Hundreds of feet below Germany Valley’s lush farmland sits an extensive system of caves and a threatened ecosytem. Pulling off U.S. Route 33 into Germany Valley, visitors enter a valley of farmland, dotted by farm buildings and cradled by the lush hills. Reminiscent of landscapes found throughout its namesake, the
The Miracle Mushroom
West Virginia is home to nearly 1,700 species of mushrooms and larger fungi—among them, the enigmatic morel. Old growth forests are noisy this time of year. Emerging quickly from a monochrome blanket of snow and ice, the landscape seems to wake up all at once in a flash of green
February 2017 Photo Gallery
Photographed by Joey Herron Check out more at flickr.com/photos/wvbirdman
Serving Up West Virginia’s Comfort Foods
From corn bread to hearty soups, West Virginia’s culinary history is alive and well. As food historians and hearth cooks, we have gained a knowledge and appreciation of early West Virginia cookery over the past 25 years. Cooking was more laborintensive for our pioneer ancestors. Seasonality meant families ate what
A Boy and His Bird
The ancient art of falconry lives on with a West Virginia teenager. For more than a millennium, people in Japan and China have used aquatic birds called cormorants to help them catch fish. A fisherman ties a hemp snare around a trained bird’s throat so that, when the animal dives
Dogs, by Design
Writer, illustrator, and dedicated outdoorsman George Bird Evans couldn’t find a bird dog he liked, so he decided to come up with his own breed. Look around Old Hemlock, the historic Preston County home of writer and illustrator George Bird Evans and his wife Kay, and it doesn’t take long
Jefferson’s ‘Giant Claw’
How a long-extinct species of giant sloth was christened by a Founding Father and, centuries later, became our state fossil.
Behind the Lens
Steve Shaluta reflects on his life and work. This story was originally published in the January 2015 issue of Wonderful West Virginia. Written by Shay MaunzPhotographed by Steve Shaluta Ask Steve Shaluta where he’s from, and he becomes uncharacteristically sheepish. “I don’t usually like to tell people this, but I
Living Traditions
Fort New Salem in Harrison County teaches visitors about a way of life long forgotten. It was in early September 1789, before the first hard frost, when a group of Seventh Day Baptists—men, women, and children—left New Jersey to start a new life. They would eventually settle in western Virginia