G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area, one of the richest botanical areas of Virginia's
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
, is a
Wildlife Management Area
A wildlife management area (WMA) is a protected area set aside for the conservation of wildlife and for recreational activities involving wildlife.
New Zealand
There are 11 wildlife management areas in New Zealand:
* Horsham Downs Wildlife Ma ...
(WMA) located primarily in
Fauquier County
Fauquier County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton.
Fauquier County is in Northern Virginia and is a part of the Washington metropolitan area.
History ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, with small encroachments into both
Warren
Warren most commonly refers to:
* Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits
* Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named
Warren may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Warren (biogeographic region)
* War ...
and
Clarke
Clarke is a surname which means "clerk". The surname is of English and Irish origin and comes from the Latin . Variants include Clerk and Clark. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name.
Irish surname origin
Clarke is a common surname ...
Counties.
Description
G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area comprises two separate parcels, rising in a series of steep stages to the crest of the
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
, which the area's northwestern boundary closely follows. Its northern parcel is adjacent to
Sky Meadows State Park
Sky Meadows State Park is a park in the Virginia state park system. In addition to preserved woodland, meadow and swamp, sections of the park are farmed, in part because it contains the former Mt. Bleak-Skye Farm which was listed on the National ...
. The
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...
crosses through its boundaries along the crest of the Blue Ridge, and the WMA contains several side trails that provide access to the area.
[
Elevations on the property range from above sea level. A number of streams and unusual spring ]seeps
A petroleum seep is a place where natural liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons escape to the Earth's atmosphere and surface, normally under low pressure or flow. Seeps generally occur above either natural terrestrial or underwater petroleum accumul ...
contained within, as are several outcrop
An outcrop or rocky outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth and other terrestrial planets.
Features
Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most p ...
pings of rock. Lake Thompson is also found on the property.[
]
Flora
The area is renowned for an extensive stand of white trillium (''Trillium grandiflorum
''Trillium grandiflorum'', the white trillium, large-flowered trillium, great white trillium, white wake-robin or , is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Melanthiaceae. A monocotyledonous, herbaceous plant, herbaceou ...
'') that blooms each spring. Covering an area of approximately two square miles, this stand of trilliums is reputed to be the largest plant community of its kind in Virginia and perhaps anywhere else in the United States.Galearis spectabilis
''Galearis spectabilis'', commonly known as showy orchis or showy orchid, is an orchid species of the genus '' Galearis''. It is native to eastern Canada (Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick) and much of the eastern half of the United States. In t ...
''), bear corn (''Conopholis americana
''Conopholis americana'', the American cancer-root, bumeh or bear corn, is a perennial, non-photosynthesizing (or "achlorophyllous") parasitic plant. It is from the family Orobanchaceae and more recently from the genus '' Conopholis'' but also li ...
''), and yellow lady slippers (''Cypripedium parviflorum
''Cypripedium parviflorum'', commonly known as yellow lady's slipper or moccasin flower, is a lady's slipper orchid native to North America. It is widespread, ranging from Alaska south to Arizona and Georgia. It grows in fens, wetlands, shoreli ...
''). In the seepage swamps grow several species that are usually associated with more northern regions or higher elevations of the Appalachians, such as Canada mayflower (''Maianthemum canadense
''Maianthemum canadense'' (Canadian may-lily, Canada mayflower, false lily-of-the-valley, Canadian lily-of-the-valley, wild lily-of-the-valley,, p.105 two-leaved Solomon's seal)
is an understory perennial flowering plant, native to Canada and the ...
'').[ Most of the forests found on the land are ]hardwood
Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...
s, but there is some open land at the bottom and near the top of one tract. The remains of formerly cultivated fruit trees may still be seen at the lower portion of the area.[
File:Large-flowered Trillium - Trillium grandiflorum, G. R. Thompson Wildlife Management Area, Linden, Virginia.jpg, Portrait of ''Trillium grandiflorum''
File:Trilliums & Mayapples bloom along Trico Tower Trail, G Richard Thompson WMA.jpg, Trillium and Mayapples in bloom along the Trico Tower Trail
]
Public access
G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area is owned and maintained by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia responsible for the management and conservation of wildlife and inland fish, as well as the regulation of hunting, fishing, and boating activiti ...
. The area is open to the public for hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, boating, and primitive camping.[ Lake Thompson is annually stocked with trout; populations of other sportfish were negatively impacted by unplanned lake drainage events in 2008 and 2010.]
See also
* List of Virginia Wildlife Management Areas
Virginia Wildlife Management Area, wildlife management areas (WMAs) are state-managed protected areas that exist primarily for the benefit of wildlife. Within the Commonwealth of Virginia, 46 tracts of land have been protected as WMAs, covering a ...
References
External links
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries: G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area
{{Protected areas of Virginia
Wildlife management areas of Virginia
Protected areas of Fauquier County, Virginia
Protected areas of Warren County, Virginia
Protected areas of Clarke County, Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains