Wahrani Nature Preserve

Trip Facts

Parking Location: Just off Route 33 near its intersection with Interstate 64
Parking Availability : 25 or so slots
Fee: None
Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
Verizon INTERNET Coverage: 4 bars
Month Recorded: April

This hike takes you through a little slice of heaven in Central Virginia. The preserve has an amazing collection of flora and fauna. If you come during spring, you will be treated to an especially rich display of wildflowers and ferns, while also enjoying the sight and sounds of warblers and other birds on their spring migration journey. The hike also takes you past the former site of a church from the 1700's, and the grave sites of two notables from the same time period.

The trail system can be confusing, since there are many interconnecting paths. At various points, however, you will come upon trail map signs and have the opportunity to pick up a paper trail map. Pay close attention to the track shown for this hike and the directions offered in this trip. You can also shorten the hike if you want by using the connecting paths.

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This hike is described in the 60 Hikes book - here is an Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Hikes-Within-Miles-Williamsburg-Fredericksburg/dp/089732708X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428101620&sr=8-1&keywords=60HikesRichmond

To learn more about this site, click the link below:
http://www.richmondoutside.com/2013/07/wahrani-a-feast-for-nature-lovers/

Trailhead

From the parking lot, head down the trail between the playground and picnic shelter areas.

Trail Sign

Take a look at the trail map and pick up a paper trail map. From here, turn right and head down the Yellow trail.

Nature Trail Markers

You will find a few markers on the first part of the trail describing a few of the trees you will encounter along the way.

Bear Left

Here, the main trail bears right. Head left instead - we will take a short cut to the upper part of the trail.

Pennywort

Common Name: Pennywort
Scientific Name: Obolaria virginica
Blooming Time: Mar-May

A low fleshy plant with dull white or purplish flowers, usually in groups of 3 in axils of purplish, bract-like upper leaves and atop stem. The genus name comes from the Greek obolos (a small coin) and refers to the opposite, roundish leaves of this low, southern, woodland perennial. The common name also reflects the coin-like appearance of the leaves. It is believed to be mycoheterotrophic, getting much of its nutrients though a symbiotic relationship with fungi, instead of through its small purplish-green leaves. Native Americans used this plant to treat colds and as a wash for cuts and bruises. It grows in upland forests.

DO NOT PICK WILDFLOWERS OR ATTEMPT TO TRANSPLANT THEM. Most wildflowers will not survive replanting.

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To find out more about this plant, go here:
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=OBVI
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text –Native Plant Information Network, NPIN (2013). Published on the Internet http://www.wildflower.org/plants/ Photo – Encyclopedia of Life, Image of Obolaria virginica © pinemountain , Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) , Unmodified

Black Oak

Common Name: Black Oak
Scientific Name: Quercus velutina

Look for a low sign for a Black Oak. A common oak, native to eastern North America. Its leaves are a shiny green and have 5 to 7 spiny lobes. Acorns are small and have deep, bowl-like scaly tops. The inner bark is a bright yellow and was once used as a yellow dye. Please do not damage the tree by slashing into the bark to see the yellow wood. Good crops of acorns provide wildlife with food. The wood, commercially valuable for furniture and flooring, is sold as red oak.

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To see a photo gallery, go here:
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=39

To find out more about this tree, visit this site:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/quercus/velutina.htm
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text - "Big Woods Tree Trail Walk", Virginia Master Naturalist, Virginia State Parks
Photo - Encyclopedia of Life,Black Oak Leaves© sandy richard ,Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) ,Unmodified
Photo Gallery - © Copyright 2015, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, et al
More Text - United States Department of Agriculture,Forest Service Agriculture Handbook 654,Ivan L. Sander

Golden Ragwort

Common Name: Golden Ragwort
Scientific Name: Packera aurea
Blooming Time: Mar-Jun

