Ball Mountain Bioblitz May 8-9, 2026
Calling all Explorers! If you can find a plant or animal and take a picture of it, you can be a bioblitz participant!
This 24-hour Bioblitz will cover our 181-acre conservation landscape.
Seepage swamps and streamlets dissect a mountain covered in rich forests. There are ancient savanna remnants and vast beaver-made marshlands. The bedrock inclues gabbro, soapstone, metasiltstone, and blue quartz conglomerate that remains from ancient bays and rivers. This diverse geology results in a remarkable variety of ecosystems.
WHERE: Piedmont Discovery Center’s Quarry Gardens, 1643 Salem Road, Schuyler, VA
WHEN: May 8-9, 6pm-6pm
- Check-in: 3:30-5pm
- iNaturalist Training: 4-5pm
- Orientation: 5-5:30
- 24hr Survey: 6pm-6pm
- Review and Awards: 6pm-6:30pm
SURVEY TIMESLOTS***
- 6pm-9pm: Twilight Survey
- 9pm-12am: Early Night Survey
- 12am-5am: Nighttime Survey
- 5am-10am: Sunrise Survey
- 10am-1pm: Daytime Survey
- 1pm-6pm: Daytime Survey
Please RSVP: info@piedmontdiscoverycenter.org
***Indicate your preferred survey time(s)
We invite you to join this high-energy, discovery-oriented survey of PDCs conservation land, including the forests, rock outcrops, grasslands, streams, and wetlands of four biologically rich areas: The Ball Mountain Biome (125 acres), Beaver Wetland Complex (3 acres), Magnolia Valley (10 acres), Ultramafic Uplands (40 acres) During this event, scientists, naturalists, and the public will collaborate to identify as many species as possible! It will be a treasure hunt, a nature scavenger hunt, and a friendly competition. We will use the incredible citizen science tool, iNaturalist, to map and better understand the biodiversity of this landscape. Join us! All ages and skill levels are welcome.
