Spring is in full swing in the Blue Ridge! We can tell thanks to the small, ground-dwelling plants that have started to bloom—the spring ephemerals! Spring beauty, Dutchman’s breeches, and trillium are among our favorites—keep reading for more info about these gorgeous short-lived wildflowers.

March 20 marks the beginning of spring for the Northern hemisphere. It’s the vernal equinox; the day the sun rises on the North pole, we start having more than 12 hours of daylight, and the halfway point between the solstices. As the temperatures rise and the soil wets, new signs of life appear all around! Keep reading for some early spring appearances we've noted on campus.

When someone says the name “butcher bird,” what comes to mind? Do you think of a raptor with a hooked beak and strong talons to shred their prey apart? Or maybe an eagle with a chef’s hat, holding a butcher knife? Whatever does come to mind, it likely isn’t a songbird. But that’s exactly what the butcher bird is! Let me introduce you to the most deadly passerine in Virginia, the loggerhead shrike, A.K.A the butcher bird!