature journaling, sketching, field guides and other identification resources, and orienteering. Then, we traveled to a lookout on Iron Mountain for an entomological lesson; how to use aerial nets, how to identify the stranger groups of bugs, and how we preserve the pinned insects in our collections. After dinner, a driving rain held us back for a while, but made for an exceptional night to search for salamanders. As the drought ended, the forest floor was covered in the globally renowned density of salamanders Mt. Rogers has to share. We caught dozens, saw hundreds, and watched around seven different species in their unique habitats. They included giant, semiaquatic and newly described (just two years ago, in 2022) Kanawha Blackbelly Salamanders, the charismatic, golden-striped Blue Ridge Two-lined Salamanders, and a special encounter with the fragile Northern Pygmy Salamander, a contender for the smallest salamander species on the planet.

A Northern Pygmy Salamander, posing beside a single, budding flower of the parasitic Ghost Pipes plant.

Day two was Backcountry Day, where we started out learning some primitive skills. Starting with shelter-building, we climbed a steep slope behind the Schoolhouse to a plateau where the forest was covered in fallen leaf litter and deadfall branches. As a rainstorm rolled in, we constructed a lean-to sturdy enough for one person. The light rain was a perfect opportunity to check for leaks in the shelter, patched with armfuls of dead leaves. But since the rain picked up in intensity, and there were a lot more than the one of us that would fit in our shelter, we bushwhacked our way back down the mountain. On our scrambling descent, one camper excitedly remarked, “This feels like something out of a movie!” as we hurdled giant white pine logs on the steep downhill grade and briskly escaped the brutal downpour.

Shelter-building as the rain began to test our humble abode.

After lunch, we ventured into the higher altitudes, and began our ascent to Whitetop Mountain’s summit, the second highest peak in Virginia. The rain was difficult to avoid, but none of our intrepid explorers let it get the best of them. We explored mossy knolls, found some more salamanders and insects, and wandered amongst sprawling expanses of mountain wood ferns. After hiking the summit, we continued down to Buzzard Rock in the thick fog. We watched some special wildlife emerge from the beech forest as we walked, including multiple White-tailed Deer families of assorted bucks, does, and fawns, the compact, forest-dwelling and endemic rabbit known as the Appalachian Cottontail to wildlife biologists, and a Broad-winged Hawk perched on an electrical wire overlooking Pond Mountain in the distance.

As we crossed the famous meadows of Whitetop Mountain’s grassy bald ecosystems toward the overlook, the fog lifted and we were able to look out across a spectacular cloud inversion. A landscape photographer’s dream, the cloud inversion gave us the feeling of standing on a “sky island” with a sea of clouds coating the valleys far into North Carolina and Tennessee in the distance. At the rock, we took a look at some medicinal plants, including the fragrant “jellico root,” the folk name for Mountain Angelica (Angelica triquinata). We ended the day with s’mores around the campfire, and a successful search for Eastern Screech Owls behind the Blue Ridge Discovery Center.

Drew Morris going over some kayaking safety rules.

Not a bad view for an early morning paddle.

Release of a young Common Snapping Turtle, watched by eager snorkelers.

Paddle high-five while “canoeing” by kayak.

Day three was Water Day, where we prepared skills we use on kayaking expeditions. The morning began with an early morning lesson in paddling on a small local lake, where we explored the peaceful water and mysterious bays of the lake. We saw a curious river otter, ravens soaring overhead, the frightened, shore-dwelling spotted sandpipers, and swarms of beautiful dragonflies with unique names like “Spangled Skimmer” and “Calico Pennant” to describe their myriads of colors. After kayaking, everyone had a chance to snorkel in the lake. Some of the sightings were gurgled out in excited exclamations through snorkel masks. Schools of brook trout, the whiskered fry of bullhead catfish, and enormous snapping turtles were all observed gliding under the crystal-clear water. After a lunch at the takeout, we returned to the Center.

In search of the in-”seine”-ly cool macroinvertebrates that live beneath the fast and cold riffles of Big Laurel Creek.

We immediately ventured down to Big Laurel Creek, where naturalist-educator Brendan Murphy led a lesson about capturing and identifying aquatic macroinvertebrates. Campers caught the aquatic nymphs of caddisflies, stoneflies, mayflies and other strange insects like water penny beetles and cranefly larvae. A plethora of non-insects also made an appearance, from dozens of crayfish to unique, stream-dwelling fish like Banded Sculpins (Cottus carolinae) with their genetic ties to deep-sea oddities, and Fantail Darters (Etheostoma flabellare) that guard nests of eggs glued to smooth river stones. Before dinner, we also hiked out to a local “fishing hole” on director Lisa Benish’s property, where campers had the opportunity to fly fish or catch butterflies, depending on their preference. A few patient campers were successful while fly fishing and had a chance to catch bluegill and largemouth bass.

Bluegill on the fly.

After dinner, we hiked the Appalachian Trail to a rocky outcrop and watched a sunset as ominous as it was beautiful sink down over Clinch Mountain in the west. We also had a wonderful campfire, making “biscuits-on-a-stick,” one of our most delicious backwoods desserts, while picking and singing some of the old bluegrass, folk and old-time songs that are beloved in the Konnarock valley.

Our final morning started at dawn, with a birding expedition to the South Fork of the Holston River. Despite the lull in bird activity for late summer, we were surrounded by the songs and appearances of a few dozen native birds. Among others, we watched a Bald Eagle soar downriver, a pair of Belted Kingfishers hunting, and a Double-crested Cormorant blast over the wetlands. Everyone left camp with high spirits and improved outdoor skills, and we’re confident everyone who attended is ready to take on bigger expeditions in the future.

As a personal anecdote, this trip spurred the realization that this might be the last overnight expedition camp I’ll be guiding at the BRDC. For five years, I’ve been involved with this organization since current director Lisa Benish and former director Aaron Floyd invited me into this extremely special project. I’ll definitely miss these adventures, and the chance to watch how quickly the kids who have a chance to participate in these programs develop real, applicable knowledge for their own adventures in the woods and waters of these ancient mountains. I’m honored to be a part of these uniquely immersive programs, and I’m thankful I’ve had the chance to learn many lessons on each of these expeditions as I teach different lessons to budding naturalists and other explorers. The positive changes just keep rolling, and I’m excited to see what is happening at this special place every time that I return.

New River Expedition 2024

Last Wednesday, 12 campers and 4 naturalist educators headed out on a 29.5 mile journey down the New River…. and what a trip it was!

Day 1: Wagoner Access to Riverbend (1.5 miles)

The naturalist educators spent the morning putting the finishing touches on all the efficiently-packed gear we’d assembled over the past week (shout out to Cade and Brendan) and enjoyed a quick, quiet lunch before the craziness of the next few days! Campers and their adults started rolling up to the schoolhouse at 2:00PM for check in. This year we had a full roster! After tossing everyone’s personal gear into the bed of the truck, doing some introductions, and reviewing rules, we headed to our starting point an hour and a half away. Drew gave the campers a quick run-down on water safety (emergency whistles, paddle signals, etc) and then the adventure really began! Within the first 10 minutes, we saw a beaver (Castor canadensis) swimming by the shoreline! 1.5 miles passed in the blink of an eye, and we were pulling up on the shores of our first campsite. Riverbend is remote- no cell service, an outhouse a half mile away, and no water source. But that’s what makes it everyone’s favorite! Cade took some campers fly fishing, others waded for crayfish (we’ll never forget Kyle Crawdad, who’s a failure for committing tax fraud). After a delicious walking taco dinner, we crowded around the campfire and told stories- some silly, some scary. And of course, ate s’mores!

