-
Julie Nesbitt
Julie Nesbitt knows the back trails and by-ways of Northern Virginia real estate.
-
Enjoying Winkler Botanical Preserve
We had a great time walking the trails.
-
Don’t take chances with real estate.
-
REDUCED: 7202 Churchill Rd, McLean
Open House, Sunday, 1-4 BIG PRICE DROP! 7202 CHURCHILL ROADMcLean, VA 221016 Bedrooms5.5 Bathrooms6,752 SF $1,695,000 -
Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services
Established in 1974 with a mission to reduce homelessness, increase community support and promote self sufficiency, the Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services is operated by a multi-denominational board of directors and staff managing over 70 housing units. Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services is located in the Mount Zephyr Business Center at 8305 Richmond…
Grove at Huntley Meadows — new townhouses for sale near Alexandria VA
The Grove at Huntley Meadows is a neighborhood of house and townhouses in Fairfax County near Huntley Meadows Park. These homes are newly built, nicely appointed and conveniently situated near Richmond Highway with easy access to Huntington Metro. The Grove is served by Hybla Valley Elementary School, Carl Sandburg Middle School and West Potomac High School.
-150x150.jpg)
-150x150.jpg)
-150x150.jpg)
-150x150.jpg)
Huntley Meadows is a 4500 acre park in Fairfax County, but today the park service only maintains about 30 acres of meadows. The remainder of the park is following the natural life cycle of the land.
In the days before Columbus, Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley were mostly a sprawling meadow, and even here on the East Coast we had bison herds. The meadows are not the natural state here though, and they were maintained by natives who burned and cut the forest from time to time to leave room for the big herding animals. Left on its own, the land here will slowly revert to a hardwood forest. In Huntley Meadows, visitors can explore this forest by way of many trails and paths.
The change to forest happens over time. When the meadows first fall fallow, weeds rush in. In a few years brambles and honeysuckle mix in with fast growing trees like locusts or cedars. Eventually the tree canopy grows so thick that the vines and undergrowth begin to die off. In dry months, this undergrowth becomes brittle and fires are easy to start. Left unchecked, nature will start its own fire to clear the undergrowth and to replenish the hardwoods as they grow.
The forests of Huntley Meadows are young. This is evidenced not only by the diameter of the trunks and by the types of trees that are tallest. It's also evidenced by the duff, or undergrowth, that is heavy in parts of the forest. The park's management recently ignited a number of controlled burns to clear up the duff and to help keep the forest healthy.
You'll see signs of the fire along many paths in the park.
Huntley Meadows is also popular with birdwatchers. I found these feathers scattered along the trail. Perhaps a fox found a meal here? I am curious what type of bird this might have been.
