Tag: chatham county
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Museum Moth Night
The poets say some moths will do anything out of love for a flame… ~Mohsin Hamid Last night we participated in the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ National Moth Week live event (well, Melissa worked it and I just rambled around taking pictures through my fogged glasses). It was a great start to National Moth Read more…
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Walking Small
Nature will bear the closest inspection; she inspires us to lay our eye level with the smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. ~Henry David Thoreau The heat of summer is not my friend. It slows me down, saps me of energy, and makes me a little complacent I’m afraid. But, there Read more…
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Frills, No Frills
It is almost impossible to think of something no one has thought of before, but it always possible to add different frills. ~Isaac Asimov Friday morning when I went out the basement door to fill the bird feeders, a fuzzy blob on the window caught me eye. I leaned over and saw this strange-looking moth. Read more…
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First of Season
Camouflage is the most interesting of all the arts. ~Kris Saknussemm I sometimes feel like we live in the jungle. Looking out across the small sunny area around the house you see a green wall of vegetation before the tall trees of the forest begin. The yard itself is a tangle of all sorts of Read more…
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Mulberry Moments
Green gives and red receives. Nature is colour coded! ~Sonali Mohan Some of you may have known him, and, even if you didn’t, you may have one of his bluebird boxes in your yard. Jack Finch started a non-profit, Homes For Bluebirds, to help restore his beloved Eastern Bluebird to the skies of the southeast. Read more…
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Suet Sampler
I don’t feed the birds because they need me; I feed the birds because I need them. ~Kathi Hutton Sunday was a gray, chilly day here in the woods and the birds were quite active at the feeders. One group of birds, in particular, had my attention, the gorgeous Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have Read more…
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Keepin’ On, Goin’ On
No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. ~Maya Angelou There has been a lot of talk these past few weeks of the value of connecting with nature, especially during these stressful times where everything “normal” seems unattainable. There is definitely solace in Read more…
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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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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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Roads End Naturalist 