Fly Fishing with Naturalist Educator Cade

Day 2: Riverbend to 221 Access (8 miles)

You know it’s going to be a great day when you wake up to the smell of pancakes and bacon! We’re so spoiled in the first 24 hours of NRE. The theme of today’s journey? SWIMMING! All three of our stopping points were great swimming spots. Ariel’s Riptide has a strong current great for floating, or fighting your way upstream. Trying to perch on Ariel’s rock is a balancing act not for the faint of heart. After limboing under the low-bridge, we spent our lunch hour snorkeling and trying to grab an elusive northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon). Right before the end of our day, we stopped at a wide, shallow stretch with shady shores to go fly fishing and search for macroinvertebrates. Plus we saw plenty of bluehead chub (Nocomis leptocephalus) nests! When we pulled up to 221, the kids demonstrated their impressive bucket brigading skills to get ALL of our gear (kayaks and canoes included) to our campsite. We had a relaxing evening of games before we explored 221’s trails in the dark. We didn’t have any luck calling in a barred owl (Strix varia) on our walk, but one started calling as soon as we got back to camp! Throughout the night, bold raccoons (Procyon lotor) wandered through our camp, trying to get their paws on our precious food buckets… and skillfully avoiding Drew sleeping in one of the canoes. 

Ariel’s Rock (under Naturalist Educator Olivia) and Riptide

Day 3: 221 Access to Allegheny Access (15 miles)

Today, we were hustling. Going 15 miles in a day is no easy feat. And the campers handled it like champs. Our first break was at the big rock, before our first real rapid. These rapids are split into two paths: one goes straight downriver but is steep and rocky, the other has a sharp turn but is full of water that creates a quick current. Last year taught us to take the sharp turn! Our next stop in the day was very different- a calm, wide stretch of river when we rafted up and did drive-thru PB&Js. Last, but not least, we made it to Old Rusty’s Falls, our second major rapid. Named affectionately after our first river camp session last year, when Cade and Olivia capsized the canoe and lost our stove in the river. The kids made it look easy! And we know from our Rusty recovery mission during our second session that it's a great swimming spot to cool down towards the end of a long day. When we finally paddled into Allegheny Access and unloaded everything, everyone was dead tired. So we took a nice long break and then ate a hearty dinner. Our evening was filled with a nature walk (collecting chanterelles that we cooked up), sculpting mud faces, manhunt, and riddles! Plus, admiring the special New River candle that Cade makes for every river camp out of a decorated can and Baby Bell cheese wax. We were all so tired that nobody stayed up too late!

Campers learned about the importance of accurate mushroom ID- some were fooled by Jack-o-lantern mushrooms!

The Sprouts

by Esme

Granny

by Olivia

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

by Annabelle

Day 4: Allegheny Access to 93 Bridge (4 miles)

Our last day! Time passes so quickly on the river. No crazy rapids or huge distance in front of us today (and some of us still sore from yesterday’s miles), we weren’t in any rush to make it to the end of our trip. We made time for a last game of battleship and enjoyed some bird watching. When we did make it to 93 Bridge, the snack feast began! All our leftover snacks and food were up for grabs (and man did they disappear quickly). And then we loaded our gear up and headed back to BRDC.

Our final raft-up, right before we reached 93 Bridge. We struggled a little to get the right formation, but it came together in the end! Every person shared their favorite part of the trip.

Another amazing New River Expedition in the books- even knowing the route, the river is different every time. We couldn't have asked for a better crew, better weather, or better river conditions, and are excited for next year’s trip already!

The whole 2024 gang! (Not pictured: Mrs. Lisa, transporter of gear and boats!)

A Journey to the Virginia Museum of Natural History

A fossil cast of the Giant Beaver (Castoroides ohioensis), constructed by VMNH paleontologists Alton Dooley, Raymond Vodden, and their students, that would have inhabited the saline marshes of Saltville during the Pleistocene. Unlike modern beavers that cut trees and construct complex structures, the animal fed peacefully on aquatic plants like a bear-sized muskrat.

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? Other earth sciences, included.

Our recreation of Whitetop Mountain, the Blue Ridge Discovery Center, K-Rock and Whitetop Station, including the surrounding watersheds on the VMNH interactive topographic map, a fun example of cartography for children of all ages.

We made it to Martinsville as the Virginia Museum of Natural History opened and spent the day exploring the exhibits. Exhibits varied from cultural and geological, to specific accounts of species found locally and abroad. The museum’s many maps, taxidermized specimens, and interactive exhibits were built for a much larger facility, but we took a plenty of ideas, notes and photos back with us. Each exhibit, from digitized displays for interchangeable insect collections to a paleontology lab complete with a field equipment flatlay, were added to our archive of brainstorming. A wide perspective is important as we begin construction on the new, public Visitor’s Center at Blue Ridge Discovery Center.

A Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) we found beside a gravel road just before dusk.

After visiting the museum, Olivia graciously invited us to stay at her family’s cabin in the Ridge and Valley area along the Roanoke River. Big thanks to fellow naturalist Olivia Jackson and her family for enabling us to effectively make this trek to the museum. We had a cookout that evening and explored some Piedmont nature before returning to the Center the following morning.

Carboniferous fern fossils from the Grundy exhibit (Alethopteris sp.)

Interestingly, Southwest Virginia had a dominant presence throughout the museum. Compared to many other parts of the state, the museum featured the region prominently. The megafauna fossils of Saltville, and the Carboniferous fossils of Grundy coal seams each had their own specific exhibits, named for the towns. Interestingly, there was little to no recent natural history of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Southwest Virginia, despite the world-class biodiversity present here.

This changing exhibit featured the current and past researchers collaborating with the museum, relevant specimens, and information about their individual work. A version of this exhibit might be displayed at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center.

Not only did we gain ideas about how to share information about the greater Mt. Rogers ecosystem from the style of the museum’s exhibits, we also were able to learn what new and unique opportunities that the Blue Ridge Discovery Center can provide that are not displayed at this museum. Pursuing our mission to remain a world-class facility to teach about local natural history, we have the opportunity to build exhibits with “secrets” from the high-elevation Blue Ridge Mountains that the VMNH and other interpretive institutions have not yet displayed.

A Six-Lined Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata), that made an appearance at a blackberry-picking stop we made before crossing back into the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Summer Butterfly Count

Every year, BRDC conducts  the summer butterfly survey to monitor species and the condition of their habitat. We look for changes that occur on a year-by-year basis. One of, if not the largest, threat to butterfly populations is loss of habitat- whether that loss is due to human destruction, introduction of invasive species, pesticide use, etc.

Last Wednesday, five teams headed out in search of butterflies… and butterflies we did find! All together, we saw 30 species and 814 individuals! Most of the species we saw were typical for this time of year and location. Cabbage whites and clouded sulphurs had a pretty big lead on the other species. Our next top two are groups of species that can be very tricky to identify in the field. Due to some unknown IDs, we combined them together. “Azure sp.” includes spring, summer, and dusky azures of the genus Celestrina. “Tiger swallowtail sp.” includes Eastern and Appalachian tiger swallowtails. The next three species are different fritillaries, two on the larger side (great spangled and aphrodite) and one smaller (meadow). And last of the top 8, the silver-spotted skipper!

Summer Butterfly Count: Top species

Even though it wasn’t our top species last week, let’s learn a little more about Virginia’s state butterfly, the Eastern tiger swallowtail! ETSs are usually pretty easy to find. In fact, they are too-often seen flitting across roads and into oncoming traffic! They like to fly high and aren’t picky about their habitat- generally preferring deciduous forests and streams, but venturing into other areas that have ample food sources. Its range extends all up and down the east coast (except the northern part of Maine), and far into the midwest. Females head into the forests to lay their eggs when it's time. Like many butterfly species, they have a host plant that they trust to feed their young. For ETSs, species in the magnolia and rose family are where it's at. Specifically, yellow poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera) and wild cherries (Prunus avium). Compared to other butterflies, they are on the large side. Most have yellow wings with black tiger striping, and orange and shimmery blue accents by their long tails. Females have significantly more blue and orange- on males it's just the tiniest splotches.

Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Notice the small patches of orange and blue where the hindwings touch.

Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Notice the blue is spread across the entire back on the hind wing. Orange spots are about the same size as on male.

But, of course, identification isn’t always that easy! There is another species of butterfly that looks almost identical to the ETS- the Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio appalachiensis). ATSs are only active in spring, so in summer and fall it’s most likely an ETSs. But in that spring window, identification is near impossible without catching your speicman. ATSs are usually said to be a little larger, a slightly paler yellow, with less blue accenting on the hind wing. Even looking at a specimen of each side-by-side, it can be near impossible to see the difference due to species variations.

But wait- let’s add another layer into the identification issue before the end of this blog post. Here in Virginia, we also have dark-morph ETS females. Instead of a yellow base color, they are light black with undertones of yellow peeking through. They also have a slightly different pattern on the underside of their hindwing. This morph mimics the coloration of the pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor), which is extremely toxic. Batesian mimicry is a useful adaptation for convincing predators that you’re toxic too! Other species in the “dark swallowtail” complex are Eastern black swallowtails (Papilio polyxenes) and spicebush swallowtails (Papilio troilus).

Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail- dark morph. Black tiger stripes are still visible.

Ornithology Camp 2024

Cedar Waxwing

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.

Researching tree swallow nesting habits.

Day one was spent learning tips and tricks to use optics (binoculars, spotting scope), how to use a field guide to identify birds, and how to find and journal about birds in the wetland. We had lots of good views of twelve species of common highland birds, including Red-winged Blackbird, Indigo Bunting, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch, and Pileated Woodpecker. For the first day and a half, local ornithologist Bobby Riggs shared his birding expertise in the area and across the U.S., talking about raptors and each of the biomes we would be visiting with a presentation from the Virginia Ornithological Society featuring his study. After dinner, we played some bird-related games, and announced the challenge for each young birder to research a species and think of a creative way to share their information with peers. We ended the day with s’mores around a campfire, followed by a high-elevation search for Northern Saw-whet Owls on Whitetop Mountain at night.

Northern Saw Whet Owl survey in the spruce forest of Whitetop Mountain.

Day two was an early start, and we loaded up the van on the way to Fairwood Valley just after daybreak. We stopped at Grindstone Campground to search for neotropical migrants; the tiny colorful birds that make a cross-continental journey to the cove forests of Mt. Rogers. In the dark thickets of rhododendron, Sam spotted a singing male Magnolia Warbler (considered a rarity at this time of year in the state), and after that the forest exploded into warbler songs and territorial battles. Black-throated Blue Warbler, Canada Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler and American Redstart among many others were showing off in the dense, chilly forest. The alien songs of the cinnamon-colored thrush called a Veery filled the forest. One even chased the green light of our laser pointer, just like a pet house cat! Once we found as many species as time would allow, we traveled to Homestead Road to look for some other mountain-dwelling species. At the top of the ridge, a fire-colored Blackburnian Warbler sang in the canopy of white pine trees, an Eastern Wood-Pewee was sallying for stoneflies over the road, and we got excellent looks at a male Hooded Warbler angrily chipping at us, before turning back down the long, gravel road towards Konnarock.

Hooded Warbler

After stopping back at the Center for lunch, we crossed Iron Mountain in the van and ventured off to Saltville. In Chilhowie, we picked up a hitchhiker with his thumb extended on the side of the road (in typical hitchhiker fashion); it was Bobby Riggs. There, we followed the ancient route of mastodons and woolly mammoths on the Helen Barbrow trail, where Osage Orange trees were loaded with poisonous, glue-filled fruit, swamp hibiscus, and saltmarsh bulrushes grow in the only inland, saltwater habitats in the Appalachian Mountains. Here, we found Green Herons hunting in the swampy fringes of degraded wetlands, a Great Blue Heron hunting bluegill, a pair of Belted Kingfishers, a female Orchard Oriole, a vibrant male Scarlet Tanager singing from a snag, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, and Killdeer in addition to other low-elevation birds. As we crossed a clearing beside the wellfields, Noah spotted a “lost” seabird flying low over the water, a Black Tern!

Black Tern

As everyone watched the out-of-place bird fighting against a light rain, it dove repeatedly to catch mosquitofish in the rippling, muddy waters in a needle-like bill. Black Terns are small, elegant seabirds that normally spend the breeding season inland across the Canadian boreal forest and plains, where they build floating nests of reeds in clear, remote lakes. This tern evidently decided to travel south early to spend at least a day hunting over the brackish water of Saltville, giving everyone a chance to see a very rare bird for Southwest Virginia. After watching the tern dance over the water, we were rushed back to the van by a powerful downpour. The young birders were intrepid explorers and didn’t let it bother them. Back at the Center, we hiked to the Benish property and had amazing views of a pair of Ovenbirds, a drumming Hairy Woodpecker, and a screeching Broad-winged Hawk that circled low overhead. We finished the day with a campfire, singing and playing some old Appalachian bluegrass and old-time songs, and a successful owling trip behind the Center, calling in a family of Eastern Screech Owls that spent a few minutes swooping from tree to tree overhead.

