Mountainous terrain, rolling farmland, and forested hillsides distinguish the landscape of Botetourt County at a glance. As we county dwellers work on the land or drive out for errands and jobs, we can easily observe the environmental character. The treescape changes color with the season, from spring’s bright greens and pastel flowerings to summer’s full green canopy to fall’s brilliant rainbow and then winter’s gray and brown skeletons; the non-human inhabitants abound – herds of deer, curious groundhogs, marauding racoons, stealthy possums, clever turkeys, and frisky squirrels are within view day and night. Flocks of year-round and migratory birds fill our visual and auditory fields, sometimes with astonishing sightings, like eagles, osprey, herons, and snow geese. The process of looking closely at and experiencing fully the environment of the county is what changes a mere physical location into a place we call home.
Writer Julian Hoffmann notes, “We are continually capable of deepening that acquaintance, of becoming more intimate with more than one place…In an age when the ecological integrity of our planet is threatened on so many levels, anything that strengthens those connections, or makes meaningful our daily arrangement with the world around us, is a form of resistance, a kind of love forged with home that has the potential to be fiercely protective,” (The small heart of things. Being at home in a beckoning world 2013, xiii.)
Spring in Botetourt County is the ideal time to immerse ourselves in the forested landscapes that we so often view from a distance. Now is the time to walk slowly and observe closely the changes in natural spaces close to you – patches of wildness in your own backyards or neighborhoods, walking paths in parks like Greenfield or along the James River in Buchanan, trails in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, the geological spectacles of Natural Bridge State Park or Roaring Run, or that grand dame of long-distance hiking, the Appalachian Trail or feeder trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Consider “adopting” and getting to know a specific tract of land that you can visit periodically. By choosing one category of flora or fauna to look for and get to know – wildflowers, fungi, grasses, trees, lichens, mosses, insects, reptiles, birds, or larger mammals – you can focus more closely and not get too overwhelmed by the abundance of material to witness. Visiting regularly from every day to every week allows you to chart changes and new growth. Spend time sitting and just engaging each one of your senses – what are five things you can see, what are four things you can hear, what are three things you can touch, what are two things you can smell? Keeping notes and taking photographs are useful ways to preserve your observations. If you revisit the same place week after week or year after year, you will get to know the rhythms and cycles of that environment.
Flower enthusiasts are already looking for and identifying the tiny flowers that come up in waves throughout the spring. Trout Lilies, Blood Root, Hepatica, and Coltsfoot are up, with Cut-leaf Toothwort, Rue Anemone, Purple Nettle, Violets, Virginia Bluebells, Dutchmen’s Breeches, and Mayapples not far behind. These spring ephemerals take advantage of the sunlight that heats the forest floor before the tree canopy leafs out. But there are other wonders to look closely for during a spring hike. Small mushrooms hide under the fall leaf litter and sprout from decaying fallen branches. With fungi, the best practice is to observe with your eyes, not touch or eat, unless you are an expert. On the muddy trails, you can look for the tracks or scat of animals too shy to appear when they hear human voices. You will definitely see deer, but both bear and coyote leave distinctive traces. Let’s hope you do not run across them face to face! The most obvious marker of bird presence is their song, but you can often see holes in trees that signal the activity of different woodpeckers; a Pileated Woodpecker can really rip apart a fallen log looking for insects; a thick deposit of sticky white feathers on the ground can indicate a favored grooming spot for vultures up in the treetops. And if you are not too squeamish, the forest abounds in worms, ants, snakes (keep your distance), and salamanders who are just now starting to deposit eggs in vernal pools in the woods.
The region of and around Botetourt County is fortunate to have so many forested areas that are fantastic for spring walks and observations. Finding and seeing these seasonal marvels connects us to the special character of the Appalachian environment that we share and commits us to sustaining the green spaces where these natural communities thrive. As you begin your observations, the wonderful local library system can lead you to resources about wildflowers and other sorts of flora and fauna that live in these hills (https://www.botetourtva.gov/libraries).
~ Submitted by the Fincastle Sustainability Committee
