Author: Mike Dunn
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Now You See Me…
…it seems to vanish mysteriously, skulking in some sheltered nook, with only its bill above water, well deserving its common name of “water witch”. ~Arthur Cleveland Bent Dabchick, Hell-diver, Water Witch, Podilymbus podiceps – all names for a diminutive water bird now known as the Pied-billed Grebe, or simply PBG. These are the the most Read more…
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A Sense of Place
Being aware of the splendor of the seasons, of the natural world, makes us understand man’s critical need for wild places. Living with familiar things and moving in the seasons can fulfill that profound need common to us all: a sense of place. ~Jo Northrop It was time. Time for another trip to that place Read more…
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They’re Back
Always be on the Lookout for the Presence of Wonder ~E.B. White I saw my first one yesterday. I glanced out the window and a streak went by the flowers I had just bought for the window box. I went to the door and I saw it hovering, checking out the red taillight on my Read more…
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Dream Frogs
…I hear the dream frog at a distance…My dream frog turns out to be a toad. ~Henry David Thoreau In a post in late February I discussed the vocalizations of a variety of frogs and toads I have photographed in North Carolina. Last week I had the opportunity to spend some time with one of Read more…
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Salamander Jelly
I shared an early sign of spring about a month ago when I posted some images of Spotted Salamander spermatophores (Salamander Candy) in a woodland pool near my home. Last week I checked out that pool, and a few others, looking for the next step in the recipe for creating a full-baked Spotted Salamander – Read more…
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Snake, Dog, Deer, or Fish Flower
…and there where the pale April sunlight filters through the leafless branches, nod myriads of these lilies, each one guarded by a pair of mottled, erect, sentinel-like leaves. ~ Mrs. William Starr Dana in How to Know the Wild Flowers, 1917 Few spring woodland flowers put on a show like Erythronium americanum (although I am Read more…
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A Milky Way within the Wood
Surely no flower of the year can vie with this in spotless beauty. Its very transitoriness enhances its charm. ~ Mrs. William Starr Dana in How to Know the Wild Flowers, 1917 Twice this past week I came across one of my favorite wildflowers, Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis. When open, the pure white flowers of Bloodroot Read more…
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Only a River Can Make a Stone Fly
A good river is nature’s life work in song. ~Mark Helprin There is, indeed, something magical about a river. It is the lifeblood of the land. It carries your mind to places yet undiscovered and brings surprises to your doorstep. It is a gentle, reassuring friend in its constant murmurings, or a raging threat to Read more…
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Let the Blooms Begin
The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size. ~Gertrude S. Wister Spring is a wonderful season for so many reasons, not the least of which is the explosion of wildflowers that spreads across our state beginning in February and lasting through May. One Read more…
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A Mirror in the Woods
Spring comes earliest to the bottoms of stagnant pools – there no cool winds blow – no hoar frosts penetrate – but they grow protected as under a glass. There are fewer disturbing influences to rob them of the full advantage of the sun’s increased altitude. ~Henry David Thoreau Conservation groups, in partnership with Partners Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 