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January’s Wild Edible: Oyster Mushrooms

Perhaps some folks would think that the last place someone would seek out oysters would be the Blue Ridge Mountain region. But if your quest involves oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), then you’ve definitely come to the right place.

Birds of the Blue Ridge: Sandhill Crane

Early holiday gifts are flying overhead as the Sandhill Cranes return to (and through) the Blue Ridge from points north!

October & November 2020 Hikes

December’s Wild Edible: Shagbark Hickory Nuts and Bark

Some effort is required to eat shagbark hickory nuts, but it’s a worthwhile enterprise as the nutmeat inside features a delightfully sweet aroma.

Birds of the Blue Ridge: American Redstart

This sweetly-songed wood warbler is (along with the Black-and-white Warbler) one of the most distinct in the Blue Ridge.

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The wavy margins of oyster mushrooms help in identifying them.

January’s Wild Edible: Oyster Mushrooms

Perhaps some folks would think that the last place someone would seek out oysters would be the Blue Ridge Mountain region. But if your quest involves oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), then you’ve definitely come to the right place.
5ef2c57a-3957-11eb-a252-1244d5f7c7c6-Sandhill-Cranes-2---photo-by-KS-Nature-Photography-_2_

Birds of the Blue Ridge: Sandhill Crane

Early holiday gifts are flying overhead as the Sandhill Cranes return to (and through) the Blue Ridge from points north!
Lunch time on Brushy Mountain with McAfee Knob visible across the valley.

October & November 2020 Hikes

9ee26044-34d6-11eb-9ce2-1244d5f7c7c6-1._Hickory_nuts

December’s Wild Edible: Shagbark Hickory Nuts and Bark

Some effort is required to eat shagbark hickory nuts, but it’s a worthwhile enterprise as the nutmeat inside features a delightfully sweet aroma.
ead9beb2-1fae-11eb-9e2a-1244d5f7c7c6-American-Redstart-1-by-Michael-Todd

Birds of the Blue Ridge: American Redstart

This sweetly-songed wood warbler is (along with the Black-and-white Warbler) one of the most distinct in the Blue Ridge.
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Departments

Vibrant Monarch butterfly clings to its translucent dew covered cocoon
Creature Feature

Monarch Mimickers

It’s easy to mistake other orange species for the king of fall butterflies.

August 26, 2026
At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes.
Country Roads

Even Closer to Almost Heaven

New Stargazer cabins at Coopers Rock State Forest offer a skyward escape in the mountains of West Virginia.

June 29, 2026
©Duncan Seaman
Country Roads

A Mountain Tradition Turns 90 

Visitors flock to Galax, Virginia, each summer for the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, a days-long celebration of Appalachian music.

June 29, 2026

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