Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy

On July 24th, Del Sargent led the regular monthly Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center in northwestern Loudoun Co.  At the same time Marcia Weidner & Joe Coleman led a small group of Cub Scouts and their parents on a much shorter walk in both time & distance.
 
As Del wrote: Five very heat tolerant birders braved the hottest day this year in Loudoun County to trek the woods of the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship.  We planned our walk so that we were generally in the shade, which was basically the Farmstead Loop.  The big find for the day was a family of KENTUCKY WARBLERS with very impatient young begging for food.  Two Black Vultures sat on the roof of the house where they were probably hatched.
 
It was an int’g day w/the butterflies already active at 6 am and most birds quiet by 8 am.
 
Information on the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship which is open every day of the year can be found at http://www.blueridgecenter.org.   Information on the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy many free walks and programs can be found at www.loudounwildlife.org. 
 
A total of 36 species on both walks were tallied:
Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture , Turkey Vulture, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo , Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Louisiana Waterthrush, Kentucky Warbler. Common Yellowthroat, Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, Common Grackle, Orchard Oriole, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow

On July 17, a total of 12 people found 17 different butterfly species on a very hot & humid Butterfly Walk at the Blue Ridge Center.  Most of the two-hour walk was spent on the organic farm which was, by far, the most productive spot we visited.  The reason for this was that with the exception of some thistles, little was flowering in the fields.  However, it looks like a lot of the late summer flowers should be blooming in time to make the Blue Ridge Center a great place to visit for our Annual Butterfly Count on Saturday, August 7.
 
While there were a lot of butterflies, there wasn’t as much variety in species as expected.  The highlight of the walk was an AMERICAN SNOUT that landed and briefly perched on one of the participants.  Interestingly enough a HACKBERRY EMPEROR, as they are prone to do, landed on the same individual a little while later and wouldn’t leave. 
 
Most of the butterflies we saw were CLOUDED SULPHURS and SULPHURS, though there were also a fair number of EASTERN TIGER SWALLOWTAILS, including several dark morph female, EASTERN TIGER SWALLOWTAILS.  We also saw Spicebush Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Eastern-tailed Blue, Variegated Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary, Pearl Crescent, Silver-spotted Skipper, Horace’s Duskywing, Least Skipper, Peck’s Skipper, Little Glassywing, and Dun Skipper. 
 
Three weeks ago during the regular monthly bird walk on June 26, when a lot more was blooming, we had more diversity and in addition to the above butterflies also saw Pipevine Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail, Meadow Fritillary, Red-spotted Purple, Northern Pearly-eye, and Monarch butterflies.
 
For more information about the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, one of Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s partners and open to the public every day of the year, visit www.brces.org.
 
To sign up for the Annual Butterfly Count visit http://www.loudounwildlife.org/Butterfly_Count.htm.

Seven birders joined Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy for a very pleasant bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship on Saturday, June 26. 

We met and spent a few minutes birding the area right around the Visitor Center before and after the main walk in the central portion of the Center.  Not only did we hear a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in the woods next to the Visitor Center we were entertained by a couple of YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS, one of which was very vocal and active right next to where we were tallying at the end of the walk. 

Because of the heat we headed over to Arnold Rd and spent most of the morning’s walk in the center’s extensive woods and followed a variety of trails crossing Piney Run twice and Sweet Run twice as well. 

We did spend about 30 minutes on the Butterfly Alley Trail along the powercut where we heard BLUE-WINGED WARBLERS, a couple more chats, and saw several butterflies – including this fresh Pipevine Swallowtail shown in the photo by Norm Gresley.
 
In addition to watching CEDAR WAXWINGS courting we picked up nine warbler species, including a CERULEAN, a KENTUCKY, a REDSTART, a couple of OVENBIRDS, great views of a vocalizing LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, and one WHITE-EYED VIREO along with numerous ACADIAN FLYCATCHERS, RED-EYED VIREOS, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS, and INDIGO BUNTINGS.  As we were walking back to our cars after tallying we got great views of a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW vocalizing.
 