“Biscuits-on-a-stick” around the campfire

Day three started bright and early, at 5:30 AM! We ate breakfast on the road and rode the van to Elk Garden for a Golden-winged Warbler survey. Each young birder had the opportunity to take the data about the habitat and notable species as we hiked between boulders, blueberry bushes, and brambles. Black-capped Chickadee (not the usual, common Carolina Chickadee in the area), the endemic Carolina Dark-eyed Junco, a tiny and inconspicuous Least Flycatcher, great views of a Common Yellowthroat, and several other new birds were found on the mountain. After the survey was complete, we ventured up to Whitetop Mountain and located birds that only breed in the spruce-fir forest and other high-elevation conifer forests and balds in Virginia, found nowhere else in the state (at least in the summer). Among these birds were very friendly Red-breasted Nuthatches, Golden-crowned Kinglets chattering to each other in the spires of red spruce trees, a Yellow-rumped Warbler in breeding plumage, a singing Hermit Thrush, and a flyover Common Raven! We also had amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains spanning toward Tennessee and North Carolina in the morning light, before returning for lunch. Before leaving, we saw a large flock of tiny Pine Siskins, and a small flock of large, Appalachian (Type 1) Red Crossbills. Both are nomadic finches that depend on cold, coniferous forests to survive. Few exist in the South, but the spruce forest on Whitetop Mountain provides a refuge for both species to thrive, even in a year with a bad cone crop.

Dark-eyed Junco, “Carolina” subspecies

After lunch, another local ornithologist Dr. Steven Hopp joined us for a presentation about bird behavior and nesting ecology, and his long-term research with vireos. There were many great stories about birds from the Appalachians of Virginia and around the world, accompanied by the many photos, sounds, and data Dr. Hopp has collected locally and abroad. After the presentation, we made field trip to the South Fork of the Holston River.

Dr. Hopp teaching important aspects of bird behavior, by pointing out a pair of Downy Woodpeckers feeding on a nest of turfgrass ants.

We walked through a walnut orchard and hayfields on the Bishop farm in the valley. Our first bird was a male American Kestrel, North America’s smallest falcon hovering over the grasses with blue-and-orange wings. The attention was quickly stolen by a beautiful Red-headed Woodpecker (not to be confused with the other, more common species incorrectly called “red-headed woodpeckers”). Purple Martins hunted over the field, tiny Blue-gray Gnatcatchers hissed at us from a wild cherry tree hanging over the river, and Dr. Hopp pointed out the leaf-like, almost-invisible Warbling Vireo singing high in a sycamore tree. Once we returned, each of the students shared their own presentations, drawing inspiration from the visiting ornithologists. The day ended with a final campfire with baked apples, and a search for Barred Owls in Fairwood Valley.

Red-headed Woodpecker

Day four was the final morning trip. With eighty-five species, we tried to get to a hundred. Most of the bird species found in Southwest Virginia were checked off on our large, double-poster master species list for the camp. Our final destination was the Buller Fish Hatchery land, with wetland habitats and warmer cove forests. We had some amazing finds here, including a male Baltimore Oriole mobbing a Bald Eagle, a freshly hatched Wood Duck ducklings and their mothers, a signing Wood Thrush, an Acadian Flycatcher in the hemlock trees across the river, and great looks at a singing Black-and-White Warbler foraging vertically on the tree trunk. Our last species was found in the pastures of St. Clair’s Bottom on the way back to the Blue Ridge Discovery Center, an Eastern Meadowlark soaring across the field to land on a barbwire fence, a farewell of encouragement to all the young birders.

“The sweep,” in birder slang. A rushed, last-minute effort to find as many new species as possible, which happened at Buller Fish Hatchery for Ornithology Camp 2024.

We want to extend a big thanks and acknowledgement to the Blue Ridge Birders and Naturalist Rally attendees for supporting the William Roberts Ornithology Camp scholarship, to make this camp possible for local kids interested in birds and wildlife in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Springtime Salamanders

The mountains are finally warming up, and the forests are starting to come alive with some of our favorite critters! Salamanders have long been a staple species for us here at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center and have been a fan favorite for decades at the Mount Rogers Naturalist Rallies. Since we’re getting into our peak season for these beautiful creatures, we’ll be sharing some fun facts about the ecological importance of salamanders as well as highlighting some of our favorite species along the way. 

With over 75 distinct species, the Southern Appalachian Mountains hold the highest species diversity of salamanders in the world! This is due to the wide variety of ecosystems in these mountains and the uniquely fragmented habitats found throughout this region. Deep dark caves, roaring rivers, seasonal wetlands, and high mountain peaks, are just a few of the habitats that these stunning salamanders call home. 

Within these habitats, you can find several families of salamanders. The most abundant of these are the Lungless Salamanders (Plethodontidae), this family includes the majority of our local salamanders including Duskies (Desmognathus), Slimy/Mountain Salamanders (Plethodon), and Brook Salamanders (Eurycea). However, not all of our local species are lungless, with the primary exceptions being Mole Salamanders (Ambystomatidae), Newts (Salamandridae), and the mighty Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchidae).

Each of these families has unique traits and adaptations that they use to thrive in the habitats that they belong to, so stick around while we dive into some fun facts about some of these wonderful species!

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As seen on our logo here at BRDC, the Blue Ridged Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea Wilderae) acts as our rad representative across all of our branding and is a classic species in this region. As a member of the Brook Salamander family, these semiaquatic sallies spend most of their lives within several hundred feet of the cold streams they grew up in. After hatching from eggs, these salamanders spend the first 1-2 years of their lives as aquatic larvae in cold mountain streams. After their time as a larva is complete, they metamorphosize and journey onto land where they’ll spend the rest of their adult life searching for food, shelter, and moisture!

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The White-spotted Slimy Salamander (Plethodon Cylindraceus) is one of the largest terrestrial salamanders that is commonly found in our region. These forest dwellers lack any larval or aquatic stage, hatching directly into their juvenile form. These black or dark blue individuals have white spots across their backs and towards their belly that resemble stars in the night sky. The slimy salamander complex gets its name from the glue-like secretion that these species release when threatened, which is its primary defense from any would-be predators. Most slimy salamanders never venture more than 30-40 feet from their hatching site, meaning they are both fierce protectors of their territory as well as opportunistic feeders that will prey on anything within their home range, including other members of their own species! 

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One of the most recognizable salamanders found in the southeast, the Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus Viridescens) is well known for its bright colors and its relaxed temperament. Their vibrant colors not only make them easy to find, but also warns predators of the toxicity that these salamanders utilize as their main defense mechanism. These famous critters are quite unique in that they are triphasic, meaning they have three distinct phases in life. The first phase is their larval stage, where they live in ponds, vernal pools, wetlands, and slow moving streams. After this they metamorphosize into their juvenile stage. It’s in this stage where they live terrestrially, turn to their classic bright orange or red and take on a new name as an eft. Their third and final stage is their adult form, where they turn to a green/brown color and return to the water as an aquatic species to reproduce. All in all, these newts can live for over 15 years in the wild!

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Behold the mythical Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis). These fully aquatic salamanders are the largest amphibians in North America and can grow up to 30 inches long! These rare creatures can be found in only the most pristine waters, as they need a perfect balance of cold water, suitable nesting habitat, a large abundance of food, and pollution free water. Hellbenders are known as an indicator species, because their presence in a waterway means that the ecosystem is healthy, and if these populations decline or disappear you know that water quality has been compromised. These creatures have more nicknames then most and have been called lasagna sides, Alleghany alligators, mud devils, and snot otters!

