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Blue-gray Silk Snatcher
Its nest is composed of the frailest materials, and is light and small in proportion to the size of the bird. ~John James Audubon on the nest of what he called the Blue-grey Fly-catcher A friend and co-worker of Melissa says the wispy call of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) sounds like a faint “Steve”.… Read more
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Plant Parts Part 3: Wild Columbine
Ephemeral Delicate, perfumed phlox;A mist of columbine, clinging to earth;Phoebe’s gravelly voice,Titmouse — tender, sweet;A dogwood cloud hover aboveVibrant, fresh leaves. FleetingFalling flowers, already spent;A garden, no longer my own. A spring, a garden, will come again;At home in the hope, the beauty. Bittersweetand fast-fading. Always returning! Mike has shared some of my poetry on… Read more
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Nice Eyes
The eye is the jewel of the body. ~Henry David Thoreau I hope you are enjoying Melissa’s wildflower observations. She will have more in coming days. But this morning I wanted to share something I found a few days ago and finally took the time to go photograph yesterday afternoon. We have a nest box… Read more
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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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Whether you want to or not… Parts of a Flower
When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. I want them to see it whether they want to or not. ~Georgia O’Keeffe So far this spring, I’ve had to cancel workshops that I was planning… 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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Attention to Detail
Details create the big picture. ~Sanford I. Weill Back in the day, I worked for a truly remarkable visionary, Mary Ann Brittain. I learned a lot from her and (I think) we made a good team for the museum as educator/naturalists. I remember when I first started going on the road with her to do… 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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Roads End Naturalist 