Category: Natural History
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Flower Parts Part 2: Our State Flower
Whereas, the Dogwood is a radiantly beautiful flower which grows abundantly in all parts of the State; and Whereas, there is a great demand from all parts of the State that this Legislature adopt an official flower; Now, therefore, The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact: That the Dogwood be, and it is hereby,… Read more…
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Pale Green
Pay attention to what gets your attention. ~Gina Mollicone-Long First, the answers to yesterdays Attention to Detail post… I’m sure many of you already knew the answers, but, just in case, here is what each of the images in yesterday’s post depicted: Sensitive Fern – the spore-containing capsules are round in this species. Foamflower –… Read more…
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The End Result of Butterfly Courtship
Paying attention to the world around you will help you develop the extraordinary capacity to look at mundane things and see the miraculous. ~Michael Mikalko Last week I did a post on the courtship behavior and egg-laying by Falcate Orangetip butterflies in our yard. I watched a female lay two eggs on two different plants… Read more…
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Haw River Saunter
…whenever I felt emotionally overwhelmed, I would take a walk in the woods. Being in the stillness and grandeur of trees had always calmed me. ~Brenda Strong We hiked (I suppose sauntered is a better word, really) along a short section of the Haw River with some good friends on Saturday (practicing social distancing, of… Read more…
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Outside Our Door
…it places its nest at a great height, sometimes fifty feet, attaching it to the twigs of a forked branch. Here the nest is small, thin but compact, composed of the slender stems of dried grasses mixed with coarse fibrous roots and the exuviae of caterpillars or other insects, and lined with the hair of… Read more…
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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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Roads End Naturalist 