Happy Bee-lated World Bee Day

We all love bees for the enormous role they play as pollinators. Over a third of the food we eat is thanks to these incredibly hard workers, as well as nearly all flowers and even many trees. When most people hear about bees, they usually imagine the European Honeybee, Apis mellifera. While this is an extremely important species to us humans, they are far from the only important species of bee out there. In fact, over 20,000 other species of bees have been described! Here in the US, more than 750 species can be found east of the Mississippi River. About a quarter of our native bees are specialists, meaning they have coevolved with a specific host plant to feed from and transfer pollen between its flowers. Without these native bees, a huge diversity of native wildflowers would disappear.

This Dunning’s Miner, Andrena dunningi, is taking a quick rest on a guide’s hand. As their name suggests, mining bees are ground-nesters. Females dig narrow burrows, preferably in clay soil. Although they are solitary nesters, several females will often construct nests near one another. These small bees overwinter as adults in their brood cells and emerge in early spring. While many mining bees are specialists, the Dunning’s miner is happy to visit several different families of spring blooms.

Despite being the poster child of Apoidea (the bee family), the European Honeybee is actually not very representative of the rest of the bees. While a few other species have social nests (the bumble bees and a handful of sweat bees), the majority of our native bees construct solitary nests or even just a few dispersed brood cells without a nest at all. Even in these social nests, there may be several fertile females that work together to raise their young rather than a single queen. Most bees nest underground, in plant stems, or in tree cavities and pack brood cells with enough rations to feed a larva to adulthood. The female will then lay a single egg in each and seal it off. These species are usually univoltine, meaning they have one generation every year. The larvae only eat the provisions their mothers stored for them before they pupate and emerge as adults the next year

The Spine-Shouldered Cellophane Bee, Colletes simulans, is a Goldenrod specialist. Like the rest of the Cellophane Bees, they nest underground in dry, sandy soil. This group of bees get their name from a plastic-like wax the females secrete that they use to line their nest, holding up the walls and making them waterproof.

There are many important pollinator species- butterflies and moths, flies, beetles, even some birds and bats. All of these species visit flowers to drink from its nectar and sometimes graze on pollen, then “accidentally” transport pollen between flowers. Bees are unique in their behavior of collecting and moving pollen on purpose. Female bees collect large quantities of protein-rich pollen and carbohydrate-rich nectar to provision her brood cells. As she visits flowers, she collects pollen in her pollen basket, commonly found either on the hind legs or under the abdomen. Upon visiting a new flower, she drops off some pollen she is already carrying to make room to pick up more. This results in very high rates of pollen exchange, helping the plant successfully fertilize its seeds.

This Two-spotted Bumblebee, Bombus bimaculatus, is collecting pollen from a sneezeweed aster. Perhaps the best known group of native bee, the bumblebees are adept pollinators. Most species are generalists and are active the entire growing season. Thanks to their long proboscis and robust build, they are able to access flowers with concealed nectaries. They are also some of the only native bees that live in eusocial nests made of a queen and her daughters.

In 2006, news broke of a crisis to bees- Colony Collapse Disorder. Data from beekeepers showed a decline of nearly a third of honeybee populations from 1989 to 2008. Several factors were identified including over-application of pesticides, the introduction of the Varroa mite to European honeybees, and the several disease outbreaks from hive transportation. Since 2008, honeybee populations have been recovering thanks to many of these threats being identified and mitigated. While this is a great success story for the domestic honeybees, research into our native bees’ populations is only just beginning. In addition to many of the same threats, native bees also suffer from habitat loss, resource scarcity, and competition with introduced species. In very recent years, lots of important research is being published, putting native bees in the spotlight of conservation efforts.

The Pugnacious Leafcutter Bee, Megachile pugnata, is an Aster family specialist. Female leafcutters use their large shear-like mandibles to cut circular flakes from leaves, which she uses to line her brood cells. Rather than a single nest with several brood cells, leafcutters typically build several dispersed brood cells in dead, hollow plant stems and other preexisting holes in plants.

If you have a garden, you can help support native bees just by being a lazy gardener. Instead of pulling weeds, do a quick search to see if that plant supports native species and only remove the invasive weeds. Try to support a variety of native wildflowers. Leave clippings on the edges of the garden to provide habitat and resources to nest-building bees. And avoid using toxic pesticides- by supporting a variety of species, they may begin to self-regulate. But an easy way we can all help out the native bees is just by learning a little about them, and checking in on them once in a while. So take a moment this spring and summer to appreciate some of nature’s hardest workers for all the beeauty they make possible.

50th Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally

First and foremost: THANK YOU!

Thank you to everyone who came out this past weekend to celebrate 50 years of the Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally! Now you too are a part of the amazing history of this event! If you didn’t get a chance to hear Lisa share some of that history, take a look below….

Konnarock Training School and Medical Cottage from a distance.

Things have changed a bit since the rally started back in 1975. Initially a wildflower walk put on by the Wilderness Road Garden Club and the MR Planning District Commission, attendance was pretty low for the first two years. To try and spark some more interest, a bird walk and salamander walk were added in 1977. Wallace Coffey designed the format, secured the speakers and field trip leaders, worked with the forest service, and chaired the MRNR committee for the first five years.

After determining that May was the best time of year, and getting permission from the Forest Service to use the “Spike Camp” (aka Schoolhouse), the naturalist rally we know today was born! In 1984, the rally moved from the schoolhouse to the Konnarock Community Center after the floor collapsed in the chapel. Field trips still met around the schoolhouse building though. In 2012, Carrie Sparks and the Friends of Mt. Rogers passed the torch to BRDC. And in 2022, the rally returned to the fully-restored schoolhouse!

Dr. Steven Hopp and his group went up to Whitetop Mountain to look for raptors and other birds, exploring the different habitats and soaking in some lovely views.

So many people donated their time and energy to make sure everything went smoothly this weekend. And we want to extend a HUGE thank you to all of them! We couldn’t do it without you. The goal of the rallies has always been to foster a sense of community, and every year that community grows a little bit. Twenty seven guides shared their knowledge and passion with us by leading programs both day and night that covered a wide range of topics- edible plants, insects, small mammals, geology, nature journaling, salamanders, astronomy and more! We had a bluegrass jam on Friday night and the amazing Dr. Kevin Hamed gave a wonderful presentation on the salamanders of the MRNRA, Saturday night.

Making sure 160+ participants have something to do is no easy feat! Twelve volunteers (and BRDC staff) ran the kitchen, parked cars, helped people pick programs, and cleaned up. And so many donors provided raffle prizes or food.

Carrie Sparks stepped in and led an edible plant walk around BRDC’s campus at the last minute. It was great to have her back, and very fitting considering her history with the rally!

By purchasing raffle tickets, you helped raise over $1,000 for camp scholarships! Thank you so much for supporting the local community and getting these kids an immersive, unique, outdoor experience.

