This week in New River Gorge we had several fun wildlife sightings in the woods and during our commute to the site. While on the road we passed several families of white-tailed deer and some wild turkeys. In the woods we encountered an adult male eastern box turtle, red-backed and northern slimy salamanders, and several different songbird eggs along the forest floor.
We also worked within very different and diverse ecosystems than I'm accustomed to, being from a different region of the US. There were several ferns and other herbaceous species that I have found in the park that Indiana ecosystems don't contain.
These encounters were exciting for me for several reasons, including my interest in wildlife biology and the fact that the plant communities in New River Gorge contain many different plants that aren't found in Indiana!
