Sense of Place

Tag: Plants

  • Justicia and Justice

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    by Nicolette L. Cagle The Justicia is blooming again at Sennet’s Hole, in its predictable rhythm. I wonder when Justice last bloomed on this American continent?  Humans sometimes seem unpredictable, but that isn’t clear-eyed seeing. We pretend we are unknowable so we don’t have to confront the facts of our true nature, the good and…

  • Unwrapping the Box: Seeds, Spores, and the Forest Inside the Turtle

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    by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., May 26, 2026 In the last post, we began a new part of this Eastern Box Turtle series by considering the turtle’s gifts. In Western science, many of these gifts are described as ecosystem services, or the useful work a species does in a larger ecological system. That language can…

  • What Happens to a Nut on the Forest Floor?

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    by Nicolette L. Cagle, June 1, 2026 What happens to a hickory nut or walnut after it falls to the forest floor? At first, it can seem like a simple thing, a stored future released from the canopy and left beneath the tree that made it. Imagine a hickory nut resting inside its husk, a…

  • Scots Pine: The Workhorse of Dry European Soils

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    by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 13, 2026 In the last post, I explored the dry woodlands and steppe-edge habitats of Central Europe, where thin soils, lots of light, and anthropogenic disturbance create a different world from the cool mountain forests, broadleaf lowlands, and floodplains that came before. Here, I turn to one of the…

  • Pannonian Ash: A Tree of Hardwood Gallery Forests and Lowland Rivers

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    by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 13, 2026 In the last several posts, I’ve been exploring the floodplain forests of Central Europe through some of their characteristic trees, including Black Alder and Black Poplar, both species closely tied to shifting sediments and mercurial river banks. Pannonian Ash belongs to the floodplain as well, but it…

  • Along the Danube, Morava, and Tisza: Floodplain Trees of Central Europe

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    by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 11, 2026 In the last several posts, I’ve been moving through the major forest types of Central Europe, from mountain forests shaped by Spruce, Fir, Beech, and Larch to the Broadleaf Forests of the lowlands and foothills, where Oaks, Hornbeam, and Linden help define the landscape. Here, I turn…

  • European Larch: The Deciduous Conifer of Central Europe’s Mountains

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    by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., March 31, 2026 In the last several posts, I’ve been moving through the trees that help define the mountain forests of Central Europe. I began with the broader upland landscape, then turned to species such as Sycamore Maple, European Beech, Silver Fir, and Norway Spruce, each of which helps shape…

  • Silver Fir: A Tall, Shade-Bearing Conifer of Central Europe’s Mountain Forests

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    by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., March 30, 2026 In the last few posts, I’ve been moving deeper into the trees that shape the mountain forests of Central Europe. I began with the broader upland landscape, then turned to species such as Sycamore Maple and European Beech, both of which help define the structure and atmosphere…

  • European Beech: The Tree That Shapes the Atmosphere of Central Europe’s Uplands

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    by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., March 29, 2026 In the last few posts, I introduced this Central Europe tree series by reflecting on why trees are such a powerful way into sense of place, then by sketching the mountain forests of Central Europe, and most recently by looking more closely at Sycamore Maple, one of…

  • Mountain Forests of Central Europe

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    by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., March 29, 2026 Mountain forests in Central Europe feel layered. Across the Czech uplands and the Western Carpathians, one can move in relatively short distances from foothill broadleaf woods into beech forest, then into colder spruce– and fir-dominated uplands, and finally toward dwarf pine and meadow communities above the tree…

  • When Spring Comes Early: Shifting Bloom Times of Piedmont Ephemerals

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    Spring ephemerals are woodland plants that bloom early in Spring, capturing sunlight that hits the forest floor before the trees leaf out. Some of these ephemerals, like Trout Lilies (Erythronium sp.) have colonies that are over 100 years old! We see spring ephemerals, their delicate leaves and incandescent flowers, during their epigeous or above ground…

  •  Öskjuhlíð, Iceland

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    We woke up and took a taxi to Öskjuhlíð with a driver named Viktor. We walked the waters edge, stepped on a sandy beach, climbed rocks to photograph Campions. We explored the edge of a runway, catching sight of a Whimbrel and Meadow Pipits. We turned around, tracing our steps along with shore and walking…

  • Whitebark Pine Ecology

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    The Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a keystone species in the sub-alpine forests from western Wyoming north to central British Columbia and Alberta. It can also be found at the timberline in the Cascades (think: BC down to the Sierra Nevada) and some mountains between the Cascades and the Rockies. The Whitebark Pine has been…

