Walker Nature Center
BRANCHING OUT
A LOOK INSIDE • Calendar 4 • Kids’ Corner 6 • Wildlife Count Results 7 • Halloween 8
Nature Notes SEPTEMBER Wild and Wonderful Wetlands By Pam Findley
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Goldenrods bloom. Red Fox families disperse. Black Gum tree leaves turn red. Eastern Box Turtle young hatch. Autumnal equinox is September 22 – Fall begins.
OCTOBER • • • • •
Monarch butterflies migrate. Brown-eyed Susans are in bloom. Songbird migration is underway. Turn out lights to help them. Dogwood leaves turn red while Tulip Tree leaves turn gold. October 21 & 22 – Orionids Meteor Shower peaks.
NOVEMBER • • • • •
Redbud trees have long seed pods. American Hollies have bright red berries. Snakes and turtles look for winter hibernation sites. Raccoon and Red Fox grow thick, winter coats. November 8 – Total Lunar Eclipse
By Susan Sims
Conjure up an image of a wetland and what comes to mind? Perhaps the buzzing of dragonflies or the feeling of squishy mud over your boots? Maybe you think of the Eastern Painted Turtle, the native Rose Mallow blooming white and pink, or a scooting Crayfish? Yes, all these things can be part of a wetland or swamp, yet the sum of wetlands are more wonderful than their individual parts. A wetland is an area and ecosystem flooded by water either seasonally or permanently. In a wetland, water covers the soil and determines how the soil develops and the types of plants and animals that live in or on the soil. There are four main types of wetlands - swamps, marshes, bogs and fens - and there are great variations among them. The wetlands of Reston are inland non-tidal floodplains or swamps, and include many vernal pools that hold water each spring. Reston is home to many unique wetland areas including Sunrise Valley Wetland Park - a 15+ acre wetland that’s home to a diverse bird population, amphibians and aquatic reptiles. Wetlands feature prominently near riparian areas along our streams in Reston, and our low land wooded areas.
Wetlands are protected by the Clean Water Act of 1972 because they are an important structural part of the natural cycle of water purification, but their benefits don’t end there.
The Giving Swamp
Wetlands provide water regulation and improve water quality - that squishy soil serves an important purpose. Wetlands function as giant sponges that slowly release water from rain, snowmelt and floods. This slow release helps to reduce flooding, prevents erosion and limits the amount of sediment flowing into our streams and lakes. Erosion can threaten infrastructure, and large amounts of sediment overwhelm waterways killing fish and amphibians. Wetlands are of particular importance in urban and suburban environments like Reston where they filter and absorb runoff from impervious surfaces such as parking lots, buildings and sidewalks. Wetlands also provide important habitat. Over a third of all endangered species live in wetlands including amphibians, insects and migratory bird species.
Continued on page 2
Fall | 23 | Volume Twenty-three