8940 Jones Mill Rd
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815

The Potomac River bluffs in Loudoun County, VA, are rich areas for botanists, birders, geologists, and historians. Our field trip will be an in-depth exploration of the diverse habitats and plant communities at two rustic parks near Leesburg. At Balls Bluff, the site of a short but fierce Civil War battle, limestone bluffs now harbor uncommon wildflowers such as shooting star and green violet, and the bottomlands along the river display Virginia bluebells, sessile trillium, and many other species. Early spring migrants such as Northern Parula frequent these riverside woods. At the nearby Red Rock Wilderness Overlook area, high red siltstone bluffs support wild pink, lyre-leaved rockcress, and cascades of wild columbine, while the ravines are carpeted with dutchman's breeches and squirrel corn.

Added by Upcoming Robot on February 2, 2011