Folly Mills Creek Fen Natural Area Preserve
Folly Mills Creek Fen Natural Area Preserve is a Natural Area Preserve located in Augusta County, Virginia. Privately owned, it was the first Natural Area Preserve to be dedicated to the state as such by its owners.
The 29 acres (120,000 m2) of the preserve contain a Shenandoah Valley fen community; the property is located in the floodplain of Folly Mills Creek, which is itself a tributary of the Shenandoah River. The fen is fed by artesian springs from an aquifer in the region's limestone bedrock; this fosters the development of numerous rare and unusual plants. Such wetlands were once more common in the Shenandoah Valley, but few remain. The habitat contains mainly sedges, cattails, and various shrubs; among the species to be found locally are bog buckbean, pussywillow, queen-of-the-prairie, shining ladies' tresses, prairie sedge and smooth loosestrife.
