Spring Wildflowers at Falls Ridge Nature Preserve

My mother accompanied Sagan and I on a weekend to Blacksburg, Virginia. The weekend went by super fast, but on the way home, we were able to meet some of my friends for a quick hike at the Nature Conservancy’s Falls Ridge Nature Preserve. I’ve been there numerous times before, but this time was one of the most beautiful of trips. Not only did the falls look spectacular, but we were greeted with a rather large variety of blooming wildflowers.

Some snippets of the falls:

Mossy Waterfall

Curvy Falls

A snippet of the wildflowers:

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) with Ferns

Closeup of Wild Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis)

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) Not Quite Blooming Yet

Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Possible Showy Orchid (Orchis spectabilis)

Possible Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera)

Possible False Solomon’s Seal (Smilacina racemosa)

More photos of our Falls Ridge Wildflower Hike can be found on my Flickr site.

Falls Ridge Preserve Length: You can make it as long or as short as you want Elevation Gain: Flat, except for a hill to the top of the falls. Driving and Parking: The final approach to the preserve is a flat gravel road.  There is plenty of parking. Directions from Blacksburg, VA From Main Street, turn on Ellett Road. Turn left on Jennelle Road and cross over railroad tracks Turn right on Den Hill Road Turn left on Northfork Turn right on Falls Ridge Rd. Turn left immediately after the railroad tracks and follow the gravel road to the preserve.

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