Tupper's Zoology at NVCC

Outings.

Very interesting. https://amp.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/article278295663.html?fbclid=IwAR0bSZnsueo5prmf9kiO8dX0Ck_PhnX_U9lE_12DEgxTca1nxCN2MqIQQug

World’s biggest rattlesnakes can swim from Parris Island to Hilton Head The eastern diamondback, facing a hostile public and habitat loss, is the ultimate underdog. But Marines and Marshall University want to save them

Yesterday's venture looking for a few rare tree species yielded this one:
A large, lone, adult Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) standing a stone's-throw from the Shenandoah River, Clarke county, VA

Bur oaks are exceedingly rare in Virginia. They are mostly associated with the mid-west, where they live farther north and farther into the prairies than other oaks. In Virginia they are only found in and around the northern Shenandoah River, from WV, south to Elkton, VA. The population is very, very small. It is quite possible these trees are a relic of an early era when the Valley was more Prairie-like, pastural, with large herds of bison and elk.

This particular tree was a lone example of its species, standing tallest among a group of other large oaks, walnuts, and sycamores. There were no other adult Bur Oaks nearby, although one tiny, lone, individual was found ~100 yards south.

Tupper's Zoology at NVCC updated their address.