Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship

12/07/2022

As 2022 comes to an end, it’s a good time to think of adding new plants and trees to your garden in the new year. This Wildlife Wednesday consider the mulberry, a fruit-bearing tree that is far from new to Virginia, offering a wealth of benefits to wildlife and humans for hundreds of years. Groves of red mulberry (Morus rubra) were in fact flourishing when Captain John Smith of the Virginia Company began recording his observations of the “new world” in the 1600s, long cultivated by Native Americans. As it happened, the mulberry groves’ fruit was ripening just as those hungry English settlers began heading up the James River for the very first time.

The mulberry is an adaptable and fast-growing tree that can reach up to 70 feet high and readily naturalizes—thanks to the many birds who enjoy its bounteous fruit. Its leaves provide valuable animal fodder as well, with a protein content equivalent to that of alfalfa. Those leaves also feed red Admiral and Mourning Cloak butterfly caterpillars. In fact, mulberries are one of the most effective wildlife trees you can plant to add more diversity on your property.

11/30/2022

Blue Ridge Center Volunteer Newsletter

Check out the December Volunteer Newsletter for upcoming events (including a hike this Sunday), updates on the transition to Sweet Run State Park, and more.

As we come to the end of 2022, we have much to celebrate. Seventy volunteers contributed over 2,000 hours, putting up some impressive numbers:

11/30/2022

Happy Wildlife Wednesday! You’ve probably heard it before: Don’t rake your leaves! Fallen leaves provide a natural habitat for butterflies, salamanders, chipmunks, box turtles, toads, shrews, earthworms and other wildlife. They lay eggs and feed on and under the leaf layer. By raking or blowing leaves, you disrupt their life cycle and eliminate beneficial insects.

Leaves also act as a natural mulch, suppressing weeds, returning nutrients to the soil and also protecting the roots of trees in cold weather. Leaving at least some of your leaves can fertilize your grass, along with other plants, provide shelter for animals and reduce harmful emissions from landfills. Here’s Black Forager Alexis Nicole with a timely reminder: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Freel%2FCke395ZDhsk%2F%3Futm_source%3Dig_web_copy_link%26fbclid%3DIwAR15Zfk1CX1vcUrTJQtvWCTp2YG2aQVYKeajYDkmgNq1zbH5YpwoqGUEGwk&h=AT3cj0VeYpRd5TKo9VQwA3uNOMWQgJ3Ss9EzF4Q0ABX5G21KMN4eG3IAfJles-XNwI2m_UeosOZe3FJYZY044nFVib3qwaCRk7S6ZBt1_QkiAxfFgyRiwqcgJ1sHLnuZ5RDC3lAqTW8

11/23/2022

What better time to celebrate the Turkeytail than at Thanksgiving! This Wildlife Wednesday celebrates a “tail” that is actually a polypore bracket fungus rather than a bird. Corolus versicolor got its common name because its widely varying colors and patterns resemble those seen on a wild turkey. Like the big bird it’s named after, this fungus can be found around the world.

The Turkeytail typically has no stalk, and can grow up to 4 inches across, with wavy edges. Its tough, corky flesh has an upper surface exhibiting distinctive bands of varying widths and colors that can range from black, gray, white, green, brown, purple, red, orange, cream and beige. You’ll usually spot Turkeytail growing on old logs, stumps and fallen tree trunks—especially oaks—helping to break down the nutrients in the wood and return them to the soil. It tends to grow in layers, often forming huge colonies. Eastern Gray squirrels and Box turtles use the Turkeytail as food, while some insects find shelter between its layers.

11/16/2022

As cold weather settles in, there’s still food to be found in our woodlands and hedgerows. In fact, this is the best time to spot the fruit of the American persimmon tree, still clinging to its branches after its leaves have fallen. Today’s Wildlife Wednesday celebrates this slow-growing tree, which can take up to eight years to bloom for the first time. For the many forms of wildlife that feast on the juicy orange flesh of persimmons, including many birds as well as opossums, raccoons, foxes, bears and skunks, it’s well worth the wait.

Fruit from the American persimmon is usually described as “astringent,” meaning that it is sour during growth, but sweetens and becomes mushy as it begins to ripen—some people believe only after the first frost. Persimmon fruit typically remains small, growing to little more than 2 ½ inches, and while frost doesn’t actually have anything to do with its ripeness, fruit that has already fallen from the tree is usually sweet, especially when the skin appears wrinkled.

Another benefit of persimmon trees is that they serve as host plants for Luna and Royal Walnut moths.

11/09/2022

With election results coming in, this Wildlife Wednesday focuses on our national emblem, the Bald Eagle. Though regal in appearance, the Bald Eagle has been known to scavenge carrion and steal food from other birds, though they mainly hunt and consume fish. Once in dire straits, this species made a remarkable recovery thanks to the banning of DDT and placement on the Endangered Species Act in 1978. Populations have rebounded so successfully that the Bald Eagle was removed from the Endangered Species list in 2007.

