Author: Mike Dunn
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Roanoke Ramblings
A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself. ~Laura Gilpin I spent this past weekend in a magical place, a place I have been many times, but that still draws me back – the Roanoke River. The Roanoke is a major river that flows over 400 miles… Read more…
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Ants In My Plants
It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about? ~Henry David Thoreau I think we all fall into that trap sometimes, perhaps too often – just being busy for the sake of being busy. It was probably more true for me when given some seemingly meaningless… Read more…
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Sanguinaria
One of the most attractive things about the flowers is their beautiful reserve. ~ Henry David Thoreau The beautiful, pure white petals of Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis, are almost finished now. Their time is brief, only a few days for each flower. They emerge in early Spring, each flower bud wrapped in the protection of a… Read more…
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Pretty in Pink
In nature, light creates the color. In the picture, color creates the light. ~Hans Hofmann This past weekend was beautiful…cold, but beautiful. I had planned a trip south for some bird photography, but came down with a lousy cold, so I decided to stay home. At least I could gaze out the windows at the… Read more…
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Night Songs
Frogs are the birds of the night. ~Henry David Thoreau I think I may have used this quote before, but it is just perfect for my experience last night. It just so happens, I do like college basketball, but when I discovered I would not be able to watch the UNC game on TV (my… Read more…
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Uncovered
I wake expectant, hoping to see a new thing. ~ Annie Dillard One of the pleasures of retirement is having the time to do things, to see things, and to take advantage of the situation when the unexpected occurs. The other day I was working on a project in the yard and was using a… Read more…
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The Sound of Spring
…on the first warm night I stepped out to the back porch and heard in the distance a wonderfully high, thin sound, as clear as the first stars over the bare black trees. ~Kathleen Kilgore They have been calling off and on for awhile now. That distinctive, high-pitched, clear call that means the end of… Read more…
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Opening Acts – Flowers
Every spring is the only spring – a perpetual astonishment. ~Ellis Peters The astonishment starts slowly, almost imperceptibly. The temperatures in this part of the world tease, and then take away the warmth, only to bring it back in a day or two. But the woods are more predictable than the thermometer. One of the… Read more…
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Opening Acts – Leaves
If Spring came but once in a century, instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake, and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change! ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow This past weekend, a few of us took a stroll on… Read more…
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Caught in the Act
If they aren’t the cutest critters and the perfect poster-child for vernal pool protection, I just don’t know what is! ~David Markowitz describing Spotted Salamanders A friend and fellow naturalist came by this weekend and we went out Saturday night to have a look at the small pool out in the front yard. It is… Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 