Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

Author: Mike Dunn

  • The Bats of Bracken

    …one of the most spectacular wildlife events that you can see anywhere…It’s the largest congregation of bats in the world, and they come out of this cave by the millions. ~Mylea Bayless, a senior director at Bat Conservation International Here is another long overdue post from a wonderful trip to Austin, Texas, a few months Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Long Distance Traveler

    I liked the name, snow goose, and I liked the sight of them. ~Mary Burns, In The Private Eye: Observing Snow Geese Here is a brief update on my post about this year’s Christmas Bird Count on the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge…as I mentioned yesterday, we spent some time observing a Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Counting Our Blessings

    There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million. ~Walt Streightiff We had a wonderful holiday break this past week, spending time with and enjoying both families. The past few days we discussed some of the varied rituals of the holidays – specific foods for the Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Cold-hardy Blooms

    It is an extremely interesting plant – October and November’s child – and yet reminds me of the earliest spring. Its blossoms smell like spring – and by their color and as well as fragrance they belong to the saffron dawn of the year. ~Henry David Thoreau, 1851 I’ll be catching up with some past Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Returning

    When the uniqueness of a place sings to us like a melody, then we will know, at last, what it means to be at home. ~ Paul Gruchow It has been almost a year since I went back to work. Don’t get me wrong, I feel lucky to have landed in such a wonderful place Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Petals of Ice

    [W]hat a severe yet master artist old Winter is…. No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel. ~John Burroughs, 1866 Yesterday’s post shared some of the intricate beauties of a frosty morning – objects adorned with tiny crystals that reveal new patterns and create sculpted coats on everything in the Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Frosty Morning

    It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it. ~John Burroughs It has finally turned cold, the true feeling of winter is now in the air. Walking in to to my office yesterday morning Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Good Mamas

    Motherhood: All love begins and ends there. ~Robert Browning It has been a good few months for new mothers at work with several new babies among the staff. So, it seems only appropriate that I share a couple of extraordinary mothers from the Garden’s animal kingdom as well. First, an update on the amazing green Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Big Cat in the Garden

    Venom spitting spiders hatching out all over Alabama make great mothers. ~Ben Raines, title of article in Real Time News from AL.com You may remember this photo from about a month ago in another post. It is a female green lynx spider perched near her recently hatched egg case, with many spiderlings visible in the Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Cypress Cities

    Visit the only bald cypress blackwater swamp habitat in Wake County and you will feel like you’ve stepped back through the ages. ~from Robertson Millpond Preserve brochure, Wake County Parks and Recreation I finally had a weekend “off” and was able to join Melissa and Megan on a Museum educator workshop, Find Your Muse on Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn