NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



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Nansemond and Norfolk counties. The 

 longleaf and loblolly pines (Pinus palus- 

 tris and P. laeda), magnolia (M. vir- 

 giniana), live oak (Quercus virginiana), 

 bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), 

 black and water gums (Nyssa sylvatica 

 var. biflora and N. aquatica), yellow 

 jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) , 

 cane (Arundinaria macrosperma) and 

 southern white cedar (Chamaecyparis 

 thy aides] are characteristic. The mock- 

 ing bird, painted bunting, prothonotary 

 warbler, red cockaded woodpecker, and 

 Chuek-wilPs-widow are said by Merriam 

 to be characteristic birds of this faunal 

 area, but only the first and last named 

 may be considered to represent it in its 

 northernmost extension in Virginia. 

 While many of the plants and animals 

 of this area occur in Virginia, they are, 

 even in the narrow area mentioned 

 above, mixed with many forms of the 

 mixed hardwood area. 



GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS 



The geographical areas of Virginia 

 occupy belts running northeast by south- 

 west. The easternmost is the Coastal 

 Plain, which lies between the ocean 

 and the "fall line" through Fredericks - 

 burg, Richmond, and Emporia. This 

 area is now approximately two-thirds 

 wooded, though there is not much virgin 

 forest except in the Great Dismal 

 Swamp. The characteristic trees are 

 the loblolly pine, the red, black, and pin 

 oaks (Quercus rubra, Q. velutina, Q. 

 palustris) sweet gum, black gum, yellow 

 poplar, hickory, soft maple, holly (Ilex 

 opaca), and in certain restricted locali- 

 ties the southern white cedar (Chamaecy- 

 paris thyoides}. Animal life is in gen- 

 eral abundant, especially along the 

 rivers. Wild turkeys, bob white, snipe, 

 and sora are common, while on the 

 larger rivers and along the Chesapeake 

 Bay ducks and geese occur as common 

 migrants. Black bear (Ursus ameri- 

 canus), deer (Odocoileus virginianus) 

 and bob-cat (Lynx rufus) occur in the 

 more remote wooded areas. 



West of the Coastal Plain is the 



broad Piedmont Plateau, a region of 

 shortleaf and Virginia pine (Pinus echi- 

 nata and P. virginiana), white, red, 

 black, southern red, and chestnut oaks 

 (Quercus alba, Q. rubra, Q. velutina, Q. 

 digitata, Q. prinus\ hickory, yellow 

 poplar, soft maple, and black gum. 

 Less common are loblolly pine, chestnut, 

 ash, black locust (Robinia pseudo- 

 acacia), sycamore, river birch (Betula 

 nigra), walnut, cucumber tree (Magnolia 

 acuminata), buckeye (Aesculus octan- 

 dra), elm, willow, cottonwood, and 

 cherry. 



There is very little virgin forest in 

 this region, as practically all the forests 

 have been cut and burned over. The 

 second growth timber occupies about 

 two-thirds of the area. Game and 

 native wild animal life is in general less 

 abundant than in the Coastal Plain, 

 though by no means extinct. 



The Blue Ridge Region comprises a 

 strip of land on both sides of the crest 

 of the Blue Ridge, varying from 10 mi. 

 wide in the northern portion to 40 mi. 

 in the southern. This region is mostly 

 wooded, with considerable virgin forest, 

 though fires have caused extensive 



In the higher portions of the Blue 

 Ridge Region some of the animals ex- 

 tinct or nearly so in the other regions 

 are not rare. The black bear, Virginia 

 deer, and bobcat occur here not un- 

 commonly, and their presence may be 

 interpreted, as in the Great Dismal 

 Swamp, to indicate a condition in which 

 the native fauna and flora is almost 

 untouched. While the bison, timber 

 wolf, and passenger pigeon are long since 

 extinct here, the survival of the larger 

 feral animals points to the continued 

 existence of considerable areas essen- 

 tially in their original condition. 



The trees are mostly chestnut, red, 

 black, white, and chestnut oaks, yellow 

 poplar, hickory, maple, basswood, and 

 beech. Shortleaf pine, white pine, and 

 hemlock also occur. 



The Appalachian or Shenandoah Val- 

 ley lies between the Blue Ridge and the 

 Alleghenies, and is 30 to 40 mi. wide. 