  • Eastern Cottonwood

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    The Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) is an uncommon tree occupying well-drained, moist soils in the Piedmont and Mountains of North Carolina, but stretching north to Canada, west to Montana, and south past Monterrey, Mexico. The Eastern Cottonwood is dioecious, with a single tree dangling catkins in green (female) or red (male), but not both, in…

  • Maple-leaf Viburnum

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    This week’s plant feature is the Maple-leaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium). The Maple-leaf Viburnum or Dockmackie, is found across eastern North America, ranging from Quebec to Texas. In the Piedmont, the Maple-leaf Viburnum is a small shade-tolerant shrub, found in bottomland and upland forests. This shrub typically grows in forests that have been growing for at…

  • Grapes

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    This week we investigate the Piedmont’s native grapes, some of which are fruiting now. While this profile focuses on those plants that we commonly call “grapes” in English or “ᏖᎸᎳᏗ” (pronounced te-lv-la-di) in Cherokee, it’s important to know that the common Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is closely related! The most well-known local grape species is…

  • Origins of the Word “Haw”

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    Today, the term “haw” refers specifically to the red pome (i.e., the indehiscent fruit containing multiple seeds) of the hawthorn (Crataegus species). However, the common name “hawthorn” is derived from the Old English word “haga,” meaning hedge. The common names of possumhaw (Ilex decidua), blackhaw (Viburnum rafinesquianum), rusty blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum), and possumhaw viburnum (Viburnum…

  • American Beech

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    “[The] Beech is identifiable by the gleam of its wondrously smooth bark, not furrowed even by extreme old age. Here it will be free of branches for full half its height, the sturdy boughs then gracefully down-sweeping. The gray bole has a further beauty in the way it flutes out at the base into strong…

  • GREAT EXPECTATIONS: September in the Piedmont

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    BirdsSeptember brings an early pulse of winter residents back to the Piedmont, including Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, occasional Red-breasted Nuthatches, and a suite of wrens (Winter, Sedge, and Marsh) and sparrows (Swamp and White-throated). Ruby-crowned Kinglets—tiny olive-gray birds with a bright red crown patch (usually hidden)—also return this month after spending the summer in conifer forests of…

  • GREAT EXPECTATIONS: April in the Piedmont

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    BirdsApril launches spring migration in earnest, and the next couple of months can bring a steady stream of northbound travelers. Watch for wood-warblers (including Golden-winged, Nashville, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Bay-breasted, and Blackpoll), along with herons (such as Little Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night-Herons, and Cattle Egrets), thrushes (Veery, Gray-cheeked, and Swainson’s), and sandpipers…

  • GREAT EXPECTATIONS: February in the Piedmont

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    BirdsIn 1936, writer and naturalist Donald Culross Peattie opined that “February is a good month in which to make friends with the birds of a great city.” In North Carolina, he may be right: winter still holds steady in February, and the bird community changes more slowly than it will later in spring. Some of…

  • Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area (Hillsborough, North Carolina)

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    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…

  • Pettigrew State Park (Creswell, North Carolina)

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    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…

  • ROADTRIP: Galapagos Island, Rabida edition

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    Overlooking a pock-marked landscape dominated by grim volcanic scoria—partially covered by a crust of scrubby verdure and rimmed with a thick band of maroon sand—for a moment I felt like a visitor to the strange red planet now prominent in North Carolina’s evening sky. Instead, I stood firmly on Rábida, a tiny island (less than…

  • Glennstone Preserve (Durham, North Carolina)

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    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…

  • Howell Woods (Johnston County, North Carolina)

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    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:…

  • Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail (Hillsborough, North Carolina)

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    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.…

  • Swift Creek Bluffs Preserve (Wake County, North Carolina)

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    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…

  • Eno River State Park (Few’s Ford Access): Cox Mountain Trail (Durham, North Carolina)

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    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…

  • Raven Rock State Park (Lillington, North Carolina)

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    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…

  • Invasive Plants in Winter at Mason Farm (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)

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    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,…

  • Johnston Mill Nature Preserve (Orange County, North Carolina)

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    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…

  • Neighborhood Nature: Backyard Bryophytes in October

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    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…

  • Condoret Nature Preserve (Chatham County, North Carolina)

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    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…

  • Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve (Durham, North Carolina)

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    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…

  • Green Swamp Preserve (Wilmington, North Carolina)

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    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,…