Nature

As you’ve likely gathered from a number of both my and Ruth Ann Grissom’s past articles on this website, it is pretty safe to say that there’s still a lot about wildlife we just don’t know in the Uwharries, and a lot of other places as well. One factor that is largely responsible for this […]

It’s an unfortunate fact of life for birders in the Uwharries – spring migration peaks as trees come into full leaf. Trying to identify palm-sized birds flitting through the canopy can lead to a serious case of “warbler neck.” If you like to bird along the Uwharrie River, as I do, you also risk ruining […]

In the early 1970s, a group of artists rebelled against the market-driven forces in New York. They moved out West and began to use the earth as their canvas. In time, their works became known as earth art or land art. The Lightning Field by Walter De Maria is one of the best examples. On […]

If you’re like me, this warmer weather is more than enough encouragement to spend more time outside. Days are getting longer and bulky winter clothing is replaced with t-shirts and flip flops. Time to start thinking about heading to our lakes and rivers for water-based recreational activities, and for many of you, the activity at […]

Every spring, I walk along scanning the forest floor for wildflowers. Sometimes I light on an odd arrangement of blossoms. It takes a few seconds for my mind to shift gears. I finally realize the flowers aren’t attached to plants on the ground – they’ve dropped from vines twining through the canopy. Over the next […]

We’ve finally had enough rain this spring to fill up the ephemeral pools for amphibian breeding, and (for those of you more adventure-seeking outdoors people) also to create enough flow in our rivers for kayak trips to begin. I haven’t yet made my first inaugural trip of 2011 on the Uwharrie River, but rest assured […]

I have the opportunity to see some pretty neat stuff outdoors with my job. And although I don’t have time every week, as it isn’t the primary focus of my work to look for neat species, it is one of the most enjoyable activities I get to participate in, and I jump at the chance […]

The weeks following deer season are typically busy for taxidermists in the Uwharries. Some hunters might be reluctant to part with several hundred dollars right now, even for a prized buck, but a European or skull mount can often be done for less than half the price of a traditional mount. Billy Adams, head of […]

While walking along the Rocky River one day in Stanly County, I came upon a neat little turtle on the stream banks who had suffered some kind of physical malady, from which he must have recovered a while ago. He had a slight disfigurement of his face, but he had healed nicely, so I placed […]

Ask an outdoor enthusiast to name a special natural area in the state and he might mention mountain bogs, Carolina bays or longleaf pine savannas. If pressed to identify one in the piedmont, he might squint and scratch his head and stammer. The piedmont is often described as fragmented, cultivated and compromised. The gentle hills […]