Some of our many raffle prizes, generously donated.

And while staff didn’t get a chance to experience the adult programs, we know that the kids had a blast on Saturday at kids programming- We had our largest turnout yet! They drew in nature journals, played ecology games like raptors and rabbits, got in the stream, made our own fish to catch, and roasted some marshmallows for s’mores!

Recent Sightings of the Blue Ridge

Recent Sightings of the Blue Ridge

By Cade Campbell - Pre-MRNR, Spring 2024

West Virginia White nectaring on Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) along Della’s Branch. Photo by Cade Campbell.

As anticipation builds for the 50th Spring Mt. Rogers Naturalist Rally, there are some species reappearing on the landscape to add to the excitement. During our programs for local schools over the past few weeks, the full force of spring has shared some special moments and special residents that call our Virginia mountains home.

The federally-threatened West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis) butterflies are abundant in the forests behind the Schoolhouse searching for toothwort plants to lay their eggs. They’re easily recognized as the only solid-white butterfly found in the state of Virginia, and the dwindling species is endemic to the Appalachian Mountains. Look for them in sun-dappled areas of cove forest with lots of spring ephemeral wildflowers. The invasive-exotic garlic mustard is lethal to these butterflies but smell like their caterpillars’ favorite foods, other plants in the cabbage family. Our habitats around Whitetop Mountain composed of intact native plant communities are essential for the butterfly’s survival.

A Margined Madtom (Noturus insignis) captured accidentally during an aquatic macroinvertebrates program with Fries School. Photo by Cade Campbell.

Underwater, life is also thriving. Fish are entering the breeding season, moving from deep pools into the shallow waters where they’re easily visible. One of the more unusual fish we’ve been noticing recently with stream ecology programs is the tiny, mildly-venomous catfish known as the Margined Madtom (Noturus insignis). They’re only found in rushing water full of smooth stones with crevices and crayfish burrows. To protect themselves from the wide gape of larger fish, particularly trout, they’re armed with painful, needle-like pectoral barbs. When handled, they can leave a sharp, swollen pinprick, the aquatic equivalent of a bee sting. Margined madtoms are easily distinguished from other native catfish by eel-like, black-fringed fins and a silver, scaleless body, seldom growing more than six inches in length.

The large Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylis) nymph, an excellent leaf mimic.

Dragonflies are also emerging. Nymphs are large and ready to climb onto land, shedding hollow exuviae and drying into fast and bloodthirsty aerial predators. The largest native dragonfly, the Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylis), is one of the most charismatic. An impressive hunter that mainly captures other dragonflies, they can take down prey as large as a hummingbird. The aquatic nymphs are very different. The palm-sized juveniles are leaf-mimics, and hide flattened in clusters of sycamore and boxelder roots in larger streams where they eat other aquatic macroinvertebrates. Large, spider-like Allegheny River Cruisers (Macromia alleghaniensis) are also preparing to emerge. Both a Dragonhunter and River Cruiser nymph from this spring are pinned in the library collections. In the colder, smaller and more inhospitable waters of Della’s Branch, the delicate, golden-striped Southern Pygmy Clubtail (Lanthus vernalis) is emerging camouflaged against shimmering riffles as the creek flows through dense rhododendron thickets.

The mother Eastern Black Bear (Ursus americanus) beckoning her last cub to escape into the woods, just before the entire family vanished back into the hillside forests of Fairwood Valley.

Black bears are back! We observed a healthy family of bears in Fairwood Valley last week. The mother successfully raised three cubs last year we observed several times throughout the year, and they will remain a nomadic family unit this year. Early mornings and evenings are the best time to see bears foraging, but it is an unusual treat. Unlike other, more populous areas in the Southern Appalachians, the bears found in the Mt. Rogers region are rarely habituated, or accustomed to humans. Most are still very reclusive and fearful of humans, and it’s a unique privilege to see one of these truly wild bears. Since they utilize ancient strategies to find food, instead of raiding dumpsters, coolers, and picnic baskets, black bear signs are abundant. Right now, many black bears survive the surprisingly lean spring season by flipping rocks in streams to hunt salamanders, similar to herpetological adventures at the rally. However, unlike the humans attending our programs, bears are allowed to eat the salamanders.

Be aware of your surroundings, and you may get the chance to see some amazing creatures! The Spring Rally is a wonderful time to explore, with a host of experts to help you identify and understand some of Virginia’s strangest and most biodiverse communities of wildlife on a rejuvenated spring landscape. If you have not yet registered for the rally, you can do so below. The big weekend is almost here, and we hope to see you on the mountain.

Wildflower Walk Recap

If you didn’t get a chance to join us on our wildflower walk last Sunday, here’s your chance to live vicariously through pictures! After a bit of back and forth on the best location, we ended up just outside of Fries on the New River Trail. Led by Carol Broderson, our expert on wildflowers, and Amy Boucher, a member of the Friends of New River Trail, we learned some history about the area and then dove right in. 

Group walking on the New River Trail, in an area with many invasive species.

Immediately after starting, Carol pointed out that the predominant species around us were non-natives or invasives that thrive in highly disturbed areas. If you’ve ever walked the Creeper trail in Abingdon, it would look very similar. We saw European honeysuckle, purple deadnettle, garlic mustard, bedstraw, and asiatic bittersweet (to name a few). The best way to manage these species? Stop them from establishing! Removing them is significantly more costly and time consuming than preventing them from showing up! Now that we’ve got that PSA out of the way, here’s what you came for…. the beautiful native wildflowers we did see! 

Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica): One of the earliest wildflowers.

With five white petals covered in delicate pink striping, Virginia spring beauties are very similar to their relative, the Carolina spring beauty (Claytonia caroliniana). Those pink stripes aren’t just pretty, though- they also reflect UV radiation and attract pollinators, like a runway to the stamens! Under the ground they have small, starchy corms, sometimes called fairy spuds, that can be cooked and eaten like potatoes! While we have plenty of Carolina spring beauties around BRDC, this was my first time seeing the Virginias. And I was struck by how tall they were! Another distinguishing feature was their longer, skinnier leaves. Once you’ve seen both in person, it’s much easier to distinguish them.

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum): The apples aren’t ready in May!

Another wildflower that’s hard to mistake for anything else, especially when it forms a large colony. First, one leaf will emerge. Just like a closed umbrella, until it POPS open! Some leaves will grow up to a foot in diameter, with deep lobes. Then some will grow a second leaf, giving them a Y-shaped stalk. Plants with two leaves are capable of  developing a flower right where the two leaves meet. Large and white, with yellow stamens and pistils. Because of its placement, sometimes it can be difficult to see. Later in the season, go back and look for the tasty fruit (if the wildlife left you any)! But be careful- all parts of the mayapple are highly toxic except the ripened fruit!

Eastern Red Columbine ft. a caddisfly from the emergence happening on the New River.

Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis): The wildflower of birds.

