Mature and successional forests, wet and dry meadows, riparian vegetation and vernal pools provide a variety habitats for many native plants and animals to flourish at JK Black Oak. Learn more about some of these species below. Please note: to protect the environmentally sensitive habitat and rare species, JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary is not open for general public access.
Several species of frogs, toads and salamanders live and breed at JK Black Oak. All but one of these species rely on the vernal pools for breeding. To learn more about the three species featured below, hover over/tap each image.
The elusive Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii), often referred to as a toad, is in fact a primitive fossorial frog. Fossorial means that an animal is adapted for digging.
These frogs have the ability to freeze solid during the winter using a process that allows ice to form outside the cells while preventing ice from forming inside the cells.
This salamander is one of our more common species. Unlike other amphibians at JK Black Oak, this species lays its eggs on land, often in the cavity of a rotting log.
To date 137 species of birds have been found at JK Black Oak, including those designated as Species of Greatest Conservation Need. The complete list of birds can be found on the eBird hotspot checklist. To learn more about the three birds featured below, hover over/tap each image.
This migratory wader uses the vernal pools at JK Black Oak during spring migration.
This migratory bird breeds at JK Black Oak. At least seven breeding pairs have been documented on the property.
This year-round resident has a song that is often compared to the sound of a falling ping pong ball coming to rest.
Insect surveys began at JK Black Oak in 2023 with insects being documented in the JK Black Oak project in iNaturalist. In 2024 surveys were expanded to include night surveys. To learn more about the three insects featured below, hover over/tap each image.
Their orange and black colors warn predators they are toxic. They have the unusual ability to “hear” using organs on their thorax, which can also make high-frequency sounds.
Males can reach a length of 7 inches, including their long horns, making it one of the largest insects in North America. Females are smaller, usually 3 inches long.
This large moth typically has a wingspan of 3 to 3.7 inches. It is named after Polyphemus, a Greek mythology character known for his big eye in the center of his forehead.
From the spring ephemerails that appear over much of the floor of the oak-hickory forest, to vibrant summer-blooming flowers in the meadows and moisture-loving plants around the vernal pools, the Sanctuary has a great diversity of native plants. Thus far, over 165 species of herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees have been documented. You can see many of them in the JK Black Oak project in iNaturalist. To learn more about the three plants featured below, hover over/tap each image.
(Sisyrinchium angustifolium) Despite its common name, this perennial is not a grass. It is a member of the iris family (Iridaceae) with narrow leaves that look like grass.
(Asclepias viridiflora) Although not as showy as the other milkweeds, Green Milkweed is an important pollinator plant. It tends to be solitary and grows in just a few locations at JK Black Oak.
(Impatiens capensis) The juice from the stem of this annual plant is said to relieve itching from poison ivy. It is a hummingbird favorite and is also visited by bees and butterflies.
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy captured Wood Ducks, a Great Blue Heron, White-tailed Deer, Red-shouldered Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Red Fox and a Raccoon on a trail camera set up at one of the vernal pools. Spring Peepers can also be heard.
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