Fairfax County supplies about a third of Virginia’s muskrat records, 494 of 1,432, and Prince William County, just down the Potomac, adds another 92. Both sit along the tidal river, where marshy creek mouths and suburban stormwater ponds meet one of the state’s densest concentrations of people with phones. Mason Neck State Park and the George Washington Memorial Parkway, both on that shoreline, show up among the named places.
From the Eastern Shore to Tidewater
Assateague Island National Seashore leads the named sites, though, and Accomack County ranks ninth. Muskrats there work the brackish marsh behind the barrier island, a reminder that the species can live where fresh water mixes with the tide. In the southeast, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake add tidewater marsh and canal country, while Colonial National Historical Park and James City County cover the marshes of the lower James and York rivers. In the mountains, Montgomery County and Jefferson National Forest hold a smaller share.
Reports peak in April with 323 and then fall away faster than they do farther north. Unlike Michigan or Wisconsin, Virginia shows no late-fall rebound, and November is the quietest month. Records come from 87 of the state’s counties and independent cities.
The species is native to Virginia and holds NatureServe’s top state rank, S5, or secure.
Full species profile
