Where might you go in Atlanta to find a cedar waxwing? What about an indigo bunting, a tufted titmouse, or an osprey? If you’re not an amateur ornithologist, you might not even recognize these exotic-sounding names. But if you’re a…
It’s here—the summer solstice is upon us. And during these warm days we count ourselves particularly fortunate that our offices are located so close to Fontana Lake. At closing time it’s not uncommon for us to jump in the car…
In the outdoor recreation world, perhaps no river has had a greater impact on the Southern Appalachians than the Chattooga. If you appreciate the treasure of this historic river and what it brings to the region, now is your time…
What is Dogwood Winter? What is Blackberry Winter? Spring will come eventually, but this year it's hard to tell when. With temperatures yo-yoing throughout the late winter (a frigid January followed by a warm February), now in late April we're…
In the final months of 2016, parts of western North Carolina were in flames. It took weeks for firefighters to control the wildfires that raged through the dry woods. Many people evacuated thier homes, still more were on alert and…
It took outdoor writer Jim Parham eight years to produce his latest guidebook, Wildflower Walks & Hikes: North Carolina Mountains. Perhaps that's because the region covers a lot of territory: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, DuPont State Forest,…
Yesterday we woke to snow. In the afternoon, we saw trailing arbutus in bloom. This fragile-looking early wildflower is much hardier than it appears. Growing up in Vermont in the 1960s, I learned early that trailing arbutus was an endangered species…
When we think of maple trees, we typically think of autumn. That’s when maples shine, adding their brilliant reds and golds to the riot of fall color in the Southern Appalachians each October. Little do most of us know that…
On a sunny Sunday afternoon this week, taking a favorite walk along the edge of Lake Fontana, we again saw unexpected wildflowers in bloom. It took a sharp eye to notice them; their yellow-green, tinged-with-brown, elongated shapes blended right into…
During January in the Blue Ridge, the year is still too new for blooming wildflowers. I’ve seen a few naturalized cultivated flowers showing their faces early—for instance, on a walk around Lake Junaluska last week a friend and I spied…