The long spurs and red color of the columbine flower are perfect for one of its preferred pollinators- the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). With a long, skinny beak, it has no trouble reaching distant nectaries! Lazy insects, when desperate, may take the easy way out and chew through the petals to reach nectar. This plant will easily hybridize with other non-native, ornamental plants of the same genus. Speaking of genus… its genus name, Aquilegia, comes from the Latin word for eagle- because its spurs look like talons!

Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum): A uniquely-shaped wildflower.

This flower can’t be mistaken for any other here in Virginia. A large green spathe with maroon striping hides a short spadix of flowers. The “Jack” inside the “pulpit”. Pollinated by flies, the best color to attract them is as close to rotting meat as you can get. Individuals can live for more than 25 years, and spread by seed and colonization from their underground corm. Wildlife are very fond of the bunch of tomato-like fruits that they bear in the fall. 

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense): The spicy wildflower.

Just like the ginger we use today, wild ginger root was once used by Indigenous Americans and settlers as a spice. Nowadays we know that it can contain poisonous compounds, so eat at your own risk! The easiest way to find this wildflower is to look for pairs of heart-shaped leaves. The wild ginger flower has evolved to attract flies emerging after winter. Rusty red and hanging low on the ground, flies think it’s a dead animal and walk right in. The mature seeds are coated in oil, as a tasty bribe for ants. Once underground, the ants get their snack and the seed starts to grow.

Wake Robin or Red Trillium (Trillium erectum): The wildflower that ISN’T Toadshade.

As we learned on our walk, the trilliums wake robin and toadshade (Trillium sessile) are often confused with each other. Understandable, as they both have a whorl of three leaves and maroon flowers. The biggest difference? Wake robins have a stalk between their flower and whorl of leaves, which often has the flower angled down towards the ground. For toadshade, the flower sits directly on top of the leaves and opens up to the sky.

If you couldn’t make it this year, hopefully you can join us next year!

Moons of the Year

Before colonization and calendars, Indigenous people used celestial bodies to track the flow of time throughout the year. Here in southwest Virginia, Cherokee tribes of the eastern band of the Cherokee Indians called this place home. The phases of the moon were used to show the passage of time over an approximate month. Each “year” there are approximately 12 full moons. Every tribe had different names for their moons. Take a look at the names they gave our moons- they’re based on seasonal phenomena!

January: Windy Moon

February: Hungry Moon

March: Strawberry/First leaves Moon

April: Duck/Bird Moon

May: Planting Moon

June: Sprouting Moon

July: Corn in Tassel Moon

August: End of Fruit Moon

September: Nut Moon

October: Harvest Moon

November: Hunter Moon

December: Snow Moon

To understand the moon and its cycle, we need to understand our solar system! Our Sun contains 99% of the available matter in our solar system. Having that much mass means that it has a large gravitational pull. When the sun first formed, leftover matter was trapped traveling around it. Some of that matter collided repeatedly, growing in size. At a certain point, it got its own gravity. Having gravity smoothed out its shape, and we got the planets! While the planets were forming, scientists hypothesize that a large asteroid slammed into Earth and knocked off a large chunk of material that later consolidated into our moon.

Lunar Orbit vs the Line of the Ecliptic

Because of the Sun’s gravitational pull, all the planets orbit around it in a single plane. Essentially, our solar system is flat! From Earth, all other planets, the Moon, the zodiac constellations, and the Sun, appear to rise in the east at night and set in the west. This is called the line of the ecliptic. The Moon isn’t perfectly matched up with the line of the ecliptic- it’s about 5 degrees off.

Just like the planets rotate on an axis and orbit around the sun, the moon rotates on its axis and orbits around the Earth. One popular moon myth is that there’s a “dark” side of the moon that humans never see. And to be fair, it’s partially true! Because the moon is tidally locked with the Earth, it rotates once with each orbit it completes. In other words, the same side always faces the Earth even if that side isn’t always dark.

It takes the Moon 27.3 earth days to complete one revolution, or orbit, around the Earth. This consistent cycle is what makes it such a good calendar! The cycle can even be broken down into smaller units, based on the eight major moon phases. These phases occur because the Moon cannot generate its own light, it reflects light from the sun. So its position relative to Earth and the Sun determines how much of the Moon’s surface is visible to us. As the moon orbits in a counter-clockwise direction around Earth, it will appear to grow for two weeks, and then appear to shrink for two weeks. These periods are called waxing and waning.

A new moon occurs when the moon is between the earth and the sun. That means that the moon and sun appear in the same place in the sky- during the day! We don’t get a solar eclipse every time this happens because of the tilt in the lunar orbit. As the moon grows, it reaches its first official phase, the waxing crescent. Next comes the waxing first quarter moon. It rises around noon and sets at midnight. First quarter may be accurate based on the moon’s cycle, but it feels wrong to call it that because it looks like half a moon! Lastly, we have the waxing gibbous. And then we’ve got a full moon, which rises in the east at sunset and sets in the west at dawn. It is opposite to the sun. It takes around 13.65 days for the moon to get through half its cycle. After the full moon, the moon shrinks to a waning gibbous, waning third quarter, waning crescent, and finally back to the new moon! The waning third quarter moon rises around midnight and sets at noon (opposite of the first quarter).

Countdown to the Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally 50th Anniversary!

We are looking forward to our Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally here at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center, but this year is particularly special. It is the 50th Anniversary of the Spring Naturalist Rally; a weekend that has enriched the highlands of Southwest Virginia for decades, long before it has thrived and grown since its convergence with the Blue Ridge Discovery Center. 

Great White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

Today marks the one-month countdown until our exciting weekend of exploring, discovering, and sharing the wonders of our wild and comforting corner of the Blue Ridge. Be sure to PRE-ORDER our limited edition MRNR t-shirts. Each shirt features some of the mountain-dwelling species that draw nature enthusiasts to the region year after year, including the Magnolia Warbler, Great White Trillium, and the Blue Ridge Dusky Salamander. The last day to ensure you’ll have a shirt is this Friday, April 12th. 

THE RALLY will have a variety of field trips including classics like birding, wildflowers, geology, and the iconic Mount Rogers Hike, as well as some newer favorite topics including a tour of the American Chestnut Foundation’s farm, a caving expedition, wildlife rehabilitation, and a weather balloon launch! Check out the registration page for a full list of our programs. Join us Friday night for dinner, music and evening programs. Saturday brings various hikes and kids programs throughout the day with breakfast, lunch and dinner by reservation only. Then our featured speaker, Kevin Hamed, will be discussing native salamanders, what makes them special, and some of their unique conservation stories. Stick around for more nighttime activities as well as Sunday morning hikes. It’s a full weekend of fun for the whole family!

Fifteen Fun Native Fish Facts!

Summer Fly Fishing Camp is back! Join us August 6-10 for a week of tying, casting, and catching! To celebrate the return of this beloved BRDC camp, here’s fifteen fun fish facts, all about some of the awesome freshwater fish found natively here in Virginia’s creeks, streams, and rivers!

1) There are 226 species of freshwater fish in Virginia.

2) Fish in the family Ictaluridae (the catfish family) do not have scales.

