Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

Category: Uncategorized

  • Barking up the Right Tree

    Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. ~Hal Borland Melissa and I try to test each other as we walk any trail this time of year with a tree trunk quiz – we try to identify trees by just looking at the trunk at eye level…no fair looking up, unless we are stumped.  I… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • New Beginnings

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    Native plants give us a sense of where we are in this great land of ours. ~Lady Bird Johnson You may have noticed a slight reduction in the number of posts the last few weeks. A major reason is that I have been busy with a new chapter in my life, a new adventure. It… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Merlin Magic

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    …we will not care about what we do not recognize. ~Tim Beatley I have spent a lifetime trying to learn about the world around me. Not about the financial sector, or cars, or electricity (all of these, I now realize, might actually have come in handy), but about the natural world, the plants and animals… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Refuge Renewal

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    In such surroundings – occasional as our visits may be – we can achieve that kind of physical and spiritual renewal that comes alone from the wonder of the natural world. ~Laurence Rockefeller It is the season of renewal for me, the season of experiencing some of the wild spectacles of this place I call… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Red-shoulders

    The sparrow flying behind the hawk thinks the hawk is fleeing. ~Japanese proverb Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to work with my friend, Mary, to provide an introductory bird photography class at the NC Botanical Garden (NCBG) in Chapel Hill. It was next to the last in a series of programs that were part… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Sanctuary in the Swamp

    …when life looks sandy and barren, is reduced to its lowest terms, we have no appetite, and it has no flavour, then let me visit such a swamp as this, deep and impenetrable, where the earth quakes for a rod around you at every step, with its open water where swallows skim and twitter… ~Henry… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • This is Nuts, Part 2

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    Each year insects heavily attack northern red oak acorns and destroy a large percentage of them, greatly reducing the number of acorns available to produce seedlings and feed wildlife. ~Lester P. Gibson No, this isn’t what you think…it really is a post about acorns (I need a break from the other nuttiness). It is a… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • The Day After

    Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. ~Desmond Tutu Be the light… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Ground Squirrels in Trees

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    There was no variation in his manner of proceeding all the time I observed him. He was alert, cautious, and exceedingly methodical. ~John Burroughs, on observing a chipmunk, 1894 On our recent mountain trip, we camped at Hickory Ridge Campground at Grayson Highlands State Park.  In addition to several maple, birch and (appropriately) hickory trees,… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Transformation

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    In all works on Natural History, we constantly find details of the marvelous adaptation of animals to their food, their habits, and the localities in which they are found. ~Alfred Russel Wallace, 1853 It is that time of year again…yep, the museum’s annual BugFest event is tomorrow, Saturday, September 17. Join us for an incredible… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn