Exploring Pony Pasture - Richmond, VA

 Dendrology - or the study of trees and shrubs - is a fun way to get to know about the place you are exploring. Please watch the below video (with audio) to learn more! Information found from Virginia Tech Dedrology! Curious about what is in your area? You can use this tool to explore!

Please watch this video to learn more about the invasive species located at Pony Pasture & The Wetlands  Want to get involved? Check out the James River Park System's invasive species Taskforce here!

 Using the Web Soil Survey System - As a beginner: I wanted to obtain more information on what the soil demographics are for Pony Pasture and the neighboring areas. One of the ways to find this information is to use the USDA's Web Soil Survey's website . This site can be intimidating at first, but I spent a few minutes clicking around and learning how to use the search and "AOI" (Area of Interest) results.  Once I selected my area of interest, I selected the "Soil Map" tab which provided me with this: The really cool portion of this Soil Map is on the left-hand side, where you can actually click on the text in blue and learn more about the soil type! Now, this is where I believe the website could improve. There are a lot of technical terms in this description. While I understand some of the items (like the fact that it's a flood plain, frequently floods, and has mostly sand and clay), I do not know what it means to have a linear shape.  Overall, I believ...

 Whenever you visit an area, it is good to be aware of the climate and the weather.  Pony Pasture is located in Central Virginia, and the weather can change quite rapidly throughout the day.  There are a few resources that can help you plan your trip to Pony Pasture: 1) The Climate Prediction Center  which can show you the climate outlook and predictions for the next 8-14 days.  2) Local Weather Channels: NBC 12  has weather updates throughout the day and a "first alert" system that will notify you of any major weather changes and dangerous weather conditions.  Photo depicting flood stage at Pony Pasture boat launch

 So you want to visit the Wetlands and Pony Pasture, but what is there to see?  Check out this handy map that highlights some entrances, activities, and sightings around the park! https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1rqejgvcqytKMf9DHqKPnEdMpAyDVry0&usp=sharing

 So we know what biodiversity is, but why study it? Why is it important? Studying biodiversity helps us to understand the health of an area and identify any problems that are occurring. It's important to regularly study an area and gauge any patterns that could be concerning. For example, if a species meant to be in that area is missing or if there is a lack of biodiversity - what is causing that? What species are there? If an area is full of diversity - what stewardship practices are in place that are contributing to the success?  Regularly studying an area's biodiversity can also help monitor the impacts of targeted stewardship and establish management plans that can help restore an area with poor biodiversity. An example of this would be proactively removing invasive species and watching for native species to return.  But, why does it matter? An area that is biodiverse and healthy helps our lives. A biodiverse ecosystem means that the soil is healthier - meaning erosio...

 Biodiversity is a general term that is used to describe the variety of different species in a given area. This takes into account multiple variables: the number of species in an area, the totals of each individual species, and the genetic diversity of each species. Species included everything from plants and animals to microorganisms and fungi.  Katie Virginia Spring Beauty ( Claytonia virginica )