Bald Eagles are early nesters, beginning courtship displays and nest building as early as December in Loudoun. Their nest, typically 5 to 6 feet in diameter and 2 to 4 feet tall, may take up to three months to build and may be reused and expanded each year. Thanks to Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, you can score front row seats for the upcoming nesting season by bookmarking this link (http://www.dullesgreenway.com/eagle-cam/) for an Eagle Cam at the Dulles Greenway Wetlands in Leesburg.

After fledging at 10-12 weeks, juveniles spend their first four years exploring, capable of flying hundreds of miles per day, until they reach sexual maturity and return to the general area where they were born. While adult Bald Eagles are easy to recognize with their iconic white head and tail, juveniles are dark brown, with the white appearing as they mature. Photo by Larry Meade.

11/02/2022

This Wildlife Wednesday is all about chipmunks! They are busy this time of year stuffing their cheek pouches with just about any food they can find and making trip after trip back to their burrow. A sampling of their menu includes fungi, fruit, insects, flower buds, snails, and bird eggs. Yum!

In addition to a food pantry, the burrow serves as protection from predators. These adorable little critters aren’t as defenseless as they look. Their speed and camouflaged coloration help them stay out of harm's way. Though solitary animals, they send out warning calls to other chipmunks in the area when danger approaches – a string of high pitched “chips” for a ground predator (snake, fox, raccoon, etc.) and lower-pitched “chucks” for an aerial predator (hawk, owl, etc.). Their cousin, the woodchuck, also tunes into these alerts and chipmunks take note of woodchuck’s warnings.

So the next time you see a chipmunk, don’t just say “aww” but give them the respect they deserve for thriving in a world full of predators.

11/01/2022

Blue Ridge Center Volunteer Newsletter

https://sh1.sendinblue.com/ahlpm5664lpfe.html?t=1667326935

Meet the new Park Manager and see what our amazing volunteers have been up to!

10/26/2022

It’s Wildlife Wednesday just before Halloween, when everyone has jack-o-lanterns on their minds. It’s also the perfect time to celebrate a strikingly beautiful insect that got its common name because it looks a bit like a pumpkin. Though from a distance it’s sometimes mistaken for a butterfly, the Halloween Pennant, or Celithemis oponina Drury, is actually a medium-sized dragonfly, typically about 1½ inches long. Its brightly-colored yellow-orange wings are crossed with dark-brown bands—resembling the ridges on a pumpkin.

Halloween Pennants can be found throughout much of the eastern U.S. during the warm months, though they are active year-round in Florida. They are most often spotted near freshwater ponds, marshes and lakes, where they feed on other insects. This photo was taken at BRCES by volunteer Brian Magurn while participating in the August butterfly count.

10/19/2022

Did you know that bats make up 20%-25% of all mammals? There are two types of bats: Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera. Megachiroptera have a 6-foot wing-span and live mostly in Asia and Southwest Pacific as fruit eaters. Microchiroptera have a wing-span up to 2 feet and live mostly in North America as insectivores. They use echolocation to navigate and find food, consuming up to 3,000 insects each night. Cave hibernating bats usually have one pup a year while tree hibernating bats bear multiple pups per year.

Seventeen of the 45 bat species in North America have been documented in Virginia. The Virginia Master Naturalist Banshee Reeks Chapter launched a decade long, county-wide bat monitoring program in 2022. A healthy bat population is a sign of a healthy ecosystem so monitoring for changes in activity over time is important. Bat populations, especially Little Brown and Tri-colored bats, have experienced recent declines due to White-nose syndrome.

Thirteen recording monitors were deployed across Loudoun in April, including two at BRCES. Using commercially available software, bat species were identified from recorded echolocation calls. The data was submitted to the USGS North American Bat Monitoring Program. Check out which bats you’re likely to find at BRCES: https://www.blueridgecenter.org/bat-monitoring-data/

Our sincere thanks go to Bruce Kimmel for spearheading this project. The recording equipment was purchased through a generous grant from Healthier, Greener, Kinder Foundation. Happy Wildlife Wednesday!

10/13/2022

Enjoy the fall weather at the Blue Ridge Center this Saturday! Join us for one or all three events, or simply come for a hike or time at the Nature Play Area.

VOLUNTEER WORKDAY from 9:30 to 11:30am - trim back growth blocking the trail blazes and pull stilt grass from pollinator garden

ANIMALS AT DUSK from 6 to 7:15pm - guided, family-friendly hike led by a Master Naturalist from Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy focused on animals active at dusk and dark. Meet at Welcome Kiosk in main parking lot

STARGAZING at 7:30pm - stop in to talk with Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC) members and view the night sky through their telescopes

WE WILL POST A MESSAGE ON FACEBOOK AND THE BRCES WEBSITE AT NOON ON SATURDAY IF STARGAZING IS POSTPONED TO THE RAIN DATE OF OCTOBER 22ND.

