Jefferson Chapter Field Trip: Trillium Trek at Thompson Wildlife Management Area
Date/Time
Friday, May 4, 2018
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Location
Food Lion Parking Lot - Forest Lakes Shopping Center
Categories
Come join us on one of our field trips!
Jefferson Chapter will travel to just north of Linden, VA to see one of the largest (millions!) Great white trillium displays in the world at the 4,000 acre state-owned G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area managed by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Also, these rich woods host lady’s slipper, showy orchis, the state endangered nodding trillium, and numerous other spring ephemerals. At 1,000 ft. elevation the trilliums reach their peak bloom in early May. Then the great white trillium’s showy white flowers change to pink as they age. Amazingly the dense stand of trilliums and wildflowers even appears along the roadside edges and extends into neighbor’s front yards. From the Thompson parking lot our walk through the trilliums is nearby on a somewhat rocky trial without much elevation change.
We’ll continue on for the 1 to 2 mile walk that will drop us down steeply to the Appalachian Trail, the return route is less steep. Bring a bag lunch to eat on the trail. We’ll carpool from the Food Lion parking lot in Forest Lakes Shopping Center at intersection of Route 29 and Airport Rd, leaving at 8:30 AM. It’s approximately a 1 hour and 40 minute drive on scenic roads once we get off of Route 29 in Madison, VA. The chapter will purchase the required Group Access Permit and obtain the Special Use Authorization for this one day visit. The permit needs to be purchased in advance and will require the chapter knowing how many members it will include.
Please contact Phil Stokes at philipfs@embarqmail.com by April 20 if you plan to come. If you already have a hunting, fishing, or boat license with VDGIF you qualify for access without being included in the Group Access Permit which will cost the chapter about $2 per person.
