Folly Mills Creek Fen Natural Area Preserve | |
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Location | Augusta County, Virginia |
Coordinates | 38°05′59″N79°08′00″W / 38.0998°N 79.1334°W [1] |
Area | 28 acres (11 ha) |
Owner | Private |
Folly Mills Creek Fen Natural Area Preserve is a Natural Area Preserve located in Augusta County, Virginia. The preserve was dedicated in 1998, and was the first privately owned Natural Area Preserve to be dedicated in the state. [2]
The 28-acre (11 ha) preserve contains a Shenandoah Valley fen community; the property is located in the floodplain of Folly Mills Creek, a tributary of Christians Creek. [3] The fen is fed by artesian springs from an aquifer in the region's limestone bedrock; this fosters the development of numerous rare and unusual plants. Such wetlands were once more common in the Shenandoah Valley, but few remain. The habitat contains mainly sedges, cattails, and various shrubs. Among the rare species are bog buckbean ( Menyanthes trifoliata ), pussywillow ( Salix discolor ), queen-of-the-prairie ( Filipendula rubra ), shining ladies' tresses ( Spiranthes lucida ), prairie sedge ( Carex prairea ), and prairie loosestrife ( Lysimachia quadriflora ). [2] [4]
The preserve is privately owned, and public access is restricted. Visitors must make arrangements with the property's owners and a state-employed land steward prior to visiting. [2]
Caledon State Park is a 2,579-acre (10.44 km2) state park located in King George, Virginia. As of 2010, the yearly visitation was 49,328. The property was initially owned by the Alexander brothers, founders of the city of Alexandria, and was established in 1659 as Caledon Plantation. Ownership passed, in 1974, to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Big Spring Bog Natural Area Preserve is a 50-acre (20 ha) Natural Area Preserve located in Grayson County, Virginia. The terrain is hilly, and within its borders is Chestnut Creek, a tributary of the New River. The preserve features a rare wetland known as a "cranberry glade".
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Deep Run Ponds Natural Area Preserve is a 907-acre (3.67 km2) Natural Area Preserve in Rockingham County, Virginia. The preserve contains one of the largest remaining systems of Shenandoah Valley sinkhole ponds in Virginia. Such ponds are found in Rockingham and Augusta counties; their water levels fluctuate throughout the year. The preserve's eight sinkhole ponds support a variety of rare plant and animal life; two ponds support the rare Virginia sneezeweed, while others contain black-fruited spikerush, northern St. John's-wort, Buxbaum's sedge, and northern bog clubmoss.
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