Tag: North Carolina
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Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area (Hillsborough, North Carolina)
OverviewOcconeechee Mountain State Natural Area, located in Hillsborough, North Carolina just off I-85, is widely appreciated for its geologic uniqueness and its unusual plant and animal communities. Occoneechee Mountain is one of North Carolina’s classic monadnocks—an isolated mountain rising above the Piedmont peneplain. Its elevation and relative isolation create conditions suitable for a number of…
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GREAT EXPECTATIONS: May in the Piedmont
BirdsMigration season continues this month. Many of the brilliantly colored warblers are just passing through, but some migrants stop and stay to breed in North Carolina. Local breeders include Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, Ovenbirds, and Prairie Warblers. May may also be your last good chance (at least for a couple of months) to catch some…
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Pettigrew State Park (Creswell, North Carolina)
On Saturday, April 3, 2010, my husband, our kiddo, and I visited—and spent the night at—Pettigrew State Park in Creswell, North Carolina. If you’re interested in camping there, be sure to reserve a spot in advance. As usual, the park did not disappoint: interesting bird, amphibian, and reptile sightings began almost immediately. Below is a…
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Turtles Time at Goose Creek State Park (Beaufort County, North Carolina)
Here is all you really need to know: it was May 2007. We arrived at Goose Creek State Park—and “turtle time” began. My trusty companion (my husband, Mark) and I pulled into the primitive campground in our reliable blue Jeep. I jumped out before Mark even turned off the ignition, my feet landing on coarse…
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Pettigrew State Park (Creswell, North Carolina)
We stand on a boardwalk that extends over a large, glassy lake, encircled by bulky cypresses whose stark horizontal branches are softened by curtains of Spanish moss. Through the morning mist, I can almost discern an ancient Algonquian fisherman canoeing in the shallows. I can nearly hear the low voice of this mirage calling to…
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Dendromania at Pilot Mountain (Surry & Yadkin Counties, North Carolina)
One Sunday morning, a number of years ago—when my husband and I were still new to North Carolina and dedicated to seeing its natural wonders one by one—we ventured forth to visit the widely esteemed Pilot Mountain, about 25 miles northwest of Winston-Salem. Our mission was to see for ourselves this place of legend about…
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Chinqua Penn Hiking Trail (Reidsville, Rockingham County, North Carolina)
Note: This site is now closed. Overview: Located about 30 minutes north of Greensboro, Chinqua Penn Plantation once consisted of 22 acres of gardens, a short hiking trail, and one of North Carolina’s architectural treasures: the Chinqua Penn home. Built in the 1920s, the English-style house includes 27 rooms filled with antique furniture from around…
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Eno River State Park – Few’s Ford Access: Birding Trail (Durham, North Carolina)
Overview: Eno River State Park offers several easy-to-moderate trails (plus a few more challenging options) for weekend hikers. If you want a short, easy loop through a variety of habitats, try the Birding Trail at the Few’s Ford access. Starting from the Few’s Ford parking loop, the route can be completed in about 40 minutes.…
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Glennstone Preserve (Durham, North Carolina)
Overview: Glennstone Nature Preserve is an 82-acre natural area in Durham, protected by the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association. It offers a short but rewarding hike through early successional habitat favored by American woodcocks, as well as bottomland forest underlain by diabase-derived soils that support some unusual plant species. Directions: From northbound I-85, take the Glenn…
Sense of Place 