Here and elsewhere, look for clumps of Golden Ragwort. Golden Ragwort is a carefree plant which prefers full sun to light shade in wet to moist soils with ample organic matter to retain moisture. Plants grown in full sun require more moisture than plants growing in shade. It often forms colonies of plants in favorable habitats. Habitats include wet deciduous woods, meadows, banks of rivers, streams and lakes, slopes of rocky ravines, and roadsides. The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract small bees and flies primarily. Among the bees are such visitors as Little Carpenter bees, Cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), and various Halictid bees. Among the flies are such visitors as Syrphid flies, Tachinid flies, and miscellaneous others. The root and leaf are used in teas by the Cherokee Indians for heart trouble, and to prevent pregnancy. Other Native Americans used it to regulate menses, to aid childbirth, treat urinary problems and to treat lung diseases such as tuberculosis.

DO NOT PICK WILDFLOWERS OR ATTEMPT TO TRANSPLANT THEM. Most wildflowers will not survive replanting.

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To find out more about this plant, go here:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PAAU3
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text - Encyclopedia of Life, USDA NRCS National Plant Materials Center, Beltsville, MD
• Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Public Domain

Photo - Encyclopedia of Life,Image of Packera aurea © Fluff Berger , Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0) Unmodified

Top of the Hill

This is a bit of climb to get to the top of the ridge.

Black-and-White Warbler

Black-and-White Warbler

Listen and look for birds all along this ridge top. A medium-sized (4 ½ - 5 ½ inches) wood warbler, the Black-and-white Warbler is most easily identified by its black-and-white striped body, streaked flanks, and thin black bill. The Black-and-white Warbler breeds across much of the eastern United States and southern Canada, absent only from parts of the southeast and Midwest. Black-and-white Warblers breed in a variety of deciduous or mixed deciduous and evergreen forest habitats, with a preference for mature forests. Black-and-white Warblers eat small invertebrates, primarily insects (including caterpillars) and spiders. Unusually for a wood warbler, the Black-and-white Warbler feeds by picking prey out of crevices in bark while climbing up the sides of tree trunks and large branches.

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To find out more about this bird, visit the Cornell birding site:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-and-white_Warbler/id
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text - Encyclopedia of Life, © Unknown • Supplier: DC Birds, Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
Photo - Encyclopedia of Life,B&W Warbler© Greg Miller ,Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 2.0 (CC BY-NC 2.0) ,Unmodified
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/

Sensitive Fern

Common Name: Sensitive Fern
Scientific Name: Onoclea sensibilis
Blooming Time: May-Jun

There are many different types of ferns in the preserve. One you may find near here is the Sensitive Fern. Onoclea sensibilis, the sensitive fern, also known as the bead fern, is a coarse-textured, medium to large-sized deciduous perennial fern. The name comes from the observation by early American settlers that it was very sensitive to frost, the fronds dying quickly when first touched by it. O. sensibilis dwells in a variety of wet swamp and wood habitats: wet meadows, thickets and bogs, as well as stream and riverbanks and roadside ditches.

DO NOT PICK WILDFLOWERS OR ATTEMPT TO TRANSPLANT THEM. Most wildflowers will not survive replanting.

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To find out more about this plant, go here:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ONSE
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text - Encyclopedia of Life,Source: Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo - Encyclopedia of Life,Image of Onoclea sensibilis Supplier: Biopix , Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 (CC BY-NC 3.0), Unmodified

Intertwining Trunks

You will find many large trees here, including a fair number of beech trees.

Powerlines

Check the edges of this opening for birds.

Eastern Towhee

Eastern Towhee

A medium-sized (7-8 ½ inches) songbird, the male Eastern Towhee is most easily identified by its black head and body, black breast, pale belly, and rufous flanks. Female Eastern Towhees are similar but paler, with the black replaced by brown. Most individuals have red eyes, although birds from Florida and Georgia tend to have white eyes instead. The Eastern Towhee breeds across much of the eastern United States and southern Canada west to Nebraska and Saskatchewan. In winter, many northern birds move south to the southern part of this species’ range as well as east Texas, Oklahoma, and southern Louisiana, where this species does not breed. Southern birds generally migrate short distances, if at all. Eastern Towhees breed in a variety of woodland habitats, particularly in heavily-vegetated undergrowth near forest edges or clearings. This species utilizes similar habitats in summer as in winter. Eastern Towhees mainly eat a variety of plant and animal foods, including fruits, berries, and insects. In appropriate habitat, Eastern Towhees may be seen foraging for food on the ground or, less frequently, in the canopy. Birdwatchers may also listen for this species’ song, a trilled “drink-your-teeeeee” or “towhee towheeeee,” from which this species derives its name.

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To find out more about this bird, visit the Cornell birding site:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Towhee/id
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text – Encyclopedia of Life,
Photo - Encyclopedia of Life, Image of Pipilo erythrophthalmus © crgillette , translation missing: en.license_cc_by_nc_4_0 ,Unmodified
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/

The Cemetery

Here you can see the gravestones for Captain Long and Dr Arnott, who died in the early 1700's. There is also a sign board here that helps you decipher the gravestones. This is the site of the Wahrani church - all that remains are the gravestones.

Spring Beauty

Common Name: Spring Beauty
Scientific Name: Claytonia virginica
Blooming Time: Mar-May

If you come in early spring, this whole creek valley will be carpeted with Spring Beauties. Spring Beauty is a unique member of the Purslane family that is easy to distinguish from other wildflowers. Look for pink-stripes, whether pale or bright, on the petals of the flowers, and only 2 sepals underneath. Spring beauty is found in the Eastern temperate deciduous forest of North America. It is noted for its abundance throughout many parts of its range, especially in forests. The plant can be found throughout many different habitat types including lawns, city parks, forests, roadsides, wetlands, bluffs, and ravines.

This plant has been used medicinally by the Iroquois, who would give a cold infusion or decoction of the powdered roots to children suffering from convulsions. They would also eat the raw roots, believing that they permanently prevented conception. They would also eat the roots as food, as would the Algonquin people, who cooked them like potatoes. Spring beauty corms along with the entire above ground portion of the plant are safe for human consumption.


DO NOT PICK WILDFLOWERS OR ATTEMPT TO TRANSPLANT THEM. Most wildflowers will not survive replanting.

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Press Highlighted Link – If link not active in your app, copy link to Web browser
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To find out more about this plant, go here:
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CLVI3
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text – Encyclopedia of Life, Source: Wikipedia, Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo – Encyclopedia of Life, Image of Claytonia virginica © Kenneth Bader , Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) , Unmodified

American Redstart

American Redstart

A medium-sized (5 inches) wood warbler, the male American Redstart is most easily identified by its black body, white belly, and conspicuous orange patches on the wings, flanks, and tail. Female American Redstarts are olive-green above and pale below with yellow on the wings, flanks, and tail. In particular, this species’ tail sets it apart from all other North American wood warblers as no other species has such large, brightly-colored tail patches. The American Redstart breeds across southern Canada and much of the United States. American Redstarts breed in a number of deciduous forest habitats, particularly those near water. American Redstarts primarily eat small invertebrates, including insects and spiders. In appropriate habitat, American Redstarts may be observed foraging for food in the forest canopy, where their habit of frequently flashing their bright tails makes them more conspicuous than they might otherwise be. Birdwatchers may also listen for this species’ song, a high “tsee” repeated three or four times in quick succession.

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To find out more about this bird, visit the Cornell birding site:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Redstart/id
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text - Encyclopedia of Life, Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) © Smithsonian Institution Supplier: DC Birds
Photo - Encyclopedia of Life, Image of Setophaga ruticilla © Scott Buckel, translation missing: en.license_cc_by_nc_4_0 ,Unmodified
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/