Roads End Naturalist

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

Category: Uncategorized

  • 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

  • Leading a Double Life on the Edge

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    There is more both of beauty and of raison d’etre in the works of nature- than in those of art. ~Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) The adaptations of insects in our yard are both beautiful and incredible. Here is a little more on some leaf edge caterpillars discovered the past few days… One of the most… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Life on the Edge

    In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment. ~Charles Darwin I shared some images last week of one of my favorite moth larvae, the unicorn caterpillar. Their shape, coloration, and behavior allow them to blend in remarkably well… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Unicorns Are Real

    I guess there are some unicorns out there somewhere. ~Tedy Bruschi Indeed there are, and I have several in my back yard right now. In my last post, I mentioned I periodically check the leaves on a young wild cherry tree in the yard to see what might be using it for food or shelter.… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • The Difference a Week Makes

    Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. ~Henry David Thoreau Last week I shared some images of the some of the little things that are so fascinating in a big landscape like Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • The Little Things

    Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~Robert Brault I just returned from two hot days down at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. I am looking at some interpretive possibilities for the region as part of the NCLOW project to enhance ecotourism potential in… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • A Day in the Field

    A rainy day in the field is better than a sunny day in the office. ~Anonymous Well, it didn’t rain, it was sunny, and I no longer have an office….but, it was a good day, in spite of the heat. I am working on a trails enhancement project with NCLOW on the Scuppernong region of… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn