Since most of you probably aren't from Northern Virginia, here's a little insight into the animals you'll be spending eight weeks of camp (and one of pre-camp) with. Some of these you'll see around quite often, some you might not see at all. None of them pose any real danger. So, without further ado....

Into the woods!

One of the most frequently sighted residents of CPW is the squirrel. We have two varieties that frequent the area - the Eastern Gray (left) and the Red Squirrel (right). These guys are very cute, but very shy. Most often he'll be seen running up the closest tree. But when you aren't around, they're very curious, and they'll explore every inch of your tent, and as much of your gear as they can find! Reason number one for not keeping anything edible in your tent - They'll find it and eat it, whether it's good for them or not, and they'll chew through anything they can to get to it. Messy glen shelters make the perfect play house for squirrels.

Much shier than the squirrel, the chipmunk is one of my favorites. He's small, fast, and very cute! Most often they'll be heard more than seen - that rustling under the leaves you'll hear is usually them running around. The best place to see them is the wood pile by Ash Grove (you'll find it soon enough - it's where we hold All-Camp campfires), but only if it's really quiet.

Next is the most infamous resident of CPW - the Raccoon! Raccoons are nocturnal animals, and as curious as they come! And since Potomac Woods is used year round, the 'coons have gotten quite bold. As soon as the lights are out, and everything gets quiet... here they come! They are probably the most obvious reason for keeping the glen shelters food-free, because there's not much that they can't get into. So chances are, if you've got a messy tent, you have a raccoon for a neighbor! And any returning staff member will have plenty of stories to share about them.

Tree-frogs are one of my favorite things about summer in Virginia. These guys, while rather small, have a loud chirp, a comforting lullaby that offsets the other night sounds nicely. While tree-frogs (or "peeper" frogs, as I always called them) are more often heard, every so often one of your campers will come running up to you (usually at the pool) saying, "Look what I found!" - and chances are it'll be a tree-frog. And they're just so cute!

Beavers and Groundhogs are both native to this area of Virginia, but I don't think I've ever seen any at camp. At a glance, they're hard to tell apart, though once you glimpse the tail, there's no mistaking. Beavers like watery areas, with slow-moving currents, while groundhogs more enjoy living about 4 feet under the ground. And here's an interesting bit of trivia for you: The Beaver is the second largest rodent in the world behind the South American capybara.

Deer are yet another of the shy animals that inhabit the areas around camp. Extremely cautious, they generally venture only in the less noisy parts of camp, but can be seen randomly anywhere in camp. One thing I must stress: they inhabit the entire area around camp! Camp is situated several miles from the highway, and on the road to camp it is very important to watch out for these guys. One of them can total your car, and still walk away! So be careful.

Woodpeckers are quite common at camp, and there's probably 4 or 5 different varieties in this area. The Downy Woodpecker (pictured) is the one I have seen the most of around camp - it's easy to spot, thanks to it's bright red head. Most often woodpeckers are found in the tops of trees, usually on the main branch or trunk, where they can find the most food.

The Great Blue Heron and the Canadian Goose are also natives, though they are also some of the fewer seen residents. Your best chance to see either will be down by the river. Canadian geese are more common, and are often spotted overhead; however, the sight of a Great Blue Heron is a rare privilege, and they are gorgeous in person. The Heron's call is a low, almost surreal croon, while the Canadian Goose makes an unmistakable honk.

This guy is a Virginia Opossum. Not to be confused with it's cousin the possum, which is only found in Australia, the Opossum is North America's only Marsupial. I've never actually seen one at camp, but I've seen plenty on the road and in the surrounding woods. Don't let him fool you, either - close up they look like an RoUS from "Princess Bride" - they're big and ugly, and in the dark the young are easily confused with rats. Chances are though, should you see one at camp, they'll just keep walking. And yeah, they do sleep hanging from their tails! Opossum are nocturnal, and the most noise you'll hear from one is him hissing at you if he's angry.

This one is also very common in the area - he's an Eastern Box Turtle. They like to show up randomly on the roads through camp, on the flag green, and along the various trails. The campers really like to pick these guys up, but all they'll do is crawl in their shell until they don't hear anymore noise. The box turtle isn't the only variety of turtle in camp, but he's the most common.

Some of the residents of Loudoun County would call these the Bane of Loudoun... rather ironic that there's a law protecting their nesting places and them from hunting! This is a Turkey Vulture, and there's one particular house in Historic Old Town Leesburg where a bunch of them nest (needless to say, the owners aren't thrilled!). There's also nests in the trees surrounding the pool - but don't worry, they only come down when no one's around. Mostly they just fly over camp. So if you see some huge bird flying overhead, it's probably one of these.

This is the one animal in camp I will give a serious warning about - and for good reason! His name is Mr. Stinky-Britches, and he's an Eastern Striped Skunk. Skunks are nocturnal - a fact I didn't know until Mr. S-B walked through my unit one night my first year in camp. He doesn't come out too often, but if you do see him the thing to remember is just stay away! He's going to just keep on walking (which is what you should do, slowly, and AWAY from him) - unless he feels threatened, in which case he'll turn his back to you... lets just say you'd better be far away when he does that. More often than not though, you'll smell him rather than see him. He likes spraying the dogs across the street more than counselors, lucky for us!

Well, those are your room-mates for the summer. Most of them are a joy to watch, and to see your campers watch (they'll love the frogs, trust me). Just remember this summer that this is their home, and we're really the trespassers - so anything they find is fair game! Though there is one animal I have yet to mention, who is not native to this continent even, but lives near camp... Here's their picture - by the end of camp, if you haven't seen them, I'll point them out to you!
 

Hi! I'm an Emu! I'm only supposed to be found in Australia,
but there are a few of me living near Camp Potomac Woods...