10/12/2022

The native willows that appear throughout North America can be found in a variety of habitats, though they seem to favor locations near water. Today’s Wildlife Wednesday celebrates these graceful deciduous trees, which in our area can grow up to 80 feet tall, with as much as a 35-foot-spread of slender, arching branches that sway with each and every passing breeze.

Aside from their decorative value, willow trees offer a critical habitat for a broad spectrum of wildlife, including hundreds of insects and birds, as well as mammals. Their flowers produce pollen and nectar that feed many types of bees. The trees also benefit a huge variety of other pollinators. According to entomologist Dr. Doug Tallamy, willows support an incredible 455 butterfly and moth species!

10/05/2022

This week Wildlife Wednesday celebrates Spotted jewelweed, a native annual that grows up to 5 feet, with tubular-shaped yellow-and-orange flowers. Jewelweed may be best known as a poison ivy antidote. If you’ve had a brush with poison ivy, try picking some jewelweed leaves and rubbing them on your skin, to help minimize the itchy rash.

For wildlife, jewelweed offers a source of food when summer’s bounty is coming to an end. Its flowers begin appearing in mid-summer, continuing until the first hard frost. For hummingbirds as well as many long-tongued bees and butterflies, jewelweed is invaluable because it is still in flower when they begin fall migration—when most other plants have finished. Researchers have suggested that jewelweed’s peak bloom time may even influence migration timing for some species.

10/02/2022

Blue Ridge Center Monthly Volunteer Newsletter

Check out the BRCES Monthly Volunteer Newsletter for upcoming events and opportunities. Happy Fall!

Fall is a great time to take in the beauty and bliss of the Blue Ridge Center. From gardening and birdwatching to hiking and stargazing, there is something for everyone! Click here for ten fun things to do at the Center, including a fall scavenger hunt.

09/28/2022

Happy Wildlife Wednesday! As you drift off to sleep tonight, listen for the night symphony of crickets and katydids. Only the males sing, and not in the way you might think. To attract females and defend their territories, the males scrape one wing against another in a mechanical act called stridulation. The females use earlike structures on their legs to hear the males and go to them. These cold-blooded insects sing faster as the temperature rises and slow down when it’s cooler. Try counting the number of cricket chirps in 14 seconds, then add 40 to get the approximate outside temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

Photo of a Striped Ground Cricket, one of hundreds of different cricket and katydid species.

09/21/2022

This week Wildlife Wednesday celebrates Benthic macroinvertebrates, aquatic animals and the aquatic larval stages of insects that live on the bottom of streams and rivers. Because communities of Benthic macroinvertebrates can change dramatically when affected by varying levels of pollution, researchers regularly survey these small creatures in order to assess pollution levels.

Piney Run and Sweet Run, the two streams that meander through the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, eventually flow into the Potomac and are part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Pollution levels in these bodies of water are important to a wide-ranging group of plants, animals and people throughout the area.

During a recent survey of Sweet Run, more than half the Benthic macroinvertebrates collected by Loudoun Wildlife’s Stream Team were aquatic insects known as mayflies, but the team also found some similar-looking fishflies as well as one caddisfly, a type of insect that has aquatic larvae but terrestrial adults. The Stream Team’s conclusion? Sweet Run is in good shape, receiving a stream health score of 11 out of 12.

09/15/2022

Migration season means saying goodbye to many of the birds we’ve enjoyed watching during the warmer months. This week’s Wildlife Wednesday celebrates birds that remain in our area throughout the year: crows. Members of the Corvidae family, a group of 133 species including ravens, jays and more, the American crows and Fish crows who live all around us are raucous black omnivores. The two species found in Virginia’s Piedmont are virtually impossible to distinguish from each other if they remain silent. Most people can recognize the harsh “caw-caw” American crow call, but are less likely to be familiar with Fish crow sounds. (they sound vaguely negative—something like “huh-uh, huh-uh”).

Crows have long been recognized as some of the world’s most intelligent birds, with research focusing on their abilities to communicate with each other and also use tools. The fact that they will eat pretty much anything, including carrion, is clearly a big advantage as seasons shift and the pickings get slimmer after summer ends. But while Virginia’s crows don’t migrate, their roosting behavior does change in the fall: They begin gathering toward nightfall, often settling in the hundreds on large trees, where they share news of prey as well as predators. Once spring returns, those noisy gatherings will come to an end, as individuals set out to find their own breeding spots.

Photo by Edwin Butter.