Dale's Creek on the Play Trail Gets a Face Lift

Work has been competed by local contractor Walter Garrett to rebuild Dale's Creek on the Boxerwood Play Trail.  The Creek bed has been completely redone with larger stones in the hopes that this popular feature of the Trail will be more stable and require less maintenance by volunteers and staff.

A new water pump was also purchased and placed in the Creek just prior to this most recent rebuild.

And thanks to the work of volunteers, we have replaced the Play Trail Fence along the Ross Road side of the Trail.  The new fence expands the space in the Play Trail area and is higher and much more securely placed than the old fence.

Stop by when you can to check out this beautiful update at Boxerwood.

Fall Family Festival September 27

Play Trail Work

If you visit the Boxerwood Play Trail you may note a few improvements.

Volunteers worked to replace the fencing and place planting beds along the Ross Road side of the area.    This will also allow for development of a children's touch garden.

Plans are in the works for a new music area where children will be able to make their own tunes or just fun noise.

There are now large "Lincoln Logs" made by our talented Staff Member Ben for children to build with.

And Walter Garrett, a local artisan stone mason, is working to rebuild and improve Dale's Creek so children can safely experience water flowing over the rocks.

Bio Blitz and Plant Sale At Boxerwood Saturday October 4

Boxerwood BioBlitz - See FaceBook for updates as they unfold!

This description of the term is from Wikapedia: A BioBlitz is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and volunteers conduct an intensive field study over a continuous time period (e.g., usually 24 hours). There is a public component to many BioBlitzes, with the goal of getting the public interested in biodiversity. To encourage more public participation, these BioBlitzes are often held in urban parks or nature reserves close to cities. The term "BioBlitz" was first coined by U.S. National Park Service naturalist Susan Rudy while assisting with the first BioBlitz. The first BioBlitz was held at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Washington D.C. in 1996. Since the success of the first BiobBitz, many organizations around the world have repeated this concept. Since then, most BioBlitz contain a public component so that adults, kids, teens and anyone interested can join experts and scientists in the field. Participating in these hands-on field studies is a fun and exciting way for people to learn about biodiversity and better understand how to protect it.

There will also be an annual plant sale at Boxerwood on October 4 at 1pm to 4pm.

Fall Family Festival September 27th

The Boxerwood Fall Family Festival will be held on Saturday September 27th from 1pm to 4pm.

This years festivities include performances by the Halestone Dance Studio, music by the Rockbridge County High School Ukulele Club, and other fun.  There will also be the traditional apple cider pressing, fresh donuts, and vine head wreath making.

So set you sights on Boxerwood for September 27th.

Here some scenes from past Fall Family Festivals

Results of Monthly Bird Walk at Boxerwood

On September 6th the Rockbridge Bird Club held its first monthly bird walk at
the Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Gardens (www.boxerwood.org). The
joint event will take place in the future on the first Saturday of each
month. Today, a group of 10 birders saw a total of 31 species with the
highlight being a Blue Winged Warbler and a calling nearby Eastern Screech
Owl. Several feeding flocks provided additional warblers as migration
begins. The Gardens are open to the public daily. The detailed bird list is
below:

Blue Winged Warbler

 
Boxerwood Gardens - MRR03, Rockbridge, US-VA
Sep 6, 2014 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Sunny Day '80s
31 species
 
Red-shouldered Hawk 3
Mourning Dove 10
Eastern Screech-Owl 1 heard
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 6
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2 heard
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Blue Jay 8
American Crow 14
Carolina Chickadee 12
Tufted Titmouse 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 2
Carolina Wren 12
Eastern Bluebird 8
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 4
Brown Thrasher 4
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 1
Worm-eating Warbler 1
Blue-winged Warbler 1
American Redstart 2
Magnolia Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 8
Indigo Bunting 1
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 8
 
Kieran Kilday, Lexington, Virginia

New Art At Boxerwood

Local artist John Auciello donated a piece of his statuary art made from re-used items.  It has been placed near the entrance to Boxerwood outside the gates of the Play Trail.