Nelson County Rocks

Having introduced some of the frogs and toads on our five acre property in previous posts, this post is about two other species that also feel like old friends.  My sons and I used to be fascinated at the Insect Zoo of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington DC by insects generally known as stick bugs or walkingsticks (technically phasmids), which camouflage themselves by looking like sticks or leaves.  We generally imagined these to be mostly tropical insects–which is indeed true–but we do appear to have several varieties here in Virginia.  Click on the left picture to see the detail of two walking sticks (probably Giant Walkingsticks) mating on the deer netting around our vegetable garden (in contrast to many species, males in the phasmida order are generally considerably smaller than the females).  Wild sex in the garden!  A new twist on the botany of desire.

Skinks too recall fond memories–my sons and I used to see them at Sunfish Pond along the Appalachian Trail in northern New Jersey.  Here we see five-lined skinks practically all the time around our house, pond, and potting shed.  They are strikingly handsome creatures, often with deep blue tails, as in the pictures above taken by our little pond.  One theory of the almost-neon tails is that they evolved to direct a predator’s attack to a part of the body that is readily severed and replaced.

Skinks are curious creatures, as the pictures taken by Monika below show: here a five-lined skink takes a quick look inside and finds the outdoors more to its liking!  (For larger images, click on any image and then Slideshow.)

So far we haven’t met a season down here we didn’t like, and fall has been characterized by clear days, nice temperatures, and lovely colors.  The pictures above show our dirt road and our little forest, our house and vegetable garden on the hill, and our storage cottage (formerly a kennel) in the back.  We’ve yet to have a frost, so our spider and other flowers are still in bloom.

While the views and colors at home are pretty spectacular, we’ve taken several rides on and around the Blue Ridge Parkway.  In addition to the pictures above and below, others are available by clicking here.

This little gray tree frog appeared on our back deck last week, confirming that our little pond had successfully spawned not just green frogs, but gray (“common”) tree frogs as well.  It was about three-quarters of an inch long and will grow to be about two inches long.  (In addition to our observations, much of what we know about the frogs and toads on our property comes from the Stokes Nature Guide on Amphibians and Reptiles , a great book in a great series, which focuses on the life course and ecology of animals and plants.)

Below: a southern toad from a nearby hike in the mountains, which we’ve also seen in our yard.  (We’ve seen several large American toads as well.)

Our life in Virginia revolves around simple pleasures, such as observing our little pond in the backyard.  This is surprising: the little artificial pond was in sorry shape when we moved in, and our first instinct was to tear it out.  All that changed in late April when we realized that a green frog had taken up residence there.  There was no way the new landlords were going to evict him.  But the natural life of the pond has proven to be far more elaborate than we first realized.

A male green frog has been the dominant presence at the pond, but he appears to be visited periodically by females, judging by consecutive waves of tadpoles and the nighttime picture on the right, taken in early July.  His banjo-string-sounding croak is heard throughout the day and evening.

Nights after rainy days or evenings produce temporary visitors to the pond.  The loud trills of treefrogs are almost ear-splitting, as they gradually come down to the pond searching for mates (the fuzzy middle picture above appears to capture such a moment), producing new batches of tiny tadpoles.  By mid-September, no more tadpoles were visible in the pond, but the young frog in the picture on the right was on a swiss chard leaf that I picked and brought into the kitchen.

Click here for a one-minute nightime video of our green frog and two tree frogs.  Listen to their calls and note how their throats expand.

Along the Blue Ridge, great views are not hard to find.  The Blue Ridge Parkway offers many down into the valleys, and almost every turn of valley roads brings new vistas.  But great views away from roads offer special charm, and recently we’ve taken short hikes to two great overlooks, one at Wintergreen and one at the James River State Park.

The pictures above are from The Plunge, a trail that does indeed plunge downwards to a great overlook of the Rockfish Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains (the uphill part is on the return trip).  The Blackrock and adjoining trails wind through wonderful mountain laurel forests with an abundance of wildflowers.   The views are magnificent.

These pictures are from the James Rivers State Park, about an hour away, which offers an array of hiking and biking trails as well as kayaking and canoeing on the river.  One hike took us to the overlook of the junction of the Tye and James rivers, where we also got great views of two bald eagles.  Other walks took us around a quiet pond and by a blueish snake that we believe to be a Northern Black Racer (can anyone offer a definitive identification?).  It’s a reminder that views from above include what’s at our feet too.

Click here for more views at both places.

We closed on the sale of our Cherry Hill house on August 7th, and soon our cars sported handsome plates from our new state (chosen by Monika to match our two cars), as may be seen below:

Almost every evening in Virginia we are treated to a spectacular sunset, but the one that greeted us shortly after our return was particularly so:

For those who like hiking, this post is meant as an enticement to come visit us!  It also testifies to the fact that one great thing about retirement is that there is ample time to combine work and play.  With five acres and a needy house, there is always work to be done.  But we’ve found time to take advantage of wonderful local opportunities as well.

Walking and Birding in Rockfish Valley

The Rockfish Valley Foundation has developed a network of trails less than ten minutes away.  Monika and I have  hiked several of them in various seasons, as well as going on a guided bird walk.  The terrain is easy but varied, and the range of birds and other creatures (we saw a mink chasing and catching a rabbit on the birding walk!) extraordinary.  And the view up the creek to Three Ridges Mountain breathtaking.  Click here for more pictures, including Monika’s picture of a bluebird peeking out from its house.

Panoramic Views from Spy Rock

Spy Rock is a rocky dome that provides one of the best views (360 degrees) of the central Blue Ridge mountains.  The trailhead is only about 20 minutes away, and the round-trip hike only 3.2 miles.  The forest on the way up was filled with flowering dogwoods, which had faded weeks ago at lower elevations.  Nic and I did this hike on May 21, shortly after we finished putting in the vegetable garden.  Flaming azaleas and rhododendrons were in bloom at the higher elevations.  An unexpected surprise was the rock pool teaming with tadpoles on the summit!  Click here for more pictures.

Blackrock Mountain in Shenandoah National Park

I took this short hike on June 21 (just over a mile round trip from the Jones Run parking area) with Nic and Alison, who continued on to camp overnight on their anniversary weekend.  Despite the bouldering to the summit, it’s an easy hike rewarded with great views of mountains and valleys and of the winding Blue Ridge Parkway in the distance.  Click here for more pictures.

Crabtree Falls

Nic and I hiked the four mile (round trip) Crabtree Falls trail,  about twenty minutes drive away, in late June.  A sign at the trailhead reminds hikers that 23 people have died by getting too close to the series of cascades and waterfalls.  Despite the touristic hype about the falls–e.g. the claim that they are the highest east of the Mississippi–they are impressive and beautiful in their own right, and the trail well-designed to keep one safe and yet able to see the highlights.    A neat feature is a boulder cave that one can go through and rejoin the trail slightly higher up!  Click here for more pictures.