Flora and Fauna These first few descriptions (all of fauna) are slightly adapted from articles in considerably earlier editions of the W&OD Trail Times. Informed contributions and emendations from interested browsers are, of course, welcome. On cool, fall days the W&OD Trail asphalt is used by creatures other than those jogging or riding bicycles. Snakes of all kinds slither onto the dark, warm surface to absorb the heat. The snake that is most often seen on the trail is the black rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta). The adult snake is shiny black with white specks on the edges of some scales. The juvenile rat snake can have dark gray or brown blotches on a light gray background. About twelve inches long when hatched, the adult rat snake can reach a length of eight feet. This nonpoisonous snake eats any warm-blooded prey, killing by constriction. Its primary victims are rats, mice, birds and the eggs of birds. Because of its value in rodent control, the rat snake is a bit more immune to man's prejudices than most snakes. Natural predators include foxes, bobcats, opossums, raccoons, weasels, skunks and hawks. The black rat snake is to be found mostly in forests, small wood lots, and around large buildings such as barns. It is also an excellent climber and spends much of the time in trees and vegetation above the ground. When frightened on the ground, the rat snake will shake its tail, which, in dry leaves, produces a credible imitation of a rattlesnake. Although the black rat snake is non-poisonous and lacks the fangs that most poisonous snakes have, it does possess teeth. When disturbed, it will coil up and strike at intruders, and can inflict a painful bite. Thus, this snake -- as well as all of the rest of the wildlife on the W&OD Trail -- should be observed from a discreet distance and be left to go about its business. Mouse bear, weatherman, woodchuck or groundhog? While walking or riding along the W&OD Trail you may have seen a thick, squat, ten-to-fourteen pound animal with thick brown fur and a bushy six-inch tail. This is the groundhog (Marmota monax), popularly celebrated for its ability to predict the propinquity of spring. The embankments that were created when the railroad bed was laid down make the W&OD Trail an ideal habitat for this mammal; the mounds of excavated soil piled around the entrance easily mark the location of a groundhog's burrow. Also, since the power company trims all of the vegetation in the vicinity of the power lines every two years, the low grasses that the groundhog loves grow in abundance and thus provide an abundance of food. A true hibernator, the groundhog retires in the fall and seldom emerges from its den before March. During the winter its body temperature drops from 99 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit and its heart rate falls from 80 to 5 beats per minute. The animal survives by drawing upon the great store of fat which it has laid up during the preceding summer and fall, when it will often eat as much as a pound of grass -- nearly 10 percent of its body weight -- at a single sitting. You may have already noticed how, when it senses danger or an intruder, the groundhog lumbers off at top speed -- six to eight miles per hour. Introducing ... one of the most colorful animals on Earth! The Wood duck (Aix sponsa)! You don't have to go to Costa Rica or even the zoo to find it. A walk along the W&OD Trail in the Vienna area will afford a view of this gorgeous duck, sometimes called the "squealer" (because of its voice). The male Wood duck, with its crest, fiery red eyes, and dazzling greens, blacks, reds, brown-yellows, and whites, is truly a sight to see; in fact, the splendor of its plummage, suggestive of (certainly garish) formal wear, is reflected in its taxonomic name, for sponsa means "betrothed" in Latin. The female Wood duck is more drab, but attractive nonetheless. The "woodie" is rather common in Virginia during all seasons except winter. Normally the duck is found in pairs or small groups, but may congregate in the fall before migration. "Woodies" live near still or slow-moving bodies of water that have suitable large trees -- or man-made boxes -- for nesting. Nesting season starts in late winter or early spring, and the female lays ten to fifteen eggs that hatch in about thirty days. Once out of the nest, the ducklings require another two months before they learn to fly. Predators prevent slightly more than half of the ducklings from surviving to adulthood. Snapping turtles eat the eggs; minks, raccoons, etc. feed on unwary or unguarded nestlings and fledglings. During the first months of life, "woodies" eat insects and soft vegetation such as duckweed (which, incidentally, is the world's smallest flowering plant). Adults, however, eat mostly nuts and seeds -- acorns, beechnuts, etc. The wood duck was one of the many varieties of waterfowl which was nearly driven to extinction in the early 1900's. Because its flesh was particularly popular among consumers of that era, the bird was hunted ferociously; and, its nesting areas were ravaged by careless logging practices. Although the "woodie" is doing well today, it still faces many pressures, the most serious of which is the continued destruction of its habitat.  • The W&OD Trail is owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority •