BioBlitz Coming October 4 at Boxerwood

Boxerwood Hosts Region’s First BioBlitz This Saturday

Boxerwood will be site of Rockbridge County’s first BioBlitz, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the event also coincides with Boxerwood’s annual plant sale in the afternoon. Growing in popularity across the U.S., BioBlitzes are free, public events in which members of the public help experts identify and tally the total number of living species found in a specific area within a given timeframe.

“Some BioBlitzes go for 24 hours and involve hundreds of people—it’s crazy!” explained Amanda Rose Newton, the Rockbridge 4-H agent  who is partnering with Boxerwood and Rockbridge Master  Naturalists to organize the event.  The local version won’t be quite so ambitious, but the task is still daunting.  “Our woodland garden is only about fifteen acres,” explained Elise Sheffield, Boxerwood Education Director, “but it has many micro-environments that provide habitat for a wide range of creatures.  This will be a great way to get a better sense of who calls Boxerwood home.”

According to Sheffield, expert naturalists will be on hand to help with the identification.  “Basically, the day is made up of a number of small group forays, each led by the volunteer expert.  Each group will go out for an hour, searching for a particular kind of living thing, like mammals, reptiles, fungi or bugs.”  Together these groups will tally their findings, which organizers will compile into an even larger day-long inventory. “This will be a baseline for us,” explains Sheffield, noting Boxerwood hopes to make the BioBlitz an annual event.  “Boxerwood’s mission is to teach people how to care for the earth and its creatures” she explained, “and we see this event as a fun, but important, part of that work.”

Volunteers of any age and background may join any of the hunts. “Basically we need eyes and ears,” said Newton, herself a trained entomologist. “Our experts don’t want to go into the field alone: this is a team sport!”  The event is free and no preregistration is required. “Come for an hour or stay for the day—the length of your BioBlitzing is up to you,” said Newton.  According to Newton, there will be one-hour forays for birds, plants, mammals, herps (reptiles/amphibians), bugs, fungi, and native trees both in the morning and afternoon.

For early risers, the BioBlitz will kick off at 8 a.m. with an extended birding session, led by the Rockbridge Bird Club.  Simultaneous with the BioBlitz will be the annual Boxerwood Plant Sale, from 1 pm to 4 p.m.  Final events of the day will conclude by 5:00 p.m.  The event will occur rain or shine.  A complete schedule of the forays is found on the Boxerwood website www.boxerwood.org.