Roads End Naturalist

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

Tag: wildflowers

  • Farewell Eastern Columbine

    I’m glad the Covid-19 shutdown began in March. April is the best month to be home. Twenty-five years of gardening – not the traditional type of gardening; Mike’s gardening is more like an attempt to create a mountain cove forest in the side yard – has led to a beautiful array of native wildflowers. April Read more…

    Written by

    Melissa Dowland

  • Flower Fireworks

    Against a dark sky, all flowers look like fireworks. ~Gilbert K. Chesterton It is a strange Fourth of July this year for me. I have mixed emotions about the things I see happening in our country (and our world). And, while I have enjoyed watching the big firework displays offered in many communities, I am Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Feeling Antsy

    Ants are everywhere, but only occasionally noticed. They run much of the terrestrial world as the premier soil turners, channelers of energy, dominatrices of the insect fauna… ~Bert Holldobler The more I learn about them, the more I appreciate plants. Working at the NC Botanical Garden allows me to see the passage of time through Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • The Spirit of Spring

    April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. ~William Shakespeare Things have been so busy at work that I have failed miserably at getting outside with camera in hand to document some of the beauty around me. I made amends Saturday afternoon, and spent a few hours just wandering around the yard, observing and Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Patterns of Spring

    We find the works of nature still more pleasant, the more they resemble those of art. ~ Joseph Addison This Spring has been incredibly beautiful here in the woods. Always a favorite time of year for me, it has been heightened by the almost perfect weather in recent weeks. The fresh green color of the Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • A Fiery Combination

    Nature feeds her children chiefly with color. ~Henry David Thoreau My wildflower garden is between seasons right now, so color is hard to come by. The whites, light blues, and pinkish-reds of spring’s onslaught of ephemerals and early bloomers has passed, and the bright yellows, oranges, and kaleidoscope of colors of summer flowers has not Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Destination Damascus

    The longer I live the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and the wonder of the world… I have loved the feel of the grass under my feet, and the sound of the running streams by my side.  The hum of the wind in the treetops has always been good music to me… ~John Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn