A trail of posts through time: ecology, culture, and close looking.
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Backyard Nature: Treefrogs & More
One humid evening last week, I stepped out into my own backyard to commune a bit with nature. I was greeted by a vociferous chorus of gray treefrogs looking for love. I was also surprised by a Fowler’s toad, hopping furiously away from me, as well as a beautiful sphinx moth. Sometimes nature really is…
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Howell Woods (Johnston County, North Carolina)
Overview: Howell Woods in Johnston County offers more than 25 miles of trails through a striking mix of North Carolina habitat types, including coastal plain bottomland hardwood forest, cypress–gum swamps, and pine/scrub-oak sandhills. Visitors can start at the Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center, then explore the preserve by canoe, horseback, bike, or on foot. Directions:…
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Lake Waccamaw State Park (Columbus County, North Carolina)
Overview: Lake Waccamaw State Park lies in Columbus County, about 160 miles from the Triangle, and showcases one of North Carolina’s most unusual natural features: a pH-neutral bay lake, named for the abundance of bay trees (including sweet bay and red bay). No one knows for certain how bay lakes formed—hypotheses range from meteor impacts…
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Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail (Hillsborough, North Carolina)
Overview: The Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail (HOST), a 44-acre preserve and historical site, includes three miles of trails that take visitors around the original speedway (open from 1948–68), or alternately, along the banks of the Eno River. This trail is set to join the statewide Mountains to the Sea Trail. Directions: Travel south on I-85.…
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Swift Creek Bluffs Preserve (Wake County, North Carolina)
Overview: Swift Creek Bluffs Preserve, a 23-acre Triangle Land Conservancy property with a 1-mile trail that connects to the Birkhaven Greenway, conserves a floodplain forest community that is teeming with life. In spring, visitors to the nature preserve can discover a variety of ephemeral wildflowers, herps, and birds hiding in the hardwood bottomlands. Directions: Please…
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Eno River State Park (Few’s Ford Access): Cox Mountain Trail (Durham, North Carolina)
Overview: Eno River State Park hosts a number of easy to moderate trails, and a few more difficult ones, for the weekend hiker. If you’re looking for a challenging hike through a variety of Piedmont habitats, try the Cox Mountain Trail. This 3.75-mile loop begins at the Few’s Ford picnic area and quickly descends to…
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Eno River State Park, Cole Mill Access – Cole Mill Trail (Durham, North Carolina)
Overview: Eno River State Park, a much-beloved destination for Durham families, hosts a number of easy to moderate trails for the weekend hiker. If you’re looking for an easy hike with spectacular views, try the Cole Mill Trail. This 1.2-mile trail follows the Eno River and then loops back to the parking lot through upland…
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Carnivore Preservation Trust (Pittsboro, North Carolina)
Carnivore Preservation Trust (Pittsboro, NC) Editor’s note (quick update): The Carnivore Preservation Trust is now Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro, and tours generally require advance ticket purchase/reservations through their site. Overview: The Carnivore Preservation Trust, located in Pittsboro, North Carolina, seeks to provide a refuge and sanctuary for mistreated or unwanted carnivores. For a fee,…
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FEBRUARY WILDLIFE: Woodcocks
Woodcocks (Scolopax minor), cryptic, stocky woodland birds with long pointed bills made for picking out small invertebrates, are out and about this February. This time of year, they can be found in open wooded areas (e.g., Mason Farm, Butner Game Lands near the end of Brick House Road) making a scene with their whimsical mating…
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Raven Rock State Park (Lillington, North Carolina)
Overview: Raven Rock State Park, located south of the Triangle in Lillington, North Carolina, revitalizes one’s senses on a cold winter day with its dramatic scenery. The major attraction, Raven Rock itself, is easily reached on the Raven Rock Loop Trail (2.6 miles). The loop is an easy hike—until the climb back up the stairs…
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Morrow Mountain State Park (Albemarle, North Carolina)
Overview: On November 16, 2008, my husband and I took a beautiful autumn hike on Hattaway Mountain in Morrow Mountain State Park. The park is home to numerous trails exploring the ancient Uwharrie Mountain range, a small natural history museum, and the historic homestead of Dr. Francis Kron. For those interested, the home will be…
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Invasive Plants in Winter at Mason Farm (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
Non-native and invasive species are rapidly changing the face of our planet. In the United States, our most insidious invaders come from southeast Asia and Europe. These species threaten local plant diversity and the greater community structure of American habitats. When plant composition changes, it can affect all aspects of biological communities, including soil microbes,…
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Carolina Beach State Park (New Hanover County, North Carolina)
Overview: On November 9, 2008, my husband and I made a delightful stop at Carolina Beach State Park, a 761-acre park located in Carolina Beach on Pleasure Island in New Hanover County, North Carolina. The park offers a number of recreational opportunities, including boating, fishing, camping, and hiking. If you’re looking to learn more about…
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Near the Mouth of the Cape Fear River (Brunswick & New Hanover Counties, North Carolina)
Overview: On November 8, 2008, my husband and I were able to take a fascinating boat tour of the magnificent mouth of the Cape Fear River. The tour originated on Oak Island in Brunswick County, North Carolina and ended miles upstream in Carolina Beach, New Hanover County, North Carolina. This tour was offered at the…
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Neighborhood Nature: Snakes in Autumn
n our own backyard and neighborhood in north Durham, I am always delighted to find snakes curled up next to a rock, basking in the sun, or making their way to winter hibernacula in autumn. October and November are usually the last months in which we see snakes in the North Carolina Piedmont, but the…
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West Point on the Eno (Durham, North Carolina)
Overview: On Sunday, November 2, my husband and I took a long walk at West Point on the Eno, a 388-acre park bordering the Eno River in Durham, NC. Our walk emphasized local geology and was taken from an excellent publication produced by the North Carolina Geologic Survey (see pages 49–56 for the guide to…
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Chicago Wilderness & The Grove (Cook County, Illinois)
Introduction: As a native midwesterner, autumn rarely feels official until I’ve breathed in the cool, crisp air of the north and feasted on views of golden sugar maples and russet burr oaks. This year was no different than most; my natural wanderlust led me back home to northern Illinois. Historically, northeastern Illinois is home to…
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Johnston Mill Nature Preserve (Orange County, North Carolina)
Overview: Located in Orange County, near the Duke Forest, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve is a Triangle Land Conservancy property that offers a quick getaway from the urban grind of Durham and Chapel Hill. The preserve consists of two trails—Robin’s Trail (1.5 miles one-way) and the Bluff Trail (1 mile loop) on the TLC map—though they…
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Neighborhood Nature: Backyard Bryophytes in October
Introduction: The “Neighborhood Nature” segment of my blog is meant to reveal nature in our own neighborhoods and backyards. The natural areas near our homes may not always be pristine, but they often abound with fascinating plants, animals, and natural phenomena. Backyard Bryophytes: Bryophytes—tiny non-vascular, non-flowering plants that first adapted to terrestrial environments about 500…
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Condoret Nature Preserve (Chatham County, North Carolina)
Overview: Condoret Nature Preserve, a Triangle Land Conservancy property acquired by donation in 2003, represents some of the many preserved and protected areas in and around the Triangle that are not intended for recreational use, but meant solely to preserve important ecological habitats and land for our future. The property extends 85 acres and protects…
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Sennett’s Hole – West Point on the Eno (Durham, North Carolina)
Update: Are you interest in seeing how Sennett’s Hole shifts changes intra- and inter-annually from 2008 to the present? If so, visit the Sense of Place photography page on Sennett’s Hole Across the Seasons. Overview: Sennett’s Hole, located at the western end of West Point on the Eno (a Durham city park), is a delightful…
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Eno River State Park – Few’s Ford & the Buckquarter Creek Trail (Durham, North Carolina)
Eno River State Park – Few’s Ford & the Buckquarter Creek Trail (Durham, NC) On Labor Day, my family (husband and grandparents-to-be) and I hiked the Buckquarter Creek Trail, located in the western portion of Eno River State Park at the Few’s Ford entrance. This is a great trail to hike with friends and family,…
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Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve (Durham, North Carolina)
On Sunday, July 6, my husband and I explored Penny’s Bend in northeastern Durham. As a native Midwesterner, I especially enjoy visiting this unique preserve because I can find a little piece of home there, in the form of prairie. Penny’s Bend is an 84-acre preserve, surrounded on three sides by the Eno River. It…
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Green Swamp Preserve (Wilmington, North Carolina)
The Nature Conservancy’s nearly 16,000-acre Green Swamp Preserve represents one of the best remaining examples of the region’s longleaf pine savanna. The understory is filled with carnivorous plants, including pitcher plants, Venus flytraps, and sundews, and the preserve is also home to a number of orchid species. Much of the landscape is dominated by pocosin—thick,…
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Lake Mattamuskeet & Swanquarter NWR (Hyde County, North Carolina)
On Sunday, my husband and I took a road trip to one of North Carolina’s hottest spots for winter birds: Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. Located about 200 miles east of the Triangle in Hyde County, Lake Mattamuskeet is North Carolina’s largest natural lake. It’s also very shallow and nutrient-rich, providing food for thousands of…
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Cole Mill Access, Eno River State Park (Durham, North Carolina)
oday my husband and I explored the Pea Creek Trail, a 1.25-mile loop at the Cole Mill Road access point of Eno River State Park in north Durham. For a longer option, this trail connects to the Dunnagan Loop (2 miles). We started our hike in oak and beech uplands—white oak (Quercus alba), post oak…
Sense of Place 