Additionally we saw quite a few butterflies species including a PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAIL, a couple of Zebra Swallowtails, several Great-spangled Fritillaries, a Meadow Fritillary, several Red-spotted Purples, a very worn Northern Pearly-eye, and a Monarch.
 
Joe Coleman
 
Location:     Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship
Observation date:     6/26/10
Number of species:     56

Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern), Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Blue-winged Warbler, Northern Parula, Cerulean Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Kentucky Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

Sorry for my delayed posting of this report but here’s the report from Joe Coleman on the great diversity of birds at the Blue Ridge Center on May 8th:

One of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s International Migratory Bird Day walks on May 8th was at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship. The highlights of the walk, led by Joe Coleman & Larry Meade, included 12 warbler species, 2 Bald Eagles flying over together, American Kestrels, a Barred Owl, numerous Peewees & numerous Acadian Flycatchers 3 vireo species, a single Swamp Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrows, a lingering White-throated Sparrow, numerous Indigo Buntings, and Eastern Meadowlarks.

The 7 participants met & finished at the Visitor Center but spent most of their time walking from the end of Sawmill Rd deep into the forest where we briefly visited Gordon Pond and then down Arnold Rd to Piney Run where we had left a couple of cars.  The most productive areas were the east side of the large field at the end of Sawmill Rd, the marshy area in the power cut, and the Arnold Rd near Piney Run and Arnold Trail around Sweet Run. 

Once the wind kicked up it got a lot quieter and more difficult to find several of the more common species. In addition to the birds, we also saw several different butterfly species. Information on the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship can be found at http://www.blueridgecenter.org.   Information on the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy can be found at www.loudounwildlife.org. 

Number of species:     72
Canada Goose, Mallard, Wild Turkey, Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern), American Kestrel,Mourning Dove, Barred Owl, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Blue-winged Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow

Mary Ann Good provided a great write-up from our bird walk yesterday at the Blue Ridge Center. After years of bird watching, we’re noticing a reduction in birds. Is it just an odd season or something more?  Here’s her report:

10 birders came out for the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship on April 24, led by Gerry Hawkins, and were grateful that the threatened rain didn’t materialize until the end of the morning, in fact the sun came out.

Our high hopes for migrants, or for nearly any birds for that matter, were let down as the trail from Arnold Road to the Powercut was eerily silent, until we finally found some decent activity at the Powercut. Our tally was just 42, which compares, from my notes, to 65 at the same walk in 2008, 2 days later.

We had just 3 woodpecker species (5 in 08), 1 vireo species (4 in 08), and 3 warbler species (8 in 08), and many other conspicuous misses. We tried to console ourselves that the migrant season is late this year, but the eerie lack of birds, period, was an exact duplication of the conditions I found on my exploration of the field, woods, stream, and pasture habitats near my home last weekend. It’s disturbing to me, to say the least. Has anyone else had similar experience with this spring’s birding, or are these just flukes? Time will tell.

We did have a few nice sightings along the trail-good looks at pairs of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers at two different nests, a Hermit Thrush, and then at the Powercut, a Broad-winged Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk soaring and seeming to interact, good looks at a White-eyed Vireo, excellent views of Blue-winged Warbler, and surprisingly, 4 female Purple Finches. The list follows:

Canada Goose – 4, Mallard – 1, Wild Turkey – 1, Great Blue Heron – 4, Turkey Vulture – 6, Broad-winged Hawk – 3, Red-tailed Hawk – 1, Am. Kestrel – 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker – 6, Downy Woodpecker – 1, Pileated Woodpecker – 4, E. Phoebe – 1, White-eyed Vireo – 2, Blue Jay – 85, Am. Crow – 6, Tree Swallow – 10, Car. Chickadee – 5, Tufted Titmouse – 4, White-breasted Nuthatch – 4Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 12, E. Bluebird – 8, Hermit Thrush – 1, Am. Robin – 4, Brown Thrasher – 1, Eur. Starling – 18, Blue-winged Warbler – 4 singing, La. Waterthrush – 3, C. Yellowthroat – 3, E. Towhee – 5, Chipping Sparrow – 8, Field Sparrow – 6, Song Sparrow – 1, Swamp Sparrow – 2, White-throated Sparrow – 6, No. Cardinal – 8, Red-winged Blackbird – 3, C. Grackle – 6, Brown-headed Cowbird – 6, Purple Finch – 4, House Finch – 1, Am. Goldfinch – 36+ (in contrast to the lack of other birds, this bird was plentiful)

This past Saturday, we held two different bird walks at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES) in northwestern Loudoun Co, near Harper’s Ferry. One, the regular monthly walk took the Farmstead Loop and the other was the field trip for an Identifying Birds class and stayed in the vicinity of the Visitor Center.
 
With the temperature only 26 degrees when we began things started slowly and there wasn’t anywhere near as much bird song as there had been previously.  Nonetheless, both groups enjoyed numerous TREES SWALLOWS, two of whom were already claiming one of the Eastern Bluebird boxes, a very vocal EASTERN TOWHEE, and lots of singing FIELD SPARROWS (there seemed to be on a perch almost every 100′ in the different fields). We also enjoyed two Red-shouldered Hawks doing a courtship display and think we found a COOPER’S HAWK nest along with two Coops hunting close-by.  The group on the Farmstead Loop also found a BROWN CREEPER, two CHIPPING SPARROWS, and an orange variant HOUSE FINCH.
 
Information on the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship can be found at http://www.blueridgecenter.org.   Information on the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and its many free public activities can be found at www.loudounwildlife.org.
 
Joe Coleman, near Bluemont, Loudoun Co
 
Location:     Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship – MFF01
Observation date:     3/27/10
Notes:     We broke into two dif. groups this morning.
Number of species:     41

Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron 4, Black Vulture 1, Turkey Vulture 6, Osprey 1, Bald Eagle 2, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Cooper’s Hawk 2, Red-shouldered Hawk 2, Mourning Dove 2, Red-bellied Woodpecker 5, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1, Downy Woodpecker 9, Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1, Pileated Woodpecker 2, Eastern Phoebe 2, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow 12, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper 1, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1, Eastern Towhee 1, Chipping Sparrow 2, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored), Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow

I’m very tardy in posting this but still wanted to send it out for those tracking our local and migrating birds.

From Joe Coleman:

Nine birders saw 54 species, including 8 species of warblers and one very large and distant flock of blackbirds, at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES) in northwestern Loudoun Co, near Harper’s Ferry, WV, this morning.  We started at the large field at the end of Sawmill Rd where we not only watched a large and distant flock of blackbirds dance in mass over the ridge, a flock of Tree Swallows passed overhead.  We walked both the Sweet Run Loop trail and the power line cut to the top of the ridge to the Appalachian Trail (and looked into West VA). Along the way we came across three or four groups of migrants.  One group, where the power line crosses Sweet Run, included both our first RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET for the season (the first of at least six) and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. The other groups included a variety of warblers, esp. one along Sweet Run where we found at least 7 different species of warblers, including a FOS YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, as well as the Gray-cheeked Thrush and Swainson’s Thrush.  The Bald Eagle, a juvenile, was seemed from the parking lot as well as the first of several flocks of Cedar Waxwings.  A pair of Common Ravens flew over us on the power line cut near the ridge.  While there were a number of Magnolia Warblers and Common Yellowthroats in the scrub under the power lines most of the warblers were in a heavily wooded stretch along Sweet Run where there were a lot of grapes.  The Cedar Waxwing flocks popped up in a number of locations.

Information on the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship can be found at http://www.blueridgecenter.org.   Information on the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and its many free public activities can be found at www.loudounwildlife.org.

Joe Coleman, near Bluemont, Loudoun Co

Location:     Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship – MFF01
Observation date:     9/26/09
Notes:     We started at the large field at the end of Sawmill Rd and walked both the Sweet Run Loop trail and the power line cut to the top of the ridge to the Appalachian Trail. Along the way we came across three or four groups of migrants.  One included both our first Ruby-crowned Kinglet for the season and White-throated Sparrow. The others included a variety of warblers, esp. one along Sweet Run loop where we found at least 7 different species of warblers as well as the Swainson’s & Gray-cheeked Thrushes.  The Bald Eagle, a juvenile, was seemed from the parking lot as well as the first of several flocks of Cedar Waxwings.
Number of species:     54

Canada Goose, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey 2, Bald Eagle 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 2, Red-tailed Hawk 1, American Kestrel 2, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift 1, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2, Belted Kingfisher 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee 1, Eastern Phoebe 1, Red-eyed Vireo 1, Blue Jay, American Crow, Common Raven 2, Tree Swallow 30, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, House Wren 2, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6, Eastern Bluebird, Gray-cheeked Thrush 1, Swainson’s Thrush 1, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher 1, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-sided Warbler 1, Magnolia Warbler 8, Black-throated Blue Warbler 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler 1, Bay-breasted Warbler 1, Black-and-white Warbler 4, American Redstart 1, Common Yellowthroat 8, Eastern Towhee1, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow 1, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1, Indigo Bunting 10, blackbird sp. 250, American Goldfinch

Joe Coleman led our bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center on Saturday and sent over this report with the highlights:

Eleven birders found 45 species on the regular monthly (every 4th Sat.) bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center in northwestern Loudoun County yesterday morning.  While it was pretty damp and foggy when we started due to the high humidity & the 2″ of rain that had fallen in the previous 36 hours, the rain held off though the sun never came out. 

The species we found included a Cerulean Warbler which was associating with one of several flocks of very active Cedar Waxwings that were busy eating fruit and fly catching, a few Eastern Meadowlarks around the farm, and several young Common Yellowthroats.  We started off in the scrubby fields around the Visitor Center, took the Farmstead Loop to the Piney Run Spur, crossed Piney Run on the Little Turtle Trail bridge, and then forded Piney Run where the Old Bridge Trail crosses it for a total of about 2.5 miles.
 
It was a pleasant walk where our biggest problem was that many of the birds stayed high in the canopy and those of us with eye glasses kept having them fog up.  Because of the heavy cloud cover there weren’t nearly as many butterflies as the week before.  However, we did find a fascinating caterpillar with long white hairs right after we crossed the Old Bridge Trail ford.  It turns out it was an early instar of a Black-waved Flannel.  The Princeton Field Guide to “Caterpillars of Eastern North America” writes “although they appear soft and harmless, flannel moth larvae are among our most well-defended insects.  Beneath the soft outer hairs are warts fortified with hollow, poison-filled stinging spines” – glad we were careful while looking at this fascinating insect.
 
Information on the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship can be found at http://www.blueridgecenter.org.   Information on the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and its many free public nature program can be found at www.loudounwildlife.org.

Here’s the full list of birds seen:

Green Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Cerulean Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinalm Indigo Bunting, Eastern Meadowlark, House Finch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow

“You’re going to count butterflies?” That’s the response many of us get when we tell the un-initiated how we’re going to spend our Saturday as the day of the great butterfly count approaches, and this year was no exception except that we had more people that ever jump in to help with this endeavor! In past years, our participants have numbered around 35 but this year, over seventy people of all ages came out to count! We were also fortunate to have eight leaders available this year so we could split up into more teams and truly cover our count circle.

Our butterfly count was held on August 1^stand we had a great day for it. Butterflies need the warmth of the sun to fly so having the temperatures in the 70s and 80s was perfect. Our eight teams had pre-determined meeting spots and participants met up at 9am. My team started at Ida Lee Park with the master gardener’s butterfly garden and then headed north along Route 15. Cliff Fairweather’s team started at Rust Sanctuary and then went along the W&OD trail as well as other points through Hamilton. Covering the center and north of our count circle was Mona Miller and her team as they started at Phillips Farm and then headed up to Lovettsville. Tom Raque and Eric Raun covered the Purcellville and Lincoln areas, doing justice to some great gardens, farms and parks through there. Jon Little led his team along Appalachian Trail Road and the Blackburn Center, while Bob Blakney and Larry Meade led two teams at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship.

In all, our teams counted 4,899 individual butterflies and saw 46 different species. While we’ve had slightly higher diversity on a few of our counts, forty-six is pretty much on par. In terms of overall number of butterflies, this was the second highest in our thirteen years (in 2005 we had 5,042 individual butterflies). The higher number of individual butterflies this year may be due to having more participants spotting and identifying but we’ll have to watch this for future trends.

The interesting thing about this year’s count had to do with the species that were low in number versus those that were high. Least Skippers, for instance, made a real showing. In past years we’ve averaged 20-30 individuals but this year we had 386! We had similar observations with Clouded Sulphurs (774 this year compared to 80-100 in past years), Orange Sulphurs (393 this year compared to approximately 60 in past years) and Silvery Checkerspots (227 compared to approximately 20 in past years). Monarch butterflies (193 spotted) as well as Eastern-tailed Blues (242) and Spring/Summer Azures (22), were consistent with past counts.  

Overall, the swallowtail and fritillary butterflies were low in numbers and outside of the Least Skipper, we didn’t see as many skippers in general this year. Red-Spotted Purples, while better than last year, were still low in number. Hairstreaks were also either very low or not present. In terms of rare sightings, Mona Miller’s team was lucky to find a Giant Swallowtail at Butterfly Hill Farm in Lovettsville. They are always an impressive butterfly to see.  

A big “Thank You” to our count leaders and all of our participants! We couldn’t have counted all these butterflies without you and hope you’ll join us again next August!

To learn more about our butterfly count, visit the Loudoun Butterfly Count on our website. You can also download the Butterfly Count Summary of Data to look at the trends over the years.

Joe Coleman led our butterfly walk yesterday at the Blue Ridge Center and sent over this great write-up from the walk:

On Aug. 15, nine of us spent 3 hours searching for butterflies at the beautiful and diverse Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship (BRCES) in northwestern Loudoun County. BRCES (www.blueridgecenter.org) is one of my favorite spots in the county because it includes a wide variety of habitats, including extensive wetlands, rich upland oak-hickory forests that climb up the side of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Appalachian Trail, and extensive natural meadows along the powerline. It is located in the Between the Hills Valley, only a couple of miles from Harpers Ferry and the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers.

BRCES also includes large open fields where haying is rotated and Mountain View Farm, which is managed by Shawna DeWitt and Atilla Agoston. Atilla took some time away from farming to explain to us that all of their produce and flowers are grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides; and that their livestock grazes in the pastures, drink spring water, are not fed antibiotics, and never receive hormones.

He explained why they plant a lot of flowers in rows next to and among their crops. The flowers attract pests away from their crops and some of the herbs attract a number of the small bees and wasps that parasitize the caterpillars that that would devour a tomato plant in 24 hours.

All of this results, as shown in our Annual Butterfly Count, in BRCES being is one of the richest spots in the county for finding butterflies. We spent almost two hours yesterday morning on the farm and around the Visitor Center. Phil Daley assisted with the walk and Ray Smith, one of the participants, shared his extensive knowledge of the natural world with us.

After wrapping up at the farm we headed over to the Arnold Road trail, much of which is surrounded by heavy forest with a lush understory. While there were not nearly as many butterflies there, we did add several species that specialize in wooded habitats.

Between the two localities we found 22 species of butterflies, not a great day at BRCES, but certainly respectful. And if we had found the time to include the aptly named Butterfly Alley, the trail along the power cut, we would have surely added several more species.

We did find: Black Swallowtail Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Clouded Sulphur, Orange Sulphur, Gray Hairstreak, Eastern-tailed Blue, Variegated Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary, Meadow Fritillary, Silvery Checkerspot, Pearl Crescent, Hackberry Emperor, Northern Pearly Eye, Monarch, Silver-spotted skipper, Least Skipper, Tawny-edged Skipper, Little Glassywing, Zabulon.

More information on Mountain View Farm at the Blue Ridge Center can be found here: www.blueridgecenter.org/farming/mvfarm.html