Flora & Fauna
Ok…we haven’t seen Bigfoot yet, but ‘ya just never know. ;)
Below are a selection of local plants & animals.
At Forever Young, we strive to live in harmony with nature, and ask our Guests to be as sustainable & green as they are able. Guests are asked to practice water conservancy, to recycle, compost & ‘leave no trace’ when outside.
A mother black bear and her FOUR cubs off Wheeler cabin road- a very rare site indeed! (summer, 2022)
A non-venomous black rat snake. Excellent climbers. Known to be rather testy, but not harmful. If you see one, please just let him be.. They are part of a healthy eco-system’s vermin control.
Copperhead: the most common, venomous snake on our property. We see 5-6 every spring/summer. Known to be rather shy, most bites occur when people accidentally step on them OR their dogs attack them and the people intervene. Copperheads hunt in the evening (between 9 and 10 pm). Be especially aware during this time of where you walk and consider keeping your dog on a leash in these evening hours.
If you see one, notify Kevin and we will attempt to capture & relocate.
A young male taking a stroll across the property (spring, 2020).
In general, black bears are very shy and do not want to interact with people. If you see them, feel honored as they do not like our barking dogs & rarely venture on our property. They do go to our neighbors (the vineyard and also down Wheeler cabin road) quite often. If you do see them and~
1) they are far away- be quiet, enjoy watching them but PLEASE do not approach them to try to feed or photograph them.
2) they are mid-range: back away slowly.
3) they are close— Raise your arms to look big & make noise (yell, scream, blow a whistle). If you are walking your dog & your dog attacks the bear do NOT try to intervene. This is the most common way people suffer serious bear attacks. This is also why we suggest all dogs are ON LEASH while hiking in this area.
A harmless king snake (red on black just jump back) vs the highly venomous coral snake (red on yellow, kill a fellow)
Harmless Virginia Creeper (5 leaves) vs. the highly allergic Poison Ivy (3 leaves). Both go through color ranges (depending on the age of plant and time of year) of green to red.
The rare Relicit Trillium. This beauty is prolific on our property in spring.
