A Look into Biodiversity in Rockingham County, Virginia

 

Below is an in depth look into the classification of the Groundhog.  Kingdom: Animalia - multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that consume organic material, breathe oxygen, and are able to move. Phylum: Chordata - animals that have a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail. Class: Mammalia -Chordates that have mammary glands that produce milk for feeding young, a neocortex of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones. Order: Rodentia - characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. Family: Sciuridae - includes small or medium-size rodents Genus: Marmota - These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, when they hibernate underground. Scientific Name: Marmota monax Common Name: Groundhog  Pictures from The New York Times and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 

 Highlighted in the slides below are some significant trees in my study area that I encounter on a daily basis working for the Natural Resource Conservation Service. 

Seek by iNaturalist is an app I regularly use while on the job as a technician for the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Being able to identify the numerous species of forage grasses takes time to learn and this app has made me better at identification. Being able to quickly pull out my phone and take a photo of the seed head of a grass and get a fairly accurate identification has come in handy more times than I would like to admit. While the identification provided by the app is broad, it still gives me enough information to make forage recommendations for overseeding and even establishing more diversity in species.   Occasionally if the picture taken is not crystal clear, the identification can be broad to the point where it is not helpful at all. Below is an example of a out of focus picture of Brome Grass that Seek identified as "grasses". 

 When thinking about relevant invasive species in Rockingham, the first that came to my mind was the Tree of Heaven. This tree is a regular issue on many properties throughout the county and through my work with NRCS, we have planned herbicide then mechanical removal of this species. Providing in the slides below is an overview, tips if identification, and tips for removal.