The world is filled with such wondrous things. I’m often astounded by what I stumble upon while I’m in the woods. The other day, along...

You will notice when you hike along the double loop trail in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest that you don’t see much wild grape. You...

What is that grey, stringy stuff on the sides of the trees in the forest? It looks almost like light green hair. Also known as Old...

A strange looking living thing emerges from the soil around the bases of oak trees in the spring. It is a member of the Broomrake family...

Have you ever heard of “The Mushroom of Immortality”? Called Reishi in Japan and Ling Chi in China, its species name is Ganoderma...

The Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Bog Onion or Indian Turnip was one of the first native plants I was taught to recognize when I was a child. It...

Over the years, I’ve noticed that there is always one flower that someone asks about on every wildflower hike I lead. The Ladyslipper. ...

These days there is a particular focus on plants that are well know as immunity boosters and anti-viral. The Elderberry (Sambucus) is...

There are many ways to identify a tree. The tree’s bark, roots, leaves and leaf buds are all some of the parts of a tree that can help,...

Several years ago Joe Bonnette, a retired forest ranger and a friend of mine, who lives in Graham County, informed me that we have a...

Dear Partners and Friends, We have an exciting April coming up. Hope you can join us at some of these events. The first week of April,...

You can find Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) growing in many areas of Graham County, and there is an especially nice patch along the...

Many of our readers have heard of Ramps. This past week they have started to raise their pointy tips up from the soil. For those that...

The Spring has officially begun! Every spring, when the ephemeral flowers start appearing in our woods and valleys, there are a few...

The lower left loop of the double loop Memorial Trail is open again. This year I expect to see many things along that trail that I have...

One of the striking native orchids that can be spotted in mid-winter is the Puttyroot orchid or Adam and Eve orchid. The Latin name for...

Recently a friend expressed her concern that when the elderly Tulip Poplars, the Giants of the upper loop, died, that there would be no...

The Great Rhododendrons (Rhododendron maximum) are easily spotted in the winter by their evergreen leaves. Rhododendron comes from the...

There are many kinds of moss in our temperate rain forest. The most beautiful moss I have ever seen can be found all year round but is...

When I think of orchids, I think of warm rainforests and brilliantly colored blossoms growing on trees somewhere near the equator. Much...