It’s all about the Park!

Photo: aarp.orgShenandoah National Park The September 2020 newsletter focuses on the Shenandoah National Park, and this piece covers the online places you can go, which are many! Please explore! Phase Three: What You Need to KnowThis page of the Shenandoah National Park site gives you all the information you need to know about parking, campgrounds,…

Taking a Birthday Hike Up “Cliff Trail”

Photo: by Dave Forrer Fringed Polygala (Polygala paucifolia), Cliff Trail Hone Quarry It’s always fun to discover a new trail. For my birthday hike (May 12), Patsy and I walked up “Cliff Trail” across from the Hone Quarry picnic area. There’s a beautiful outcrop/overlook only about 30 minutes up the trail.  And beyond that, there were lots…

Beautiful Sights on the Chessie and McCormick Farm Trails!

Photo: from Cyane Lowden Virginia bluebells on the Chessie Trail.   Recently, Cyane Lowden walked the Chessie and McCormick Farm Trails and shared some photos of the wonderful sights she enjoyed. Thank you, Cyane! If on your walks you find some beautiful flora or fauna, or if you find that great flora and fauna in and around your…

Book Announcement: A Great New Field Guide from One of Our Own!

Photo: Johns Hopkins University Press Book Announcement: Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia Congratulations, Paul E. Bugas, Jr.!   In Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Virginia, the foremost experts on Commonwealth fishes bring their decades of field experience to readers, offering a complete reference to the fishes of the entire state of Virginia. Gathering…