Category: Natural History
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Redbud Critters
A breath of fresh air after a long winter… ~Michael Dirr That quote is in reference to one of my favorite native trees, the Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis. And right now, they are at their peak in our woods, casting sprays of pink blossoms in the understory. We have quite a few of these dazzling Read more…
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Egg Patterns
There is no better designer than nature. ~Alexander McQueen While out in the yard looking at the tent caterpillars the other day, Melissa turned around and saw an interesting pattern on the trunk of a small tree. The pattern and details of the egg tops told us it was the egg mass of a Wheelbug, Read more…
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Follow the Yellow Brick Road
“Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road… We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz… because, because, because, because, because, because of the wonderful things he does…” ~The Munchkins of Oz In this particular case, the road is not so much yellow and brick as white and silky… but these Read more…
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Butterfly Courtship
My scientific life has been spent describing the interactions that occur when butterflies meet and trying to understand what is going on and why…I persist in following butterflies with stopwatch and notepad. ~Ronald L. Rutowski, North American Butterfly Association Yesterday’s sunshine (why can’t we seem to have at least two days in a row of Read more…
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Mason Farm Meander
No one who loves the woods stays on the path. ~Millie Florence Last Sunday, we wandered over to one of my favorite local spots, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, part of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Given to the University in 1894 by Mary Elizabeth Morgan Mason, the 367-acre tract consists of a number of Piedmont Read more…
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How Much Wood Could a Wood Beetle Chew, If…
The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery Last week I cut and split some firewood from a hickory that fell across the road in the storms of October, Read more…
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Waiting for Warmth
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~Ralph waldo Emerson These are interesting times for sure and we are all going to need a large dose of patience to get us through to the other side. Melissa and I are lucky to live in a place where it is easy to be socially Read more…
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Oh Yeah, It Must Be Spring
The incredible but annually commonplace change that is life eternally renewed has begun to stir. ~Hal Borland My last post dealt with the rapid changes in weather from the first spring wildflowers in our yard to the switch to bitter cold and time for chopping more firewood. The vagaries of “spring” weather really hit home Read more…
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Snow at Last
Oh winter! One never, never loses the surprise and wonder of new fallen snow… ~Emily Carr And surprise it was….they predicted it, and it actually snowed! That has been an unusual happening in these parts for over 450 days (I believe I heard the last measurable snow fall in central North Carolina was about 469 Read more…
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Natural Art
All nature is but art unknown to thee. ~Alexander Pope Earlier this week, I accompanied some friends on a stroll through one of my favorite local natural areas – Johnston Mill Nature Preserve in Orange County. This area is managed by the Triangle Land Conservancy and is one of their more popular sites. I love Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 