by don | Sep 15, 2011
Yesterday’s (9/11) wonderful late summer weather – mostly clear mid 70s – enticed my family up to Black Balsam for a walk on top. Black Balsam is an easy way to explore unique high elevation balds because you can drive to the top and much of the hiking is easy...
by don | Sep 8, 2011
Friday, September 23 is the autumn equinox. The equinox is about balance and harmony – the day and night are equal – here, in the Smokies we wave goodbye to summer as Joe-pye and goldenrod fade, apples and pumpkins brighten and leaves begin to turn. We turn our focus...
by don | Aug 31, 2011
On August 24 Chinquapin soared into the dangerous northeast quadrant of then category 3 Hurricane Irene. The Lockheed Martin C-130 – Hercules, a behemoth of an airplane originally designed for the military to transport troops and equipment like utility helicopters and...
by don | Aug 25, 2011
I just wanted to shout an amen to brother George Ellison’s August 10, 2011 Back Then column, “Late summer is an awesome time to botanize.” I am a big fan of a couple of those late summer beauties – cardinal flower and ironweed. When it comes to red, few plants can...
by don | Aug 20, 2011
I can always count on Rankin Bottoms Wildlife Refuge when I need a Loosiana Delta fix. This musky backwater with its willow groves, bald cypress, cottonwoods and buttonbush is the antithesis of the cool clear, swift mountain streams common to the Western Carolina...
by don | Aug 5, 2011
That’s probably not the exact scenario but a recent article in Current Biology claims that most if not all of today’s living polar bears are descended from one Scottish brown bear. Mama bear lived in Ireland near the peak of the last Ice Age 20,000 to 50,000 years...
