Author: Mike Dunn
-
A Fondness for Caterpillars
And what’s a butterfly? At best, He’s but a caterpillar, drest. ~John Grey Another season of caterpillar finds and larval programs is winding down. We have been searching high and low for larvae and, consequently, caring for a menagerie of crawling critters for several weeks now. My caterpillar programs have ended, and Melissa’s will be… Read more…
Written by
-
Muir’s Mountains
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir It is appropriate to start this post on Muir’s beloved mountains, with… Read more…
Written by
-
Hiking Among Giants
Walk in the Sequoia woods at any time of the year and you will say they are the most beautiful and majestic on earth. ~John Muir I am far behind in posting about recent events, sightings and travels. But I guess that is a good problem to have – doing and seeing so much that… Read more…
Written by
-
Sweeping Grass and Rolling Logs
The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery. ~Mark Van Doren We had an adventure on one of the last weeks of summer camp at the Garden. It was all about discoveries – trees, dragonflies, aquatic macroinvertebrates, field and forest insects and animal tracks and signs. A highlight for me was sharing the… Read more…
Written by
-
Garden Ramblings
A garden must combine the poetic and the mysterious with a feeling of serenity and joy. ~Luis Barragan If I am going to be working, it may as well be in a beautiful place like the North Carolina Botanical Garden! Just walking to and from my car offers glimpses of beauty and wonder every day.… Read more…
Written by
-
Backyard Rambles
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper. ~William Butler Yeats There are times in this blog when I don’t seek to tell a detailed story of the life of some natural creature, but simply to share the awe-inspiring scenes that surrounds us, in this case our backyard… Read more…
Written by
-
Catching Up
You are surrounded by gifts every living moment of every day. Let yourself feel appreciation for their presence in your life and take the time to acknowledge their splendor. ~Lou G. Nungesser It has been a whirlwind summer thus far with work keeping me a little busier than I care to be at times. I… Read more…
Written by
-
Plight of the Polistes
Let us turn elsewhere, to the wasps and bees, who unquestionably come first in the laying up of a heritage for their offspring. ~Jean-Henri Fabre, entomologist, 1823-1915 We had a wasp sting two weeks ago at summer camp. The wasps had a nest inside the locking mechanism for one of our pedestrian gates, and when… Read more…
Written by
-
Summer Details
The beauty of the natural world lies in the details. ~ Natalie Angier It has been a hectic few weeks at work with summer camp. One good thing is I am out in the Garden daily, and, anytime you are out in a place with that much diversity, there are plenty of things to see.… Read more…
Written by
-
Ambushed
We are not afraid of predators, we are transfixed by them, prone to weave stories and fables and chatter endlessly about them, because fascination creates preparedness, and preparedness, survival. In a deeply tribal way, we love our monsters… ~Ecologist, E.O. Wilson I took a stroll through the Garden after work one day this week, looking… Read more…
Written by
Roads End Naturalist 