3) Fish in the genus Etheostoma (which includes many darters, though ‘darters’ is a broad term that applies to a few genuses) do not have a swim bladder! This helps them stay safe and sheltered near the bottoms of streams.

4) The Banded Sculpin, Cottus Carolinae, is nocturnal. They prefer to rest during the day, and hunt at night. 

This Bluegill, a native member of the perch family, is so named for the silver-blue band and dark blue spot along the gill slit

5) There are 48 species of perch in Virginia (members of the family Percidae), including species of darters and dace. These beautiful, vibrantly colorful fish are referred to as “aquatic butterflies” or “living jewels.”

6) The Candy Darter, Etheostoma osburni, is a particularly colorful darter. Featuring bold red stripes across its blue, green, and yellow body, this rainbow of a fish would look right at home in a tropical coral reef. But it wouldn’t feel at home there -  the Candy Darter’s only home is the Kanawha River system, which flows through West Virginia and Virginia. 

7) The Channel Catfish, Ictalurus Punctatus, can lay 10,000+ eggs per spawn! Of course, many of these eggs are eaten before they fully develop, providing a great source of food in our aquatic ecosystems. 

Brook Trout play a big role cycling nutrients through the ecosystem

8) Freshwater fish help cycle nitrogen, phosphate, and other key nutrients through the ecosystem, and help maintain the balance of these nutrients in streams. Fish move nutrients from aquatic to terrestrial environments when they are consumed by terrestrial predators, and they carry nutrients upstream to small tributaries when they migrate to spawn. 

9) The Northern Hogsucker, Hypentelium Nigricans, is a messy bottom-feeder that sucks up debris in the beds of moderately sized creeks. Darters and dace will follow behind the hogsucker as it forages, eating the food it stirs up.

This Banded Sculpin has left its hiding spot between rocks. Notice its camouflage and large mouth

10) Banded Sculpin, a species in the Cottidae family, are skilled ambush predators. They’ll hide in cavities under rocks and logs, waiting until the moment is juuuust right, then BAM! They’ll strike in a split second, opening their mouth fast enough to suck in their prey! In a flash, whoever was unlucky enough to pass by is gone and the sculpin has already retreated back into hiding.

11) Many freshwater fish are living hosts for freshwater mussels. Some mussels have adapted to develop organs that look very convincingly like fish food. They’ll tempt fish into trying a bite, but instead of food, the fish receives a mouthful of hitchhiking mussel larvae! The baby mussels catch a ride throughout the river system before dropping off somewhere new. 

12) Before spawning begins in late spring, male central stonerollers, Campostoma anomalum, grow large facial tubercles. These modified scales on their heads help them to- you guessed it- roll stones and build a nest. From May through early June, females pick suitable nests to lay their eggs.

13) River chub get their species name Nocomis micropogon from a pair of small organs on either side of their mouth called barbels. In fish with well-developed barbels, such as catfish, these are the sensitive “whiskers.” But the river chub’s are very small, so its latin name micropogon literally translates to “tiny beard”

14) Brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, like many of their Salmonid cousins, make an incredible migration before spawning each fall. During summer, a brook trout may swim up to 80 miles upstream into small tributaries in search of a suitable spawning location before October. There are three populations, which are named for where they travel between spawns- the Great Lakers, the Salters/Sea-Runners, and the Eastern Brook Trout, which is the population we have here in the Blue Ridge and spends its entire life between large rivers and tiny mountain creeks.

Brook Trout rising on a fishing fly, showing off its defining pattern

15) We had to include a second fun fact for a fan-favorite! The Brook Trout is the only native trout to our waters in the Blue Ridge, while other species- brown trout and rainbow trout- were introduced as game fish. The best way to identify brook trout is by the beautiful squiggly design on their top side. This pattern is called a Turing pattern, and it appears all over in nature!

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! Last week, our intrepid crew of BRDC naturalists had a chance to visit these ecosystems and celebrate on Ali Reilly’s last day as program coordinator at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center.

An adult Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) Photo by Cade Campbell

Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that fill up in late February, making a home for amphibians that take amphibiousness to the extreme. Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) are migratory salamanders. In the summer, they disappear from the human world by burrowing up to six feet underground in wet burrows. The adults, around eight inches long, hunt earthworms, insects, and even small vertebrates hidden beneath the mud. But when the February rains reach temperatures of 50-60°F, these salamanders emerge from underground and start to move. Every year, they wander to the places they hatched in vernal pools, sometimes journeying miles. The males migrate first, and leave behind nutrient packets called spermatophores that also fertilize the eggs of females. Females arrive later, and lay clusters of around one hundred eggs on waterlogged branches.

Spotted salamander eggs are no ordinary eggs. Some clusters of eggs are milky-white, others are completely transparent aside from black dots (the developing salamander embryos), but all of the eggs share an amazing cohabitant. These eggs work in a symbiotic relationship with the Salamander Algae (Oophila amblystomatis). Salamander algae is mildly toxic to most aquatic wildlife, and produces sugars with photosynthesis. Protected in the gelatinous membrane of salamander eggs, the algae helps the eggs develop safely and quickly. Some of these algal cells may stick with the salamander for life, in pores on their skin even deep underground as adults. In their own unique way, spotted salamanders rank among the world’s few photosynthetic animals!

Spotted Salamander eggs, laid secretively on a rainy night in early March. Photo by Cade Campbell

When the eggs hatch, tiny, four-legged tadpoles emerge; the salamander larvae. These salamanders are greenish-brown, have feathery external gills, and a translucent, paddle-shaped tail; bearing no resemblance to the large, yellow-spotted black adults. They are helpless, and almost any other carnivore in ephemeral wetlands can eat them with ease. It can take years for the larvae to metamorphose in permanent wetlands, and some never do. Vernal pools will dry in a few months. Normally, Southwest Virginia spotted salamanders require about four to five months (February-June) to reach a terrestrial stage. After crawling onto land and changing colors, the salamanders may require a few additional years before they grow large enough to return to the breeding grounds.

But they have to be lucky. Another mole salamander, the Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum), lays eggs in November. Mothers guard the eggs on land, until February rains fill up the ponds. The mother leaves when the ponds are flooded, and her eggs hatch almost as soon as they are submerged. Marbled salamander larvae mature as spotted salamanders develop in the eggs, growing just large enough to hunt the spotted salamander larvae when they hatch. As adults, marbled salamanders are beautiful animals with black-and-white stripes. Males have solid white bands, while females have frosted gray bands. No two marbled salamanders, or spotted salamanders, have the same pattern, and individuals can easily be recognized from each other (especially those with unusual patterns). Mole salamanders can live for several years, and possibly for decades in ideal habitats. 

A Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum), leaving a vernal pool in late February. Photo by Cade Campbell

Life is hard for these salamanders, but there is hope. On warm, rainy nights, you can help them! Many migratory salamanders are forced to cross roads at night, from backroads to highways, to travel from summer burrows to the winter breeding grounds in vernal pools. By carefully moving a salamander across the road in the direction it is traveling, you might save the next generation of salamanders. But remember, always make sure to prioritize your own safety when rescuing amphibians, and never attempt to save salamanders in dangerous conditions.