Uwharries

Some birds fly thousands of miles to the pine stands and fields around Charlotte. So why not take a short drive to go see them? The Three Rivers Land Trust held our eighth annual Uwharrie Naturalist Day on May 4, and hosted a birdwatching event on our Smith Branch Longleaf Preserve in Montgomery County. The […]

Mid-spring is a heady time for naturalists in the Uwharries. The diversity of flora and fauna often sends us reaching for a field guide. Thanks to Mama’s month-by-month acquisition of the entire Peterson Field Guides series, I have 42 books at my fingertips. Some we consult on a regular basis: Eastern Birds, Eastern Forests, Eastern […]

On a Friday morning in late July, Jan Pender left her home in Raleigh and headed toward the Uwharrie National Forest. (I use the term “morning” loosely – it was 3:30 a.m.) Pender, director of the N.C. Youth Conservation Corps, had allowed plenty of time to stop at McDonald’s, wait for an order of 20 […]

I have a notepad on my kitchen counter for a running grocery list, and there’s one on my desk devoted to errands and chores. I’ve kept a digital file of all the books I’ve read for more than 20 years. My nature observations are recorded in a hefty, leather-bound journal. Despite an obvious affinity for […]

In the heart of the Piedmont, there’s a place apart – a far cry from the skyscrapers, highways, shopping centers and subdivisions of our urban areas. The 5,160-acre Birkhead Wilderness Area, at the northern tip of the Uwharrie National Forest, is designated as a place “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled […]

The Uwharrie National Forest sprawls across three counties with numerous access points, but actually getting out on the trails can be intimidating for locals and visitors alike. Many entrances consist of nothing more than a forbidding yellow gate. The U.S. Forest Service might claim foot traffic is welcome, but without additional signage to indicate where […]

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to spend a day in the field with two luminaries from the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. Ornithologist John Gerwin has studied the special population of black-throated green warblers that breeds on forested peaks in the Uwharries, and he was eager to spend some time in our grasslands. […]

You have probably heard of a number of “Friends” groups, such as “Friends of State Parks,” or “Friends of the Library,” or any of a number of other groups. These groups are typically nonprofit organizations formed to help support the work of a local, state or federal government agency. These groups don’t have to be […]

Last fall, as the trees surrendered their leaves, I discovered four large hornets’ nests along my regular mile-long route through Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. Despite passing within a few feet of them on an almost daily basis throughout the spring and summer, the hornets had never given me a bit of trouble. The bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula […]

A few years ago, a woman in the Uwharries called to tell me about a mysterious occurrence she had witnessed. She and her husband were driving home late one evening after a high school football game. Rounding a curve on Okeewemee Road, they saw an owl swoop down and try to snatch a small creature […]