Sense of Place

Tag: suburbia

  • Paean to a Walnut Tree

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    by

    Nicolette Cagle
    in

    In a North Carolina neighborhood, constituting one small portion of a corpulent suburban empire, a young walnut tree bows to the wind. The rain pelts its leaves, but those leaves hardly quiver. The rain is not the walnut’s king. The walnut kneels like a courtier only for the wind, and when the wind decamps, the…

  • Neighborhood Nature: Snakes in Autumn

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    by

    Nicolette Cagle
    in

    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…

  • Neighborhood Nature: Backyard Bryophytes in October

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    by

    Nicolette Cagle
    in ,

    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…