Outside With a Guide

08/05/2026

WHAT!?!?? Wow

08/05/2026

Interesting data coming out of the most recent Virginia breeding bird atlas update…

The Atlas documented breeding evidence for 204 species which includes 196 species that were confirmed breeders, and eight species that were either probable or possible breeders.

07/29/2026

https://phys.org/news/2026-07-moth-wings-reveal-unexpected-ability.html

Insect wings are bristling with senses, feeling the wind blowing and even tasting potential mates, but little was known about whether moth wings are equipped with a sense of smell. Sonja Bisch-Knaden and Bill Hansson from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany, had a hunch that moth....

07/26/2026

!!!

07/20/2026

07/02/2026

Wild rice once thrived along the District of Columbia’s Potomac and Anacostia Rivers and was a dietary staple for the Piscataway and Nacotchtank peoples living in this area. However, as development transformed the region’s watershed, its freshwater wetland habitat disappeared.

Today, wild rice is making a comeback along the Anacostia River as conservation organizations and community members re-envision what an urban river can be. Wild rice provides a habitat among its roots and shoots for fish, frogs, migratory birds, insects, and invertebrates. Its seeds are also a vital food source for migratory birds and other wildlife. In addition, these grasses filter freshwater tidal marshes, trap sediments and pollutants, help control storm surges, and store carbon.

This specimen was collected in 1958 from Theodore Roosevelt Island, District of Columbia.

06/19/2026

https://southernbranchnursery.square.site/product/coastal-virginia-native-landscape-course/4CQ5XMY7BXUFHI3HONT5I2U3

Feeling overwhelmed by native plants and how to actually put a landscape together?Design Your Native Landscape is a live online workshop series created specifically for Coastal Virginia homeowners who want a beautiful, functional landscape — but aren’t sure where to start.Over 5 live sessions, y...

06/14/2026

🌞 Please remember that the heat affects wildlife, too! 🐦🦝🐿️

With temperatures rising, our wild neighbors can struggle to find fresh water.

💧 Fill bird baths with clean, fresh water daily.
💧 If possible, place shallow bowls of water in shaded areas of your yard for wildlife passing through.
💧 Add a few small rocks or sticks to provide footing for insects, butterflies, and smaller animals.
💧 Check water sources frequently, as they can evaporate quickly during extreme heat.

A simple bowl of fresh water can make a huge difference for birds, squirrels, rabbits, opossums, and many other species during hot weather.

Thank you for helping wildlife stay hydrated and safe this summer! ❤️🐾🦋🐦

06/12/2026

Volcanic rock? In Virginia?

Although Virginia no longer has volcanoes, hundreds of millions of years ago this place experienced intense volcanic activity. More than 500 million years ago, as the supercontinent Rodinia broke apart, lava spilled out between the tectonic plates and helped form the rock that composes the Blue Ridge Mountains today. This lava solidified into an igneous rock called basalt. Basalt crystalizes, forming hexagonal columns. Devil's Tower National Monument consists of the same material. You can see this crystal formation, known as columnar jointing, on the Compton Peak Trail (mile 10.4 on Skyline Drive) and a smaller example appears on the Limberlost Trail (mile 43). Deep burial underground once covered this rock, but tectonic plate collisions during the formation of Pangea pushed it up and shaped it into mountains.

You can still see the columns, but this rock no longer consists of basalt. Millions of years of heat and pressure buried the rock underground and transformed it into metabasalt, a type of metamorphic rock. Specifically, geologists call this metabasalt Catoctin Greenstone, which stretches as far north as Pennsylvania. Although basalt doesn't really exist here anymore, the columnar jointing reveals much about the geologic history of Shenandoah National Park.

Image: The underside of a large rock formation made of hexagonal green columns.

06/12/2026

Virginia Wildlife Magazine offers stories and insight on the natural world, supplied by the state’s leading wildlife and outdoor experts.