PreviousLost River Cave & Valley (Visit this link)
The Lost River Cave and Valley is an urban nature reserve. Sixty-eight acres of green space include a diversity of wildlife habitat including river, wetlands, blue holes, limestone bluffs, grassland prairie, cedar glade, springs, and hardwood forest. The valley boasts over 130 species of birds during spring migration and an abundance of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. This web of life extends into the cave, where countless critters live quietly in the darkness.
The south-central Kentucky landscape is certainly scenic, with its beautiful, gently rolling hills and hollows but this topography, known as Karst, is a clue to many, many more miles of scenery under the surface. Visitors from all over the world journey to visit the caves of the Kentucky Karstlands. The limestone bedrock underlying the surface is the main reason for the many caves and sinkholes in the area. As rainwater falls through the sky and drains through soil, it picks up carbon dioxide and forms carbonic acid. This weak acid slowly dissolves the limestone. Cracks eventually become caves, and in many cases, sinkholes form where the surface loses support foundation underneath. While caves take thousands of years to form, a sinkhole can appear in a day. Residents of a Karst region must always be aware that life exists beneath their feet. Activities and behaviors of humans on the surface can have a profound effect on the life underground.
Life in a cave is not easy but the unique animals that live underground have found some interesting ways of adapting to their special environment. The complete darkness that paralyzes human beings doesn't slow down the critters that call caves their homes. Bats use their echolocation system to "see" in the dark. They are so good at it that they can detect an obstacle the width of a human hair while flying through the darkness. The bats most commonly found in the Lost River Cave are Eastern Pipistrelles, a tiny brown bat that lives a mostly solitary life. These bats move out of the cave and into the trees in the warm months so that they can be closer to their favorite food; insects! Eastern Pipistrelles are capable of consuming thousands of pesky insects every night, all during flight! Other life that can be found in the cave includes cave crickets and cave crayfish. The cave cricket loves the cool darkness and can sometimes be found in basements and cellars. There are several species of crickets that live in caves but the most common is the "camelback cricket". These light tan crickets have long antennae that help them make their way through the darkness. Crickets hop their way to the surface about every 12 days to feast on green vegetation. It is here that they make use of their functioning eyes. Cave crayfish spend their entire lives in the darkness. They lack color pigment and functioning eyes. Cave crayfish have no predators inside the cave and have been known to live up to 10 times longer than their cousins on the surface.
Lost River Valley supports a variety of woodland species including wildlife such as squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, opossum, white-tail deer, box turtles, and wild turkey. There is a great diversity of trees and Kentucky wildflowers. Four blue holes and a spring support fish such as blue gill and perch and attract migratory birds. Limestone bluffs are favorite places of phoebes, swallows, and skinks. The park's location within Bowling Green's city limits makes it an urban oasis for wildlife and nature lovers alike.
http://www.lostrivercave.com
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