I thought this scene was rather pretty. The pink fringe bushes alternating with the evergreen trees and bushes, lining a pond half covered with pine pollen. This is spring in North Carolina.
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North Carolina Science Festival
Have you heard about the North Carolina Science Festival? It is a statewide celebration of science for the entire month of April. This year, there are over 500 events happening in all corners of North Carolina. The theme is Science Everyday, Everywhere, Everyone. You can attend a star party, go on a scavenger hunt in… Continue reading North Carolina Science Festival
A Little Visitor
We had a little visitor in the yard this week. It’s not every day you get to see a mouse, let alone have one stay still long enough to photograph it! (These pictures were taken through a window.) This is probably a house mouse (Mus musculus).
What Flowers Will Bloom Next Month? April 2025
There are so many flowers to look forward to in April! Look for: And many more! Check the April Flower page for the full list of flowers to see next month.
First Large Butterfly Sighting in 2025
A male eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) was resting in the sun on the Shiloh Greenway this afternoon. This was the first large butterfly I’ve seen this season. Did you know that the eastern tiger swallowtail is the state butterfly of North Carolina?
Field Report- March 24, 2025
Spring flowers are blooming everywhere you look! The white cherry blossoms and the eastern redbuds are at their peak. On the Hatcher Creek Greenway, look for dimpled trout lilies, spring beauties and rain lilies blooming in the woods. The violets, green and gold, wood sorrel, running five-fingers, and mock strawberries have started to come out.… Continue reading Field Report- March 24, 2025
Magnolias are in Full Bloom
Get outside and enjoy the magnolia blooms this weekend!
Quiet Nature- March 19, 2025
Have you ever seen a three-petaled bluet or tiny bluet? How about one with five petals? Take some time to sit quietly and observe a patch of flowers. You never know what you might find.
An Unusual Pair of Ducks in Bond Park
I came across a beautiful male wood duck (Aix sponsa) in Bond Park this week. He seemed to be friendly with a female mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos). I read that it’s pretty common for both mallard ducks and wood ducks to breed with other types of ducks. Their hybrid offspring are usually infertile, though. If… Continue reading An Unusual Pair of Ducks in Bond Park
Field Report- March 13, 2025
It’s finally starting to feel like spring! It’s easy to see all of the flowering trees. The cherries are just about done with their blooms, but the plums, pears and magnolias are just approaching their peak. Do you have a forsythia bush in your yard? Their yellow blooms are out now. The eastern redbuds finally… Continue reading Field Report- March 13, 2025