Author: Mike Dunn
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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…
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Strange Beauty
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Lost Coast
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…
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Fern Canyon
Only spread a fern-frond over a man’s head and worldly cares are cast out, and freedom and beauty and peace come in. ~John Muir The first campground on our recent trip to the redwood forests was at Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It is a beautiful setting on the beach with… Read more…
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Land of the Giants
Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. ~John Muir The original plan for the recent California trip was destination Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks, in part to see the Giant Sequoia trees. With the fires, partial closures, and air quality issues,… Read more…
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Last Larva?
…one’s first impression might be that this creature has somehow lost its way out of an Amazonian jungle. ~David L. Wagner, describing the Crowned Slug caterpillar in Caterpillars of Eastern North America When I returned from our California trip, I looked around the yard and saw what lies ahead – lots of yard work. Seems… Read more…
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West Coast
Things have been quiet on the blog as I have been on an 11 day trip to the coast of California (end it turns out there was almost no cell service in most of the places I visited). This was the sunset last night on the way back to San Francisco for the flight home… Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 