Roads End Naturalist

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

Author: Mike Dunn

  • Say Ahh…

    I wake up in the morning and I say Ahh! Today’s the day for a song! ~Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys I went on a rambling road trip last week to search for some migrating waterfowl and shoot a few images of something other than the weird bugs and fungi I have photographed recently (not Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Celebrate America’s Best Idea with a Trip to Yellowstone in June!

    Join me, June 2-9, 2016, for an unforgettable experience in the world’s first national park, Yellowstone! Next summer will mark 100 years since the creation of the National Park Service, and there is no better way to celebrate than by visiting Yellowstone. We will spend our days exploring Yellowstone’s unique thermal areas, beautiful landscapes, and Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Eye Shadow

    They are of a most glorious Green, and very tame. There are several other Colours of these Lizards; but none so beautiful as the green ones are. ~John Lawson, in A New Voyage to Carolina, 1709 I went for a walk in the yard earlier this week, looking for anything that might be out and Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • What, There are More of Them?

    There is no story that can’t be improved by adding zombies. ~Kelley Armstrong Walking down the driveway this morning I noticed something on a twig that was propped up against a tree trunk. When I leaned in for a closer look, I said to myself, “you gotta be kidding me, another one?” It looked like Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Zombie Fungus

    Of course life is bizarre, the more bizarre it gets, the more interesting it is. The only way to approach it is to make yourself some popcorn and enjoy the show. ~David Gerrold I have a program coming up in a couple of weeks on things to look for in nature as winter approaches. So, Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Strange Beauty

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    There is no exquisite beauty…without some strangeness… ~Edgar Allan Poe I came across this strange spider the other day as I walked through the back gate. I noticed its striking white abdomen moving slowly around its web with a small up and down motion, accompanying a slight twist of the body as it moved. The Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Cute Jumper

    I always like jumping spiders. They’re just so darn cute. ~Cheryl Hayashi As I neared the end of my hike along the Haw River last week, I noticed a slight movement on a tree trunk along the trail. I stopped and looked, and, at first, saw nothing. So, I placed my hand on the trunk, Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Hiking the Haw

    A river is the most human and companionable of all inanimate things. It has a life, a character, a voice of its own, and is as full of good fellowship as a sugar maple is of sap. ~Henry Van Dyke Fall color is starting to peak here in the Piedmont of North Carolina so I Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Leaves Aren’t The Only Fall Colors

    Now is the time of the illuminated woods…when every leaf glows like a tiny lamp. ~John Burroughs Autumn creeps into these woods slowly. I notice it more at sunset, when the light streaming across the ridge now has a distinct yellow tint that it lacks in the heat of summer. On still afternoons, a close Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • The Lost Coast

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    The edge of the sea is a strange and beautiful place. All through the long history of Earth it has been an area of unrest where waves have broken heavily against the land, where the tides have pressed forward over the continents, receded, and then returned… The shore has a dual nature, changing with the Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn